Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Grape vs. Grain
- 1 Beer and Wine: Some Social Commentary
- 2 A Brief History of Wine
- 3 A Brief History of Beer
- 4 How Wine Is Made
- 5 How Beer Is Made
- 6 The Quality of Wine
- 7 The Quality of Beer
- 8 Types of Wine
- 9 Types of Beer
- 10 The Healthfulness of Wine and Beer
- 11 Conclusions about Beer and Wine – and the Future
- Further Reading
- Index
7 - The Quality of Beer
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 September 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Grape vs. Grain
- 1 Beer and Wine: Some Social Commentary
- 2 A Brief History of Wine
- 3 A Brief History of Beer
- 4 How Wine Is Made
- 5 How Beer Is Made
- 6 The Quality of Wine
- 7 The Quality of Beer
- 8 Types of Wine
- 9 Types of Beer
- 10 The Healthfulness of Wine and Beer
- 11 Conclusions about Beer and Wine – and the Future
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
The quality of beer, if we were to distill it into a nutshell, may be described as “all as for wine, plus bubbles.” Certainly there are wines that effervesce, but in no instance do the bubbles survive as stable foam. Despite the fact that too many people in the United States chug their beer directly from can or bottle and a visitor to London will encounter ale (albeit delicious) that resembles cold tea, every image of beer that you will encounter on screen or in print features a rich, dense, creamy foam.
There is no question that foam impacts drinkers' perception of a product. Show customers images of beer with good or poor foams and those with superior foam are declared to be better brewed, fresher, and better tasting. All this is based solely on appearance; not a drop has been drunk in making this evaluation.
So why do most beers display stable foams whereas other drinks, such as champagne and sodas, do not, despite the fact that often times they contain more carbon dioxide than does beer? The answer lies in the presence in beer of molecules that stabilize the bubbles: They are carried into the head when the latter is created and, once in the bubble walls, they fashion a framework (liken it to scaffolding) that prevents the foam from collapsing.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Grape vs. GrainA Historical, Technological, and Social Comparison of Wine and Beer, pp. 115 - 128Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008