Vrste specijaliziranih piva

The specialty beers category is more or less a catch-all for the beer styles that don’t fit elsewhere. When it comes to specialty beers’ place on the beer family tree, the wild artiste cousin is the model: bold, loud, experimental, often goofy, usually quite memorable, and lovable despite having flouted convention.

Specialty beers are typically regular beers brewed to a classic style (such as Porter, Stout, or Pale Ale) but with some new flavor added. Others beers in this category are made from unusual fermented foods. The addition of fruits, herbs and spices, miscellaneous flavorings (such as licorice, smoke, and hot pepper), and odd fermentables (such as honey, maple syrup, and molasses) turn an ordinary beer into a specialty beer. In many ways, specialty beers are the most fun to try.

Ljudi koji su tek počeli piti pivo ili možda tvrde da nisu ljubitelji piva, doimaju se posebno iznenađeni i zadovoljni kada prvi put probaju ove egzotične napitke, posebno piva s voćnim okusom. Ova činjenica nije izgubljena za pivare, kojima je stvaranje novih piva širokog interesa sada visoki prioritet. Potaknite ih!

Brewmasteri uzimaju puno užitka i umjetničke slobode kada stvaraju specijalna piva. Sve osim kuhinjskog sudopera može se dodati u pivo. Uostalom, ljudi su probali pivo od češnjaka (vrlo, vrlo loša ideja), pa čak i pivo od ljute čili papričice (što je kao da pijete tekuću žgaravicu). Caveat emptor. Neke od suptilnijih mješavina često su najistaknutije – na pamet mi pada Blackberry Porter.

• Fruit beers: Fruit beers are generally light- to medium-bodied lagers or ales that have been given a fruity flavor by way of real fruit or fruit extract. They tend to have a sweeter finish than other beers. The popular fruit flavors are cherry, raspberry, and blueberry, but finding a beer that tastes of apricot, peach, or merionberry isn’t unusual.

• Herb and spice beers: These herbs and spices may include anything from cinnamon to tarragon; any beer style can be made with any herbs or spices. Summer and winter seasonal brews are typical.

  Although Pumpkin Beers have been made with real pumpkin, the big-name commercial versions are generally just laced with the spices that are reminiscent of pumpkin pie (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice).

• Smoked Beer: A Smoked Beer is any beer style that’s been given a smoky character, though one style in particular lends itself well to a smoky aroma and taste: Porter. The flavor profile of the underlying beer should always show through the smoke.

• Wassail: Wassail isn’t a specific beer style, per se, but a very traditional style of spiced beer that’s brewed for Christmas and the holiday season. Wassail is often called by other names, like holiday beer, yule ale, winter warmer, and if it contains fruit, mulled ale. (Wassail can be grouped with the fruit or the spice beers — it’s hard to plug neatly into a slot — but as an old standard, it merits its own listing.)

  Riječ wassail (rimuje se s fosilom ) dolazi od staroengleskog waes hael - biti zdrav ili biti cijeli, što je oboje značilo biti dobrog zdravlja. Ovaj se izraz smatrao ispravnom zdravicom kada se nekome daje libacija. Piće po izboru tada je obično bilo kuhano pivo, zagrijano jako pivo krcato začinima poput muškatnog oraščića i đumbira i zaslađeno šećerom ili komadićima voća, obično pečene jabuke od rakova.