29 April,2017 10:01 AM IST | | Anju Maskeri
Beer expert Rahul Singh helps us identify bubbly blends from five countries. Here's how to tell a German brew from a Spanish one
Viru, Estonia (Pilsner)
Viru is served in long, tall bottles that pay an ode to the tall and historic towers of Old Tallinn in the Capital of Estonia. The bottle's unique shape is sure to delight
Appearance: Viru has a thin, white head and a cloudy straw-like appearance with bubbles streaming up. It leaves no lacing.
Texture: Clean and refreshing
Taste: Light hoppy flavour and gentle vanilla tones
Potency: 5 per cent
Brewing process: Traditional brewing technology with gently toasted malts and the finest quality Saaz hops to create a beautifully balanced lager suitable for all occasions
Shepherd Neame Spitfire, England (Kentish Ale)
Appearance: Orange-brown coloured beer with a frothy white head
Texture: It starts with a light hop aroma only to give out a background of maltiness. It leaves behind a dry-mouth feel
Taste: This beautifully balanced, blood-orange tinted, British bitter with an acutely aromatic allure is an infusion of three Kentish hops. It has hints of marmalade, red grapes and pepper that are thrust from a springboard of warm, mellow malts. The beer's floating fruity notes sign off with a smidgen of spice and raspberry
Potency: 4.2 per cent
Brewing process: It still uses traditional methods and 100 per cent natural ingredients to create a portfolio of classic ales, contemporary beers and internationally celebrated lagers
Estrella Damm, Spain (Pilsner)
Appearance: Golden with amber tones and a few green highlights.
Texture: Lightly carbonated, creamy
Taste: Its fresh spicy notes are absorbing. The dark roasted notes add character. Smooth in the mouth, it fills the palate with dense notes of toasted cereals
Potency: 4.8 per cent
Brewing process: Estrella Damm has been brewed usingthe original recipe from 1876, the result of a combination of barley malt, rice, and hops
Hoegaarden, Belgium (Witbier)
Appearance: Light yellow and naturally murky. The soft foam adds a cloudy finish
Texture: Smooth
Taste: Spiced with coriander and orange peel, it has a soft taste, and is light, with subtle citrus notes
Potency: 4.9 per cent
Brewing process: It takes approximately 20 days. Malting and milling take the longest, followed by batter, boiling, cleansing, cooling and fermenting. After that, the beer is cooled and lowered for 3-4 days, which basically means it is allowed to ripen. That done, the yeast is removed, and after pasteurisation, the beer is ready to be served. It's poured into barrels or bottles after adding sugar and yeast
Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Primator Oatmeal, Czech Rep (Stout)
Appearance: Black
Taste: It's a dark, rich beer with the strong flavour of roasted barley that lends it an intense bitterness, and a fruity smooth body and creamy foam.
Potency: 4.7 per cent
Brewing process: This beer is prepared by top fermentation using four types of barley malt, roasted barley and oats