Hybrid Microbrews

Cream ale/American lager/blonde ale

This blend produces a mild, pale, light bodied ale.
This can be made using a warm fermentation (either
top or bottom) and cold lagering or also by
blending top and bottom fermented beers.

The hop bitterness in the style is normally very
low, with hip aroma often absent. Sometimes they
are referred to as cream ales, yet they are crisp
and very refreshing.

American wheat ale/American wheat lager

This type of beer can be made by using either lager
yeast or an ale. Brewed with 50 percent wheat,
the hop rates are higher and the carbonation is
lower than German styles of wheat beers.

At low levels, a fruity estery aroma and flavor
is normal, although clovelike characteristics
shouldn’t be perceived. The color is normally
golden to light amber, with the body being light
to medium in character.

Fruit beers

These types of beers are made by using fruit as
an adjunct in the primary or secondary fermentation.
Fruit beers provide a very unique taste, and
they can also be quite potent if made in the right
ways.

Vegetable beers

These beers use vegetables as an adjunct in primary
or secondary fermentation, helping to provide an
obvious, yet harmonious quality. These beers
shouldn’t be overpowered by hop character.

Herb and spice beers

Herb and spice beers use either herbs or spices
other than hops to create a very distinct taste
and character. The spices can be derived from roots,
seeds, fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Hybrid microbrews offer you a break from the
ordinary beers, providing unique tastes and very
distinct character. There are many types of hybrid
microbrews available, all you have to do is look
around or experiment.

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Anheuser Busch And Microbrews

Beer brewing has always been the core business of
the Anheuser-Busch company. An industry leader
since 1957, Anheuser-Busch currently owns over half
of the domestic beer market.

The market share has grown so much that Anheuser-
Busch now has a bigger portion of the market than
the next four competitors, with the international
sales being no different. Anheuser-Busch remains
the leading exporter of beer from the United States,
with sales in more than 60 countries.

Microbreweries, or microbrews for short, have been
gaining a lot of attention in the past several
years. Microbrews are best classified as breweries
that produce less than 15,000 barrels in a given
year.

The strength of microbrews is found in their
philosophy that beer should be of the highest
quality. Therefore, microbrews are only brewed
with malted barley, hops, water, and yeast, which
are the only four ingredients found in the purist
German beers. Mass bottled beers normally add
rice and corn to help lower costs.

The only drawback to microbrews is what they cost.
The more expensive ingredients found in microbrews
cost on average 60% higher than the mass bottled
beers.

Beer isn’t like wine, which tends to get better
with age. Beer is instead a food that should be
consumed as soon as possible after production.
With this in mind, pubs or microbrews that
produce beer on the premises are the hottest new
trends, with four new pubs on average popping
up each and every week.

Each year, sales of microbrews goes up an average
of 40% each year. This figure is very impressive
when you consider that the market is shrinking
as a whole. Even with this amazing success, the
microbrew sales represent around two percent of
the entire beer market.

In their pursuit to continue dominating the
entire beer market, Anheuser-Busch has tapped
into the trend of microbrews. They recently
purchased a stake in the Seattle based Red Hook
Ale microbrewery. The new products they released
into the beer market include Red Wolf, Elk
Mountain Red, and Elk Mountain Amber Ale.

Microbrews are normally produced regionally,
therefore Anheuser-Busch is developing regional
manufacturers and distributors. By doing this,
they must decide on the best possible way to
handle their short term cash needs for purchasing
inventory in these tiny plants.

With their recent transition into the world of
microbrews, you can count on Anheuser-Busch to
make quite the impact. They will be offering
more microbrews in the future, which is great
news for beer drinkers. If you like the wild
taste of microbrews, Anheuser-Busch is more than
worth your time and money.

Thanks for stopping by! Please share with us your home brewing experiences, ideas and tips.

Guide To Microbrews

Below, you will find a guide to some of the best brews
out there.

Long Trail Brewery - Bridgewater, Vermont
This brewery offers several brews that will easily
quench your thirst. The long trail ale is a very
good choice, as it’s very tasty and not too heavy,
just right. The hibernator is also good, although
it’s winter seasonal and high in alcohol. With a
pinch of honey, the pollenator provides a thirst
quenching solution to a hot summer haze.

Catamount Brewery - White River Junction - Vermont
The best seller here is the Catamount amber, as it
is very tasty. The Catamount gold is also good,
as it is lighter than the amber and offers plenty
of refreshment on a hot day. For winter months,
the Catamount Christmas ale offers a crisp taste
for the cold.

7 Barrel Brewery - New Hampshire
The 7 Barrel Brewery is a restaurant as well as a
brewery. The best brews here are the Dublin brown
ale and the red 7 ale, although you really can’t
go wrong with any of their offerings. They also
offer live music every Friday night with many
great bands.

Vermont Pub - Burlington, Vermont
This pub is the sister brewery of the 7 Barrel
Brewery. They offer a great bar that serves two
rooms, with plenty of fresh and tasty beer. The
brown ale and dog bite bitter are the best, as they
are both very tasty.

Magic Hat Brewery - Burlington, Vermont
This brewery offers some of the best in the state
of Vermont - as well as the entire United States!
Their well known popular number 9 can be found on
taps around the state. When you visit, don’t
forget to look under the cap, as they call it
“Magic Hat” for a reason!

Thanks for stopping by! Please share with us your home brewing experiences, ideas and tips.