From stouts and pilsners to lambics and wheats, learn all about European beer.

Does the word Lambic have you scratching your head? What about white beer or stout? Know you’ve heard the terms but can’t say what they really mean? Go grab yourself a pilsner and relax, they’re only words — really delicious words, but still only words.

From Belgian monasteries to German beer halls and Irish pubs, Europeans have a long history — and even longer love affair — with beer. While not quite so long, we Canadians have adopted the malty elixir as our own national drink and consume it more than any other alcoholic beverage. We’re also spoiled in the fact that our choice of beer can be in the hundreds, depending on what part of the country we live in. Best of all, we have the choice to select beer from dozens of countries all around the world — some of the best and most distinct imports from places such as Belgium, Germany and the U.K. We’re also lucky because Canadian brewers make European-style beers as well.

Pilsners

Let’s start with that pilsner in your hand. Tastes a lot like a lager right? That’s because it is a lager and the word pilsner is often used as a synonym. It takes its name from the town of Pilzen in Czechoslovakia where the process of producing a pale beer was invented in 1842.

Pilsners to try:

Pilsner Urquell, Czech Republic, 4.4%

Light golden colour with strong aromas of hops, malt and fruit with a crisp, dry and refreshing finish.

King Brewery Pilsner, Ontario, 4.8%

Using Czech-imported malt, hops and yeast, this authentic pilsner is truly unique in North America. Full-bodied and refreshing with a dry bitter tang and very clean finish.

Stouts

If you’ve ever sipped a Guinness than you know what a stout is — that pitch black beer with its thick coffee-coloured foam. However intimidating for the light lager drinker, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, nor should you judge a beer by its colour. Stout, and its very close cousin porter, are produced by roasting malts and barley and have a stronger flavour than most other beers, but aren’t necessarily bitter or heavy. They often have a “toast” or coffee-like taste and a dry finish.

Stouts to try:

Murphy’s Irish Stout, Ireland, 4.1%

Brewed from all natural ingredients, this low-alcohol stout is smooth and creamy, with a subtle bitterness. A great intro for the novice stout aficionado!

Mill Street Coffee Porter, 5.5%

Rich and robust, this deep brown porter is made with real dark roasted coffee that imparts an intense coffee flavour with hints of chocolate. Definitely an acquired taste — you can also use it to flavour gravy from a pot roast.

Wheat beers

Wheat beer is brewed with a significant proportion of wheat as well as barley and has a typically light flavour and pale colour. These beers also tend to have a slight sweetness and creamy texture. The two most common varieties are Belgian and German, although to further confuse things the Belgians like to refer to their wheat beers as witbieren, or white beers — Hoegaarden being the most famous.

Whites get their name from suspended yeast, which give the beer a cloudy or whitish colour. They often have spices such as coriander or bitter orange peel added to them, imparting a slightly fruity flavour. They are also made with raw un-malted wheat, as opposed to malted wheat, which is used in other varieties.

Wheat beers to try:

Hacker Pschorr Weisse Bier, Germany, 5.5%

This wheat beer is typically cloudy with a medium amber colour and full, thick head. Flavours of light citrus and hops make it especially refreshing on a hot summer day.

Blanche de Chambly, Quebec, 5%

One of Quebec’s best-kept secrets is a traditional white beer that’s wonderfully opaque and slightly fruity with just of touch of sweetness. A truly great Canadian beer!

Lambic beers

Lambic beers are another Belgian invention and are unique in the fact that they are spontaneously fermented. Instead of yeast being added to the malt and hop mixture like all other beers, Lambics are put in large open vats and pull natural yeast from the air to ferment — and of course it’s a very special yeast that only hangs out in the air around Brussels! Many Lambics have fruit added to them, such as cherries or raspberries, to counter their inherent sour flavour. A true Lambic must also contain 30% wheat and use aged hops (a flower that gives beer its bitter flavour) so they’re very mellow, naturally sweet and fruity.

Lambic beers to try:

Mort Subite Framboise Lambic, Belgium, 4.5%

The champagne of beers, this pinkish-orange Lambic is characteristically sour with a sweet raspberry aroma. For best results, serve in a champagne flute and pair it with dark chocolate for dessert.

Storm Brewing Blackberry Lambic, B.C., 4.5%

While not a true Lambic because it doesn’t hail from Belgium, the small craft brewery in Vancouver produces a funky, tart and dry fruity beer with a rich dark colour and lingering aftertaste.

First published at CanadianLiving.com