Beer: articles and news
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Alcohol free beer: discover the best choices
Are you looking for the best alcohol-free beer? Discover the tastiest choices and 0.0 beer most similar to normal beer. Find your ideal choice at Consum.
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BEERS TO TAKE ON A PICNIC
With the start of the good weather, there are many more opportunities to get out into the countryside and enjoy the marvels of nature. The days are longer, the temperatures warmer and the plant life is blooming everywhere, just inviting us to pack a picnic hamper and enjoy a day out.Our lunchtime menus usually follow tradition and common sense: if we are going somewhere where we can light a fire for a barbecue, sardines, chops, sausages and belly pork are the usual ingredients to delight our palates. On the other hand, if we are not going to be able to cook our food outdoors, we will usually take a delicious potato omelette, breaded fillets, roast peppers and different salads to accompany those delicacies.So now let’s turn to the drinks. Apart from soft drinks, sangria and lightly carbonated wine, we could say that beer is the star drink at these outdoor meals. Its moderate alcohol content, pairing versatility and refreshing nature make it the go-to drink for picnics.The question remains then: Is there a best beer for these occasions? As always, the answer to that question depends on our own personal tastes. Nevertheless, there are some recommendations that could be useful when choosing beer for our picnics. Let’s take a quick look at them:Cans rather than bottles > before moving on to discuss the type of beer, we should first look at the container, where tin cans, in our opinion, are the best choice. There are several practical reasons for this: they take up less space and are lighter than glass bottles, they are easier to carry and keep cold. We do recommend serving the beer in a cup though, even if it is a plastic one, rather than drinking straight from the can. That will avoid the metallic taste that we get from the can itself when it comes into contact with our lips, rather than from the beer itself, which thanks to the coating inside cans does not actually come into contact with the metal.Lower alcohol content > because of our physical activity outdoors, the temperature and the moment itself, we are likely to drink more fluids on a picnic than on other occasions. Therefore, choosing lower alcohol content beer, and even alcohol-free beer could be a good idea. If you are going to drive afterwards, you should avoid drinking alcohol, both for your own safety and that of others.Fresher rather than stronger > golden lager, wheat beer or the popular Radler with lemon juice beers are particularly refreshing and are the ideal drink for picnics, rather than more malty, full-bodied beers. IPA style beer with moderate alcohol content with its herbal, fruity nuances of hops also makes an excellent choice.
TOO FEW PLANS FOR SO MUCH BEER
At Consum we know that nothing goes together better than a good plan and a good beer. And if you like beer, you never turn down an invitation when there’s beer going around. Our choice of brands and types of beer opens up a range of plans to go with each beer, in fact sometimes so many that we could be overwhelmed by the choice. Therefore, through this blog we wanted to make some recommendations for you to find the right one for each occasion.Classical plans with standard lager.A Friday at your single friend’s house, a Sunday snack before lunch or an evening of board games at home with the family. The beer that makes the perfect companion for those plans is almost certainly the classical lager you already have in the fridge. There’s nothing more something to play it safe.Some of our brands: Amstel, Heineken, Mahou, Estrella Damm, San Miguel…If you’re more into chilling, then 0.0 is for you.Because, who says that the couch, a movie and blanket don’t go well with a beer? 0.0 is a good choice to enjoy a beer without missing out on the plot, and without that sleepiness that stays with you all day. What's more, you can enjoy it on weekdays without that guilty feeling, an added bonus!Some of our 0.0 beers: Águila 0,0, Turia 0,0, Ambar Triple 0, Estrella Galicia 0,0…So is it going to be a barbecue day? A roasted malt then!If there is one event that can win everyone over, it has to be those that last all day. Starting early in the morning, lighting a fire for a barbecue or paella, stretching the hours to last well into the night... There is nothing better. And to rise to the occasion, there no better companion than a good roasted malt beer.Our choice: Amstel Oro, Adlerbrau, Turia…For those fancy days, a craft beer.There are days when you wake up and feel like going to see an exhibition, a cheese or other deli tasting session, or getting together with friends for some craftwork sessions. But you also feel like a beer that meets the occasion. For those days, we recommend a craft beer.Choose from a wide variety: La Socarrada, Tyris, Mala Vida, 18/70…And for those crazy days, an IPA.Because there are also moments when we just let ourselves go, do something new and that “what if...” that we’ve always wanted to do. Parachuting, a last minute trip, or who knows, writing to your crush on the spur of the moment. All of them deserve to be rounded off with a good toast. And for that, an IPA is perfect.Among ours, you’ll find: Cerdos Voladores, Hoppy Flower and Mahou IPA.If you’ve already made plans and are looking for the ideal beer, or if you still haven’t decided what to do but you want to have a good time, discover our beers:Amstel,Heineken, Mahou, Estrella Damm, San Miguel…
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PILSEN AND LAGER?
Brewing terminology is gradually carving itself a niche in our society, and almost everyone is now familiar with terms such as IPA, IBU, Ale, Stout, Malt, Hops, Pilsen and Lager.
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Everything you need to know about vegan beer: What it is and which ones to choose
Find out what vegan beer is and discover the best choices to enjoy it without any animal origin ingredients. Practical guide to choosing vegan beer.
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Cervezas alemanas, belgas, checas y británicas: un mundo de semejanzas y diferencias
¿Conoces que diferencia hay entre una cerveza especial y cualquier otra? En este artículo te contamos qué características hacen que una cerveza sea especial.
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Cómo disfrutar de la cerveza artesana
El mundo de las cervezas es cada vez más amplio. La cerveza artesanal es un tipo de cerveza que ha venido para quedarse, ¿sabes todo sobre ella? ¡Descúbrela!
Beer
The origin of beer
Today we are going to take a trip back in time to a unique moment in the history of mankind: the origin of beer. But before we set off, and in order to determine the destination of our adventure, the first thing we must do is define what type of drink we can call beer, from a broader perspective than that of the current reality. In a universal sense and with that historical view, we can say that beer is an alcoholic drink made from the fermentation of cereals and flavoured with plants, to which fruit and other sources of sugar can be added. Taking this definition as a starting point, we find ourselves with a problem in setting the course of our time machine, and that is thatthe origin of beer is not linked to a single region of the planet. Rather, throughout history, different beers have been brewed in almost every continent, each recipe responding to the ingredients available there: barley and wheat in the Middle East and Europe, millet and sorghum in Africa, corn in America, or rice in Asia. It will not be easy, either, to adjust the timer of our machine, as there are different theories about when the first beer was made. Some researchers inseparably associate beer brewing and bread making, because of the similarity of ingredients and processes of the two, thus placing their origin between 10,000 and 6,000 BC. However, for now these are only hypotheses, so we will aim at a few thousand years later on our journey. The first traces of brewing, and therefore of the origin of beer, have reached us through archaeology.Earthenware vessels have been found at different sites in the Mesopotamian region, that date from 5,000 to 4,000 BC, and analysis shows that they were used for the fermentation of cereals.
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Clara, radler y shandy: How do lemon beers differ?
We have talked on another occasion about which beers are best suited to be consumed during the summer season and, among the options we found on the shelf, we highlighted the Radler beers; that "cocktail" of beer with lemon suitable for all year round, whose prominence increases at this time of the year when temperatures force us to seek the maximum sensation of freshness. In our country, we have a long tradition of combining - at the very moment of service - our popular pale beers with soda or lemonade. In many cases we refer to these mixtures as "claras" or "claras with lemon" to differentiate one from the other. However, it is becoming increasingly common to find these ready-made mixtures in barrels, bottles, or cans, labelled as "Radler", a term adopted for the drink of beer with lemon, whose origins lie in Germany, almost a century ago. The idea of combining the taste of the beloved, traditional beer with a soft drink that would lower its alcohol content and further enhance the sensation of freshness, caused quite a stir at the time, especially among the amateur cyclists who rode through the Bavarian countryside. Hence the name Radler, which in German is a colloquial reference to cyclists. Originally, a Radler mixed beer and lemon in equal parts, but when it was mixed by hand, the result was not always the same. Today, the most common percentages in bottled or draught Radlers are usually 60% beer and 40% lemonade, resulting in a drink with an alcohol content of around 3%, with a more moderate bitterness than that of the beer used to make it, and with an extra point of freshness thanks to the citric notes provided by the lemonade.
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Cervezas de verano
La cerveza es una bebida con una enorme variedad de estilos que se caracterizan por ofrecer un gran abanico de colores, aromas, sabores, niveles de intensidad y contenido alcohólico. A pesar de que no exista por ahora una clasificación “oficial” para todas las cervezas del mundo, algunas entidades de prestigio como el BJCP (Beer Judge Certification Program) ya identifican más de 100 estilos diferentes. Quizá por ello, sea oportuno hacer una reflexión sobre la influencia estacional en el consumo de unas y otras, y así, saber si podemos hablar con propiedad de cervezas de verano y de invierno.
Beer
¿Qué ingredientes tiene la cerveza sin gluten?
Casi todos somos conscientes de los condicionantes que supone para la dieta de muchas personas la intolerancia al gluten. La lista de alimentos que contienen esta proteína -presente de manera natural en el trigo, la cebada, el centeno, la avena y la espelta- es larga e incluye muchos de los más habituales en nuestro consumo diario como pueden ser el pan, la pasta, los dulces y el que aquí nos ocupa, la cerveza.
Beer
Cómo servir una cerveza
Hay procesos que repetimos con frecuencia en nuestro día a día, y que, por su aparente sencillez, nunca nos paramos a pensar si existe una forma mejor de llevarlos a cabo. Por ejemplo: ¿te has preguntado alguna vez cómo servir una cerveza perfecta?
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¿Cuántas calorías tiene una cerveza?
¿Es la cerveza la responsable de que cojamos prestado algún kilo de más? Veremos hasta qué punto esto es verdad
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Cómo hacer una cata de cervezas en casa
Si nunca has asistido a una cata no te preocupes porque el procedimiento es bien sencillo. Aquí te dejo unos consejos básicos para tu cata de cervezas en casa.
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Cervezas IPA de un vistazo
India Pale Ale (IPA) es una evolución del estilo Stock Ales, el cual resultó muy popular en el siglo XVIII en Gran Bretaña. Creadas para madurar en barril durante largos periodos de tiempo, resultaron perfectas para la exportación por su alto contenido en lúpulo y alcohol, que actuaban como conservantes y preservaban el sabor de la cerveza durante el trayecto.En la India causó gran sensación entre la población británica, por la frescura del lúpulo y por sus frías temperaturas que ayudaban a combatir el cálido clima de la India.Esplendor, decadencia y resurrección del estilo IPAGeorge Hodgson fue quien popularizó el estilo IPA y estableció una relación preferente con los funcionarios de la Compañía de las Indias Orientales, obteniendo así una gran ventaja frente a los competidores. Décadas más tarde, los sucesores de Hodgson rompieron este acuerdo, abriendo el mercado a otros cerveceros ingleses con una versión de la IPA más clara y refrescante.El estilo alcanzó su máximo esplendor a mediados del siglo XIX en Gran Bretaña.Sin embargo, a finales de este mismo siglo, el mercado de exportación menguó, ya que la cerveza comenzó a ser producida de forma local en la India. Las guerras afectaron de tal manera que, durante algunas décadas, se dejó de fabricar.Con la llegada del movimiento craften Estados Unidos, resucitaron el estiloelevándolo a una nueva dimensión gracias a la diversidad de variedades de lúpulos cultivados en la Costa Oeste de Estados Unidos.Los IBUs, la medida del amargor de las cervezas IPAEl indicador IBU (unidad internacional de amargor) se utiliza en el etiquetado de las cervezas craft, muy especialmente en las de estilo IPA, como una forma de orientación al consumidor acerca del grado de amargor de la cerveza.Las IPA son el estilo más emblemático e interpretado dentro del mundo de la cerveza craft. Los lúpulos ofrecen complejidad a través de una gran diversidad de matices de carácter floral, herbáceo, especiado, terroso, frutal, cítrico o resinoso.Existen como mínimo 7 variedades de IPA: English IPA, American IPA, Double o Imperial IPA, Triple IPA, White IPA, Black IPA y Session IPA.Presentan una alta graduación alcohólica, amargor, intensos aromas y cierta complejidad en el paladar. Aunque hubo un tiempo en el que fueron muy difíciles de localizar, la buena noticia es que ya puedes encontrarlas en nuestros supermercados para degustarlas en casa.
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Cervezas de barrica: una nueva tendencia con mucha historia
La cerveza ha pasado de ser una bebida alcohólica refrescante a una opción con historia y tradición apreciada por sus muchos seguidores. El consumidor cada vez está más informado y receptivo a vivir nuevas experiencias a través de sus papilas gustativas. De ahí que las barricas vuelvan a ser tendencia en la actualidad, contribuyendo tanto a la complejidad de sensaciones de las cervezas gourmet, como a su longevidad una vez embotelladas.El origen del uso de barricas en las cervezasLos galos ya empleaban las barricas de roble para la elaboración, guarda y transporte de la cerveza antes de que se utilizasen para el vino. Cuando el Imperio Romano conquistó Galia, descubrió en las barricas las forma perfecta de transportar vino y, en 200 años, sustituyeron por estas barricas las ánforas de barro que usaban hasta entonces, dando un giro inesperado a las propiedades del vino.Las barricas parecían reservadas a las bebidas consideradas hasta ahora “nobles”, pero los maestros cerveceros han recuperado esta tradición histórica.Han sabido aprovechar algunas de las exclusivas ventajas que aporta la barrica en la elaboración de la cerveza como su lentísima oxigenación y el toque genuino de las bebidas que han pasado por ellas antes.Suelen emplearse toneles que han contenido vinos “nobles” o destilados como brandy, whisky, bourbon y ron, ya que su alto grado alcohólico supone una seguridad extra frente a las levaduras silvestres y las bacterias lácticas y acéticas que viven en la madera y que pueden acidificar la cerveza.Cómo identificar y servir una cerveza de barricaLa barrica debe considerarse como un ingrediente más en la elaboración de las cervezas, ya que la madera influye enlos matices y en el aroma de la cerveza.Las cervezas que han madurado en barricas vienen identificadas con las palabras “BARREL AGED”. Si se han empleado porciones de madera (chips) la etiqueta indicará “WOOD AGED” o “OAK AGED” si son de roble. Para disfrutar de ellas, vierte el líquido en una copa snifter o similar a temperatura de bodega (12-14 °C), es decir, una temperatura más elevada que la habitual.
