glossary A

ABBAYE, ABBEY or ABDIJ BEER (Generic)
Belgium/Holland. A commercial product that imitates the Trappist style (see Trappist) or is brewed under licence from Trappist monks, but is not necessarily made in an abbey or by monks. Belgian producers are most numerous and include Brasserie St-Sylvestre (lush, fruity Abbey-type beer with a deep, smooth, creamy finish, called Bi�re des Templiers), Brasserie Union (a deep, dark beer with a heady finish, Cuv�e de l'Ermitage is appreciated by many strong- beer lovers), De Kluis (Benedict is an excellent abbey-style beer from a top-performing brewery), Moortgat (Sloeber is the darkest of this brewery's off-dry, abbey-style beers, while Deugniet, Hapkin, Lucifer and Maredsous are all lightish and off-dry to one degree or another), Van Eecke (very well hopped Poperings Hommelbier), while good Dutch examples come from Raaf (a fine Dubbel and big and blustery Trippel with a smooth, malty flavour and a touch of sourness on the finish). The French brewery of Rimaux produces an abbey-type beer near the Belgian border, but it is not exceptional.

ADELSCOTT BIERE AU MALT A WHISKY
Grande Brasserie Alsacienne d'Adelshoffen, France. Nothing to do with Malt Whisky per se, this beer get its name because it is brewed in part from the whisky malt, which gives this rich but delicately malty beer its slightly smoky character.

ADELSHOFFEN EXPORT
Grande Brasserie Alsacienne d'Adelshoffen, France. A light, lager-type beer that is conditioned for 6-8 weeks, which might not be long for a "bottom-fermented" beer, but is more than most French lagers receive.

ADJUNCTS
beer-making term for starch other than from malted barley or wheat, such as corn starch, rice, or sugar. A source of fermentable sugars in cheaper beers.

ADLERBR�U
Aguila brewery, Spain. Copper-coloured "bottom- fermented" beer with a light, fruity-malty character and some hoppiness on the finish.

AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER M�RZEN
Heller brewery, Germany. The most famous of all Rauchbieren or smoked beers is produced as a M�rzenbier style for the Schlenkerla tavern in Bamberg, Franconia.

AERTS 1900
Palm brewery, Belgium. Golden-coloured "top-fermented" bottle-conditioned ale with a dry, fruity flavour and well-hopped finish.

AFFLIGEM
Affligem brewery, Belgium. Abbaye type beer.

AGUILA PILSENER
Aguila brewery, Spain. This bitter-sweet, malty, so-called Pilsener is not made from Pilsener malt.

AGUILA RESERVA EXTRA
Aguila brewery, Spain. A premium lager style with delicate aromas and a smooth, bitter-sweet taste.

ALCOHOL BY VOLUME
Usually refered to as ABV, a measure of the amount of alcohol in beer expressed as a percentage of the total liquid volume.

ALE
The common term for any English-style, "top-fermented" beer, an ale is always a beer, but not all beers are necessarily ales.

ALFA BEER
Alfa brewery, Holland. Light, bland, lager type.

ALT or ALTBIER (Generic)
Germany. Literally means "old beer" but actually refers to a generally overrated "top-fermented" beer, usually brewed in D�sseldorf, typically copper in colour and cold-conditioned in the manner of a "bottom-fermented" beer. Producers of this style include Arcen (light, dry and rather restrained Dutch attempt), Dinkelacker (uninspiring Stamm Alt), Dortmunder Actien (lacklustre), Dortmunder Kronen (all froth and no flavour), K�nig (nothing special) and Lindener Gilde (fine quality Broyan Alt). Confusingly, the use of Alt sometimes conforms to its literal sense, denoting a beer that has well-aged or has undergone a long conditioning period, often a Dunkel or a Weissbier.

ALT DUNKEL (Generic)
Germany. A well-aged or long-conditioned dark lager, producers of which include Ayinger (the Altbairisch Dunkel is the most distinctive beer within this style), Euler (Alt Wetzlar), Paulaner (the Alt-M�nchner Dunkel is the very best Alt Dunkel) and Tucher (Alt Franken Export Dunkel).

ALT-M�NCHNER DUNKEL
Paulaner brewery, Germany. This full, dark coloured beer with its smooth, well-aged, malty taste and dry finish is the best Alt (aged) Dunkel style available.

ALT WEISSBIER (Generic)
Germany. A well-aged or long-conditioned wheat beer, the best known producer of which is Pinkus M�ller. Its Alt Weissbier is rich, ripe and well-honed, with a soft, malty flavour.

ALTBAIRISCH DUNKEL
Ayinger brewery, Germany. This deep, dark, rich, Dunkel or lager-style beer is the most distinctive of its type, although its big, sweet, fruity-malty flavour, which is vaguely reminiscent of fine old tawny port, is something of an acquired taste.

ALTBAYERISCHE WEISSBIER
Paulaner brewery, Germany. A wheat beer that has undergone a lengthy conditioning and is appreciated for its suppleness and fruity aftertaste.

ALTFORSTER ALTBIER
Arcen brewery, Holland. Light, dry and rather restrained for an Altbier style.

ANGELUS BIERE DE FROMENT
Brasserie d'Annoeullin. Not a wheat beer as such and certainly not of the cloudy ilk, L'Angelus is, however, produced from a significant percentage of wheat (about 30%) and has some of the spicy fruit associated with that style.

ANIMATOR
Hacker-Pschorr brewery, Germany. A decent Doppelbock of no special character.

ARABIER
De Dolle brewery, Belgium. The De Dolle Brouwers or "The Mad Brewers" are two Belgians, Joe and Kris Herteleer, who caught the beer-bug in the UK when they purchased a home brew kit from Boots! Arabier is a pale-coloured, "top-fermented" beer with a fine fruity flavour and well-hopped finish.

ARCENER GRAND PRESTIGE
Arcen brewery, Holland. A deep, dark and very strong, bottle-conditioned beer that claims to be a barley wine.

ARCENER STOOM BIER
Arcen brewery, Holland. Nicely hopped "bottom- fermented" ale with a crisp finish and a welcome touch of bitterness.

ARCENER STOUT
Arcen brewery, Holland. Dark coloured "top- fermented" beer with typical bottled stout coarseness, but the flavour has nice chocolaty-malty overtones and a pleasingly dry, bitter finish.

ARCENER TARWE
Arcen brewery, Holland. Cidery Dutch attempt at a lightly-hopped Bavarian wheat beer.

AROMA HOPS
Some varieties of hop are chosen specifically for their aromatic contribution to the finished beer. See See also Hops.

ASTRA PILSENER
Bavaria St-Pauli brewery, Germany. Typically hoppy, soft-spritzy Pilsener-style.

ASTRA URTYP
Bavaria St-Pauli brewery, Germany. Simple, bland, lager-type.

AUGUSTINER HELL
Augustiner brewery, Germany. This pale, delicately rich, soft and malty beer is about as good as Hell gets!

AVENTINUS
Schneider brewery, Germany. The best product from this small wheat beer specialist brewery.

glossary B

BARLEY
The principal grain used in beer making. It is turned into maltduring the brewing process.

BARLEY WINE
A misnomer for high strength beer traditionally sold in small bottles called nips, barley wine is a true ale, although almost too fruity for most people's concept of beer and to yet too malty to be mistaken for wine. Usually has an alcoholic content of at least 6% ABV, sometimes closer to 11%.

BARREL
A unit of measurement. In Britain, a barrel holds 36 gallons. In the USA a barrel holds 31.5 US gallons (considerably less).

BAVARIA
Bavaria brewery, Holland. Cheap, light, malty tasting beer.

BECK'S BIER
Beck's brewery, Germany. Basic, light, bland, lager- type.

BELLE-VUE
Belle-Vue brewery, Belgium. Lacklustre Lambic.

BENEDICT
De Kluis brewery, Belgium. An abbey-style beer from a top-performing brewery. See also Hoegaarden.

BERLINER WEISSE (Generic)
Germany. This classic, cloudy Berlin wheat beer is significantly different to other German white or wheat beers (see Wheat Beer), being lower in alcohol (closer to 3% ABV) and very fizzy. Producers of this style include Schultheiss (its Berliner Weiss is considered to be the finest of its type), VEB (Berliner Kindle Weisse is classic, with a spicy, stewed apple flavour and sour cream aftertaste, but while its basic Berliner Weisse is good, it does lack a certain concentration).

BERNKASTELER PILS
B�rger brewery, Germany. Light, Pils-style beer of average quality made from non-Pilsener malt.

BIER TRAPPISTE (Generic)
Belgium/Holland. See Trappist.

BIERE BLANCHE (Generic)
Belgium. A white or wheat beer, often comparable to a German Weissebier. See Wheat beer.

BIERE DE GARDE (Generic)
France. Literally a beer for laying down, a Bi�re de Garde originally referred to a "top-fermented", copper-coloured, bottle-conditioned brew of high strength, but the term has been so abused that it will probably be a filtered commercial product, "bottom-fermented" and any strength from 4.5- 7.5% ABV. These beers are sometimes sold in one of three different style: blonde or pale, ambr�e or gold and brune or brown. Producers of this style include Brasserie d'Annoeullin (Pastor Ale is light, yet rich and assertive), Brasserie La Choulette (several fine, bottle-conditioned beers: rich and warm Bi�re des Sans Culottes; smooth, golden Brassin Robespierre; and a soft, strong and fruity La Choulette), Yves Castelain (three different styles, all filtered, but not pasteurised, under the Ch'Ti label: simple, malty Blonde; the fuller and more complex Ambr�e and the much richer, porty Brune; very pale, organically produced Jade; and the full, fruity St-Arnoldous, the brewery's only unfiltered Bi�re de Garde), Brasserie Duyck (intensely fruity Jenlain), Monceau St-Waast (rather unusual Bi�re de Garde with a malty palate and a sharp, assertive fruity finish, called Vieille Garde), St-Arnold (light and clinically clean R�serve du Brasseur), St-L�onard (popular, moderate) and Terken (soft, floral, export lager-type called Septane 5).

BIERE DE LUXE
France. Sometimes synonymous with Bi�re de Garde. See Bi�re de Garde.

BIERE DES SANS CULOTTES
Brasserie La Choulette, France. Described on the label as a "Bi�re Deluxe sur lie" this is, in fact, one of the best Bi�res de Garde and one of the few still sold as a bottle-conditioned beer. Bi�re des Sans Culottes has an amber colour, a full, warm nose dominated by fruity, bottle-aromas and a rich palate packed with malty flavour, followed by a fine fruity finish.

BIERE DES TEMPLIERS
Brasserie St-Sylvestre, France. Lush, fruity Abbey-type beer with a deep, smooth, creamy finish.

BIERE DU NORD
France. Literally means beer of the north, but commonly used to describe a Bi�re de Garde. See Bi�re de Garde.

BIRRA FRIULANA
Moretti brewery, Italy. Clean, easy drinking, spritzy "bottom-fermented" beer with a soft, lightly-hopped, creamy-malty finish, supposedly in the Pilsner-style, but contains no Pilsner malt.

BITBURGER PILS
Bitburger brewery, Germany. A delicate, dry, well- aged lager made from non-Pilsener malt.

BITTER
An English term for a well-hopped draught ale that is typically copper-coloured with ruddy glints and a slight but distinctive bitter taste that is unspoilt by the fizziness of CO2. It is unrealistic to expect the so-called bitter that is sold in a can to have any semblance of true draught bitter character. Most bitter is 3.75-4% ABV, although Best or Special will be 4-4.75% and some go as high as 5.5%.

BLACK MALT
Barley roasted at high temperature for use in stout and other very dark beers, and giving a burnt note to the flavour.

BLACK AND TAN
A mix of dark and pale beers, such as stout and pilsner.

BLANCHE DE BRUGES or BRUGS TARWEBIER
Gouden Boom brewery, Belgium. Typically fizzy wheat beer, quite spicy with a sour finish.

BOCK (Generic)
Germany. A strong "bottom-fermented" beer in excess of 6.25% ABV and usually of a lager type, although the colour can range from pale blond, through copper-hued to dark (especially non-German versions). Producers include Dortmunder Kronen (crisp, dry, dark Steinbock), Einbecker Brauhaus (excellent, strong Ur-Bock Dunkel), Einbecker Brauhaus (strong, light-coloured and less characterful than the Ur-Bock Dunkel), EKU (decent, pale-coloured Edelbock), Forschungs (big, lusty St- Jacobus Blonder Bock), Heller (Classic Ur-Bock), Spaten (everday- drinking, pale-coloured Franziskus Heller Bock), Spezial (classic). Lindeboom in Holland produces a Dutch version, while Faxe produce an unpastuerised Bock-style in Denmark. See also Bock Dunkel, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Maibock and Weizenbock.

BOCK DUNKEL (Generic)
Germany. A strong, dark lager of greater potential than a simple dark Bock, its producers include Dinkelacker (uninspiring Cluss Bock Dunkel), Einbecker Brauhaus (excellent Ur-Bock Dunkel of real depth and quality), Kaltenberg (unpasteurised, very malty with a coffee-like aftertaste) and Kulmbacher (soft, fine-flavoured Klosterbock Dunkel). See also Bock and Dunkel.

BODY
A beer tasting term, used to describe the texture and weight of a beer in the mouth.

BOFFERDING
Brasserie Nationale, Luxembourg. Delicate lager with some hop character on the finish.

BOSKEUN
De Dolle brewery, Belgium. The De Dolle Brouwers or "The Mad Brewers" are two Belgians, Joe and Kris Herteleer, who caught the beer-bug in the UK when they purchased a home brew kit from Boots! Boskeun is a "top-fermented", mid-amber coloured, seasonal beer sold during Easter.

BOTTLE-CONDITIONED
A beer that is either unfiltered or has been bottled with a small yeast and sugar solution. In both instances, the fermentation process continues in the bottle, adding a touch of fizziness through the natural CO2 produced, on top of which it brings a certain plumpness and fruitiness to the beer, but also creates some sediment, which is why a bottle- conditioned beer must be poured with extreme care if you are to avoid the dregs and keep the ale starbright.

BRAND IMPERATOR
Brand brewery, Holland. A copper-coloured Bock- type beer with a creamy-malty flavour and a slightly sweet finish.

BRAND PILS
Brand brewery, Holland. Mild, but well-hopped Pilsener-style lager made from non-Pilsener malt.

BRAND UP
Brand brewery, Holland. Immeasurably better Pilsener- style than the Brand Pils, although made from similar non- Pilsener malt. This beer has a longer flavour and a more assertive, bitter finish.

BRASSIN ROBESPIERRE
Brasserie La Choulette, France. This bottle- conditioned Bi�res de Garde is a golden coloured nectar of surprising strength, smoothness and finesse.

BR�U WEISSE
Ayinger brewery, Germany. Frothy-white wheat beer with a tart, spicy aftertaste, Brau Weiss is bottle-conditioned with sediment from the previous brew.

BREMER WEISSE
Haake-Beck brewery, Germany. A fresh, zesty wheat beer with a sharp, fruity finish.

BREW KETTLE
Vessel used in the brewing process, to heat the wort.

BREW PUB / RESTAURANT
Small brewery attached to, or built inside, a pub or restaurant. Beer is served on the premises, and sometimes distributed more widely.

BRIGAND
St-Louis brewery, Belgium. Strong, amber-coloured, "top- fermented" bottle-conditioned ale in a corked bottle.

BRIGHT
Tasting term used to describie a beer's brilliance and clarity.

BRILJANT
De Kroom brewery, Holland. Light in body, full in flavour, with a dry, malty finish.

BRINCKHOFF'S NO.1
Dortmunder Union brewery, Germany. Despite its title, Brinckhoff's No.1 is disappointing for a supposedly super- premium beer and certainly not the number one beer at DUB, an accolade that must go to the brewery's excellent DUB Export.

BROWN ALE
This is the bottled version of draught mild, thus the opposite number to pale ale (the bottled version of bitter), which is why a "brown and light" is the equivalent to a "mild and bitter" for the bottled beer drinker. Brown ale is dark brown in colour, slightly sweet to very sweet in flavour and often a touch stronger than it pale ale cousin. Despite its fame, Newcastle Brown is not a true brown ale, being much lighter in colour, less sweet and significantly stronger in alcohol (4-4.5% ABV compared to 3-3.5%).

BROYAN ALT
Lindener Gilde brewery, Germany. A fine Altbier.

BRUGS TARWEBIER or BLANCHE DE BRUGES
Gouden Boom brewery, Belgium. Typically fizzy wheat beer, quite spicy with a sour finish.

BRUGSE TRIPEL
Gouden Boom brewery, Belgium. This is not a Trappist beer, the "Tripel" (not Trippel) is merely used in a similar sense to denote a very strong beer. Brugse Tripel is a brown ale with a powerful, peppery-hop aroma, lush, creamy flavour and a tangy, bitter-hop finish.

BRUNA
Moretti brewery, Italy. Decent, dark lager type of some depth and character.

BUDELS ALT
Budels brewery, Holland. An unpasteurised premium- style, lager-type of some interest.

BUDWEISER
BUDVAR Czech Republic. Although the Budvar brewery opened 20 years after Anheuser-Busch started brewing Budweiser in the States, the name itself derives from a type of beer that has been brewed in the Czech village of Budweis since the 13th century. Unlike the American version, it is an all-malt beer that has traditionally been somewhat sweeter and fuller than Pilsener, with a fine, flowery hop aroma and good bitterness.

BUDWEISER USA
The American-brewed version is not even similar to the Czech product (above), having less alcohol, a lighter body, less hoppy character, a different taste due to the inclusion of other ingredients (mostly rice) and a much softer, less bitter finish.

BURKARDUS
W�rzburger Hofbr�u brewery, Germany. An uninspiring, deepish coloured Bavarian beer.

BUSH BEER
Dubuisson brewery, Belgium. Very strong, copper- coloured, "top-fermented" beer with a big malty taste and a well- hopped finish.

glossary C

CARBOHYDRATE
The relatively high carbohydrate content of beer (typically around 8 - 9 grams per small bottle) has become more significant because of the Atkins and other "low-carb" diets. This has led to the development of a low-carb beers sector. See also flavored malt beverages.

CARLSBERG LAGER
Carlsberg brewery, Denmark. Nothing to get excited about, although the authentic Danish brew does have a distinct edge over the fizzy, bland, blond stuff brewed under Carlsberg's licence throughout the world. For more interesting Carlsberg beers see below.

CARLSBERG P�SKE BRYG 1847
Carlsberg brewery, Denmark. Darkish, sweet, malty bottom-fermented beer, not dissimilar to a barley wine.

CARLSBERG SPECIAL STRONG LAGER
Carlsberg brewery, Denmark. A fairly distinctive, lightly-hopped beer that is immeasurably better than Carlsberg's basic lager, but not quite in the class of Carlsberg's Elephant brew (see Elephant), although obviously stronger.

CASK CONDITIONED
See also bottle conditioned - beer with yeast left in to continue fermentation in the cask.

CD-PILS
Dinkelacker brewery, Germany. More of a novelty than an outstanding Pils.

CELEBRATOR
Ayinger brewery, Germany. Classic Doppelbock with a rich, mellow flavour and dry finish.

CERES PILSNER
Ceres brewery, Denmark. A light, lacklustre, so- called Pilsener-style.

CH'TI
Yves Castelain brewery, France. The Ch'Ti label encompasses three different styles of Bi�re de Garde, all of which are filtered, but not pasteurised: simple, malty Blonde; the fuller and more complex Ambr�e and the much richer, porty Brune.

CHIMAY BLUE
Chimay brewery, Belgium. The strongest and best of Chimay's three intensely fruity, colour-graded Trappist beers, the blue label/cap is also the most fruity, with intense berry flavours that can improve a year or two in bottle.

CHIMAY GRANDE R�SERVE
Chimay brewery, Belgium. The same beer as Chimay's blue label, the Grande R�serve is sold in a full wine- bottle size (75cl) with a proper cork and ages longer and better.

CHIMAY RED
Chimay brewery, Belgium. The red label/cap may be the lowest in strength of Chimay's three Trappist beers, but this copper-coloured ale has a delightful, sweet-coconutty aroma, with soft, creamy fruit on the palate and a gentle hopped finish.

CHIMAY WHITE
Chimay brewery, Belgium. Chimay's middle-strength Trappist beer, the white label/cap has a the leanest aroma, a more peppery, relatively less fruity palate and spicy, dried- fruit, resinous finish.

CHOUFFE, LA
Achouffe brewery, Belgium. Strong, amber-gold, "top- fermented", unpasteurised, bottle-conditioned beer brewed from spring water in the Ardennes, La Chouffe has a big, sleepy-hop aroma, nicely hopped palate and a true bitter finish. See also McChouffe.

CHOULETTE, LA
Brasserie La Choulette, France. Described on the label as a "Bi�re Deluxe sur lie" this is, in fact, one of the best Bi�res de Garde and as its "sur lie" suggests, one of few still sold as a bottle-conditioned beer.

CHRISTIAN HENNINGER PILSENER
Henninger brewery, Germany. Quite why the same brewery should sell both Pilsener and Pilsner (Kaiser Pilsner) is a bit of a mystery, particularly as neither are worth putting on a party for!

CHRISTMAS BEERS
International Whatever the national terminology (French use both Bi�re de No�l and the somewhat Franglais Bi�re Christmas), Christmas beers usually indicate a stronger, darker version of the principal brew.

CHRISTOFFEL BIER
St-Christoffel brewery, Holland. Not a strong beer in the conventional sense, the Christoffel Bier weighs in at a handsome but not awesome 5.1% ABV. It is, however, a hefty-flavoured beer with a huge, hoppy character and a truly dry finish with a massive bitter aftertaste.

CLUB-WEISSE
Spaten brewery, Germany. A decent but not special wheat beer (see, however, Franziskaner Hefe-Weissbier).

CLUSS BOCK DUNKEL
Dinkelacker brewery, Germany. Uninspiring dark, malty, lager-style.

CREAM ALE American term for a mild, light-bodied ale.

CRISTAL ALKEN
Cristal Alken brewery, Belgium. Well-hopped, pale Pilsener-style beer.

CUV�E DE L'ERMITAGE
Brasserie Union, Belgium. Deep, dark Abbey- style beer with a heady finish, Cuv�e de l'Ermitage is well appreciated by many strong-beer lovers.

glossary D

DEXTRINS
These are sugars that the yeast is unable to transform into alcohol during fermentation, so they are left in the beer. Dextrins can add body to the finished beer.

DI�T PILS (Generic)
Germany. A diabetic, not diet-conscious, version of Pils or Pilsener, low in carbohydrates, but fairly high in alcohol (and, therefore, full of calories!). Holsten's Di�t Pils is the original Di�t Pils and one of Holsten's better beers. See Pils.

DOM PILSENER
Euler brewery, Germany. Rather mild and slightly sweet for a Pilsener.

DOMINATOR DOMMELSCH SPECIAAL
Dommels brewery, Holland. An excellent, strong beer, with soft, fruity flavour and a fine, malty finish.

DOPPELBOCK (Generic)
Germany. Literally "double-bock", Doppelbock is an extra-strong version of Bock, at least 7.5% ABV, but usually more. Producers include Augustiner (an expressive, dark and malty brew called Maximator), Ayinger (rich and mellow with a dry finish, called Celebrator), Bavaria St-Pauli (an Urbock that is actually a Doppelbock, though of little note), EKU (at 13.5% ABV, Kulminator is the world's second-strongest beer), Elbschloss (a rich and malty brew called Ratsherrn, understated as Bock on the label), Herforder (very dark and malty) and Dortmunder Actien brewery (docile DAB Tremanator), Hofbr�uhaus (a classic called Delicator), Paulaner (the Salvator was the very first Doppelbock produced and one of the best today). See Bock, Bock Dunkel, Maibock and Weizenbock.

DORT or DORTMUNDER (Generic)
Germany. A pale-coloured, export- type lager brewed in Dortmund, it has a distinctive malty character and is drier than a Munich beer. Most of the beers produced by the Dortmunder breweries (DAB, DUB, Dortmunder Hansa, Dortmunder Kronen, Dortmunder Ritter, Dortmunder Thier etc) are indicative of this style, unless otherwise described. Furthermore, the Gulpener brewery makes a reasonably successful Dutch Dort, while Alfa, also in Holland, a much sweeter and stronger Super-Dort.

DRAUGHT BEER
A generic term for any beer served on tap, the word draught means to draw, indicating that draught beers were originally drawn by gravity (straight from the cask) or by a beer engine, a mechanical device that manually pumps the beer up from the cellar. Although there would be about as much natural CO2 in such beers as found in an average still wine, the head or froth consists of nothing but pure air. This is not so, however, for draught beers served from little flick-taps and push-buttons that serve up mass-market fizzy beers, which should really be called keg beers, not draught.

DRAUGHTFLOWTM SYSTEM
A system developed by Guinness, which employs a plastic device at the bottom of a can to force minuscule bubbles of nitrogen into the beer, to replicate the creamy, non-CO2 head of a draught stout. This has since been used by Murphy's and Beamish and is now employed on bitter beers (Guinness, Boddington's, Flowers and others). Such a creamy head on a bitter is unusual, but no further away from the real draught product than regular canned bitters, which are fizzed up with CO2. A Draughtflow bitter is no replacement for a good pint, but is preferable as a compromise for those who do not like fizzy beers.

DRY HOPPING
The process of adding hops to the brew part-way through fermentation. This can enhance aroma in the finished beer

DUB BRINCKHOFF'S NO.1
Dortmunder Union brewery, Germany. A disappointing super-premium beer that is not a patch on this brewery's DUB Export.

DUB EXPORT
Dortmunder Union brewery, Germany. Typically fine malty-style, smooth-tasting, golden beer.

DUB SIEGEL PILS
Dortmunder Union brewery, Germany. A light, malty so-called Pils-style made from non-Pilsener malt, Siegel Pils is a pleasant enough brew with a very light hoppiness, but not special.

DUBBEL (Generic)
Belgium/Holland. One of three styles of Trappist beer, the Dubbel falls between the basic strength and a Trippel. Producers of this style include Abdij der Trappisten Westmalle (dark brown colour with a ripe, malty flavour and a fairly dry, fruity finish), Maes (sold under the Grimbergen label, the Dubbel has a dark brown with a ripe, chocolate-malty flavour and sweetish finish that sets it apart from the Dubbel) and Westvleteren Trappist (with no so-called single version commercialised by the order of St-Sixtus, this is the most basic style of Trappist beer sold by the Westvleteren monastery). See Trappist.

DUIVEL
Vanderlinden brewery, Belgium. An idiosyncratic blend of Lambic beer and traditional "top-fermented" ale.

DUNKEL (Generic)
Germany. A Dunkel is simply a dark, malty lager of no special quality, usually dry, but sometimes sweet to one degree or another and occasionally prefixed with Alt. Although Alt normally refers to a "top-fermented" beer (see Alt or Altbier above), here it would be used in its literal sense to refer to a well-aged or long conditioned Dunkel, which is, of course, "bottom-fermented". Producers include Augustiner (a so-called Dunkel Export, which not very impressive, and a Dunkel Volbier, which is), Ayinger (rich and sweet with fruity-malty aftertaste reminiscent of fine old tawny port), Dinkelacker (dark and malty, but uninspiring), Hofbr�uhaus (a Dunkel-Weizen that is not a Dunkel as such, but a splendid dark wheat beer), Kaltenberg (unpasteurised, very malty and coffee-like K�nig Ludwig Dunkel), Kulmbacher M�nchshof (a strong but soft and fine-flavoured Klosterbock Dunkel), Paulaner (full and dark Alt-M�nchner with a smooth, malty taste), Spaten (this brewery's Export Dunkel is with Augustiner's Dunkel Volbier, one of the best of its ilk) and Tucher (smooth and mature Franken Export Dunkel). See also Bock Dunkel.

DUVEL
Moortgat brewery, Belgium. Duvel means "devil" and the head on this pale-coloured fizzy beer can be such a devil to contain that the brewery had to invent a specially-shaped bottle to contain it.

glossary E

EGELANTIER
De Kroom brewery, Holland. Full-bodied, tawny-coloured "bottom-fermented" beer.

EISBOCK (Generic)
Germany. The Eiswein of the beer world, this is a Doppelbock that has gone through an "ice-machine", which freezes out a significant proportion of the beer's water content, thereby increasing its alcoholic strength and concentrating the flavour. The most famous producer of this style is Kulmbacher Reichelbr�u whose Bayrisch G'frorns is big and blowsy, with an intense aftertaste. See Bock, Bock Dunkel, Doppelbock, Maibock and Weizenbock

ELEPHANT
Carlsberg brewery, Denmark A characterful, strong lager with a lightly hopped, tangy flavour.

ERDINGER HEFE-WEISSBIER
Erdinger brewery, Germany. This cloudy- white, bottle-conditioned wheat beer is fizzy with a fluffy head, an apple fruitiness on the palate and a spicy, bitter-sweet finish.

ERDINGER PINKANTUS WEIZENBOCK
Erdinger brewery, Germany. A strong, amber-coloured, Bock-style wheat beer, with a tart, bitter-sweet finish.

ESTERS
Highly aromatic components produced by the yeast during fermentation.

EULER HELL
Euler brewery, Germany. Typical pale-coloured Hell beer of little interest.

EULER LANDPILS
Euler brewery, Germany. Better than Euler's Dom Pilsener, but lacks the finesse of a true Pils-style.

EXCLUSIV
Bavaria St-Pauli brewery, Germany. An uninspiring export-style lager, little different in quality than the Astra Urtyp.

EXPORT (Generic)
Germany. In Germany, the term Export has a very specific meaning, indicating a light-coloured, lager-style beer that is fuller than a Pilsener, but not quite as dry. Producers of this style are legion, but include Augustiner (fine, pale and generous beer called Edelstoff), Binding (called Export Privat, but not special), Dortmunder Actien (slightly malty), Dortmunder Hansa (soft and malty), Dortmunder Kronen (extraordinarily lusty for this style, but its super-smooth texture, sultry malty character, beautiful balance and delicately dry finish make it the finest Export style available), Dortmunder Ritter (firm and fruity with a good dry finish), Dortmunder Thier (can sometimes rival Dortmunder Kronen Export), Dortmunder Union brewery (typically fine malty premium style), Herforder (simple malty flavour), Hofbr�uhaus (crisp style, almost like a fuller-bodied Pilsener) and Holsten (boring).

EXPORT
International Can apply to any beer, indicating a premium brew. It infers that it will be stronger than the domestic version of the same beer because export beers were originally beefed-up to enable them to survive long voyages through extremes of heat, there is no guarantee that they will be. In Germany, Export has a more specific meaning.

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