Betty Brews a Beer (Or Two)

Beer Basics

We brought in certified Cicerone Michael Agnew from A Perfect Pint to teach us the basics of beer.

He shared with us samples of beer’s three main ingredients: Malt, hops and yeast. (Water is a big one too, but we all know what that looks like.)

He explained that these ingredients have a distinct color, flavor and aroma. The taste of the beer is determined on how you combine the ingredients.

Malt: Malted barley gives beer color and flavor. Its sugars, fermented by yeast, provide the alcohol content.

Hops: Hops are the flower of a vine. They provide the spice or bitterness that balances the sweetness of the malt.

Yeast: When the yeast ferments, it creates carbonation and alcohol that add to the flavor and aroma of the beer.

Tasting the Difference

Michael brought several different kinds of beer for us to sample. As we sipped, he explained to us the pyramid of beer flavor. When one of the three ingredients I talked about earlier is featured more than the others, it gives the beer a different flavor profile.

A beer high in malt may have notes of cracker, bread, coffee, chocolate or caramel. A beer high in hops may have notes of grassy, earthy, floral, herbs, grapefruit or perfume. A beer high in yeast may have notes of fruity, spice, clove, pepper, cherry, or banana.

Brews of Our Own

We used our new knowledge to begin brewing our own beer. It’s the best way to learn, right? First, we picked up the necessary equipment and a few kits at our local supplier. Then, we steeped, boiled, chilled, fermented and bottled our beer. We had to wait two long weeks before we were able to enjoy it. When the two weeks were up, we cracked open a bottle and sure enough, it was a tasty success!

A Label All Our Own

Once our beer was made, we wanted to showcase our beer-brewing deliciousness with a fun beer bottle label. We brought in our creative team of beer-loving dudes and challenged them to a label-creating contest.

Check out some of their great entries. They even made special Betty bottle caps, too! After all that hard work, our winner Jonathan was rewarded with a tasty six-pack of Betty’s Brew.