HOPPY, MALTY, FRUITY

GABS 2022

Hoppy, Malty, Fruity… Spice, Sour and Roast – wtf?

By GABS resident writer, Beer Diva Kirrily Waldhorn

The range of beers available to Kiwi beer-lovers is ever-evolving which whilst is incredibly exciting, it can be a little overwhelming when faced with so many choices! To make it easier to find a potential undiscovered new favourite, our team works hard each year to segment every one of the container bar beers into key flavour profiles. These are a fantastic guide to helping you decide which styles and flavours most suit your taste to help you to discover the perfect beer for any occasion.

Craft beer offers an incredibly wide variety of styles and flavour profiles and none more so than the ‘push the boundary’ beers we present at GABS. So, rather than fall back into the “too hard” basket, we encourage you to step out of your comfort zone as we know, craft beer is an absolute adventure and should always be an exciting journey of discovery.

Whilst there are two main styles of beer, lagers and ales, under each of those styles lies over 150 ‘sub-styles’ of beer… much like red and white wine and the many varietals that sit under each of those styles. Within these sub-styles, the beer industry has worked on categorising the main flavour profiles into seven key flavour profiles. These are a fantastic tool to use as an initial way of finding and identifying beer styles that suit your flavour preferences.

1. CRISP

These spring/summer refreshers are great for long lunches, afternoon picnics, beach cricket and backyard bbq’s. These popular beer styles are extremely approachable and easy-drinking. They are crisp & refreshing and often lagers (but not exclusively) with a clean, dry finish. Those beers falling into the CRISP flavour profile tend to be lighter in flavour and body and may have subtle fruit, malt or hoppy characters.

The beer styles included in CRISP are Pilsner, Australian Lager, International Lager, Session Ale, Summer Ale, Golden Ale

2. HOP

Looking for a punchy, fresh flavour lift? HOP beers offer an aromatic delight to those a little more adventurous. Perfect for a lively dinner party or Sunday roast with friends. This flavour profile is characterised by the generous use of hops imparting both bitterness and lively aromatics, with hop driven beers offering a punchy freshness and vibrancy generally coupled with a balancing sweet malt backbone. These can range from easy-drinking right through to big and bold.

Key styles included are XPA, American Pale Ale, Australian Pale Ale, English Pale Ale, IPA, Red IPA

3. MALT

Warm & comforting, MALT beers will complement slow-cooking, a cheese platter with friends or as the perfect seasonal transition from summer to autumn. Sweet, rich and often quite decadent, malt driven beers impart toffee, caramel, nutty, toasty or fruity characteristics and can often be darker in colour and lower in bitterness. They are a great option for the cooler months of the year.

Amongst MALT profile beers are Amber Ales, Brown Ales, Extra Special Bitters (ESB), Dark Lagers, German Dunkels and rich Scotch Ales

4. FRUITY (& SPICY)

The approachability of FRUIT beers will perfectly complement a summer picnic, the end of a bike ride in the countryside, sunset gazing and Sunday brunch.

These beers can be naturally fruity (or spicy) based on the raw ingredients, most often the yeast, that is selected by the brewer, or their fruit characters can come directly from the addition of fruit or spice to the beer. They are generally very approachable and often lower in bitterness.

Think Hefeweizens (German wheat beer), Witbiers (Belgian wheat beer), farmhouse Saisons, Belgian Tripels and Belgian Dark Ales.

5. ROAST

Come to the dark side and embrace ROAST beers, which will enhance a 12hr slow-cooked brisket celebration, a late night sipper by the fire or provide a show-stopping, memorable twist with dessert.

Using heavily roasted malts, giving the beer its darker colour and richness, these beers will impart intense coffee, chocolate, liquorice and molasses characters. Often misunderstood, roast beers can be quite easy-drinking and are a fantastic partner to winter cooking.

We have all heard of Stout and Porter but also included in this flavour profiles are Schwarzbiers and Black IPA’s.

6. FUNKY (& TART)

If you like to walk on the wild side then these are the beers for you. Not for the faint of heart, yet a great entry point for many into craft beer, FUNKY beers are perfect for watching your favourite band at the local pub, barefoot bowls and any other hipster-inspired occasion.

These left-of-centre beers are rustic and earthy in nature with varying levels of acidity from light and elegant to mouth-puckering and funky. Using wild yeasts, various bacteria and possibly barrel characters, these are often the most complex of the beer styles. Increasingly more and popular with brewers and drinkers alike, styles such as Berliner Weisse, Gose, Fruit Sours, Wild Ales and Flanders Red all form part of this eclectic but super fun flavour profile.

7. SMOKE

Reminiscent of a coastal campfire, streaky bacon or peated whiskey, the subdued smoulder of SMOKE beers are as equally at home in a wood cabin or a cosy laneway bar. SMOKE beers use malts that have been smoked over wood fires, or aged in whiskey barrels, which then impart these flavours into the beer. They often have a lovely caramel or toffee malt backbone and are definitely a new experience if you are feeling adventurous.

Whilst this flavour profile is often the exception rather than the norm, common styles include Smoked Porter and Rauchbier.

These profiles are a fantastic way of classifying beers by their dominant flavour profile and helping to identify which flavours sit in the favourites list. Here at GABS, we encourage you to explore, push your boundaries and most of all, enjoy some great tasting, unique-flavoured beers!