300 W Central Texas Expy # 103

Harker Heights, TX 76548


254-200-1933

Uptown Liquor 2011 © All Rights Reserved. Designed and Maintained By GetSalesWithJoe.com

After consuming a bucket or two of the

intense brew they called aul, or ale, the

Vikings  would head fearlessly into battle

often without armor or even shirts. In

Norse the term  “berserk” means

“bare shirt” , and eventually that became

the meaning of their wild  battles.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints

and quarts, so in old England, when customers got  unruly, the

bartender would tell them to mind their own pints and quarts and

settle down.  That is where we get the phrase “mind your P’s

and Q’s.”


The passengers of the Mayflower, had hoped to land in a mild Southern climate, but were forced ashore, in part, due to a shortage of beer. The  journal of a Mayflower passenger, dated December 19, 1620 reads: “We could not take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer.”


Beer:

Fermented alcoholic beverages made from cereal grains that have been converted to malt. Beer may be brewed from several kinds of high-starch grains. In the United States beer is generally made from malted barley, with corn, rice, or sugar added as a malt adjunct, and hops used for flavoring.

In Japan, beer (called sake) is brewed from rice. African tribes make beer from grains native to their regions, such as teff, millet, or grass seeds. Russians use rye bread to prepare their beer, called quass or kvass. Beer has always been a popular beverage because it does not deteriorate during long periods of storage and is adaptable to all climates. With various names and in many forms it has been produced from the earliest times. It was made in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece.

Fermented alcoholic beverages made from cereal grains that have been converted to malt. Beer may be brewed from several kinds of high-starch grains. In the United States beer is generally made from malted barley, with corn, rice, or sugar added as a malt adjunct, and hops used for flavoring.

Why do brewers use barley as a main ingredient? Barley is the magic grain for beer. It is the only grain that contains the enzymes necessary to convert starches into fermentable sugars. In the malting process, when the barley is steeped it activates growth of the enzymes. Brewers need those enzymes in the brewing process to convert the starches in the grains to fermentable sugar.


Beer is divided into two basic categories, ALES and LAGERS:





ABOUT BEER

There are lots of ways to qualify…

ALES

Any beer fermented with yeast that “works” at warm temperatures (60-75 ) producing a distinct often fruity flavor. Traditional ales include porters, stouts and Belgian specialty beers.


Trappist Ales

Designation of six specific ales brewed by Trappist monasteries in Europe. The Brands are Chimay, Orval, Rochefort, Westmalle, Westvleteren and La Trappe. The complex beers are very strong, at 5.5 – 11%.


Sake

An Asian fermented rice beer – with an alcohol content at 15-20%.

LAGERS

Any beer fermented with yeast that “works” at lower temperatures (40-50 ) The cooler temperatures extend the fermenting time producing a deep aromatic quality.


Malt Liquor

An extra-strong beer (5.5-7.5%) usually a lager.


Pilsner

A golden style lager named for its birthplace (Plzen) in Bohemia. (Czech Republic)  It was the first light/golden European lager. It is of moderate strength (about 5%)

Brewery Definitions:


MICROBREWERY: A small brewery which produces beer and packages it primarily for sale at retail outlets (supermarkets, beer stores, restaurants, etc.) The brewing industry defines microbreweries as those producing less than 15,000 barrels per year(30,000 kegs). As the craftbeer movement has grown, however, many microbreweries have grown beyond this classification. Rather than consider a production number, most beer lovers define ‘micros’ as producers who produce relatively small amounts of high quality, flavorful, traditional-style beers.


BREWPUB: A brewery located in a restaurant and/or pub which produces beer for consumption on their own premises.


REGIONAL BREWERY: A brewery in the United States or Canada that produces between 15,000 and 1,000,000 barrels of beer annually and packages all of its beer for sale off the premises.


LARGE BREWERY: A brewery that produces more than 1,000,000 barrels of beer annually.


BEER MARKETING COMPANY: A company that puts its own label on beer that is brewed for them by a Brewpub, Microbrewery, or Large Brewer. (Sometimes called a “contract brewer”, but more correctly described as a “contract brewee”.)

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