For Roger Mittag, the craft-beer boom has created demand from suds drinkers who want to learn about new beer styles and flavours.
Things have really taken off. So much so that Mittag, through his decade-old company Thirst for Knowledge, regularly offers his Prud’homme Beer Certification course in Ottawa and he has now made much of the course available online to anyone interested in learning more about the suds they drink.
“I would hope that people get a really well-rounded approach to understanding the whole world of beer,” said Mittag. “It takes an overview of the beer industry as a whole. What I’m trying to do is get people a greater appreciation of beer and not necessarily whether it’s craft or a large brewer. Just what it takes to make beer and how to talk about it.”
The program is based on three tiers. Level 1 walks enthusiasts through the world of beer and teaches about varying styles and what to expect from each.
The original idea for the program was to teach bar staff and others working in the industry about the onslaught of styles that have been re-introduced thanks to the craft beer revolution, Mittag said. However, he said he was a bit surprised when he realized that many students enrolling in his program were just beer buffs who wanted to learn more. He’s had more than 5,000 graduates.
“A lot of the craft brewers are re-inventing the old styles that have disappeared,” he said. “They are adding more flavours and more aromatics. Beers are becoming more and more interesting to talk about.”
New styles like Belgian IPAs and jalapeno ales are really offering novel flavour profiles that redefine preconceived notions of what beer is supposed to taste like. Even modern twists on classic styles, like an IPA or simple pale ale, are difficult for most casual beer lovers to get their head around.
“There’s just so much confusion,” said Mittag. “People think pale ales are golden, but in reality they are copper.”
Mittag got an early education in beer from global brewing giant Labatt Brewing Co. He began in sales for the company in 1997, but his passion for beer soon landed him a job in training and development.
He used his time to learn more about suds, even touring Europe to study the classic styles that were originally brewed there. He started Thirst for Knowledge in 2005.
The company is also responsible for Ontario’s annual Golden Tap Awards, which honours the province’s best brews. The awards, which were first started in 2003 and originally attracted a few dozen entries, will see entries from 70 Ontario brewers who have entered more than 400 different beers in 2015.
Information about the Prud’homme course is available on Mittag’s website, thirstforknowledge.ca. Pricing ranges from $30 to $60 for courses on specific topics or between $200 and $600 to complete an entire level.
Below are a few beers that will surprise, confuse and delight newcomers.
Terrible Ted Red
Brewed by: Lake of Bays Brewing Co.
Alcohol by Volume (ABV): 6 per cent
International Bitterness Units (IBUs): 25
Score: 79
Terrible Ted Red
This is one of those beers that straddles the gap between styles. Saisons are typically lighter in colour, but this one is almost amber. It pours with a thick tan head and the smell of sweet malts, grains and slight spice waft from the glass. The taste is sweet, with the Belgian flavours, a signature in Saisons, a bit muted. There are hints of plum and dark fruit, with caramel or toffee undertones. It’s definitely a beer for those who skew to sweeter offerings as opposed to bitter.
La Formidable
Brewed by: Gigantic Brewing Co./B-Side Brewing Label (Beau’s All Natural Brewing Co.)
ABV: 6.9 per cent
IBUs: 60
Score: 82
La Formidable from Beau’s All-Natural Brewing
Here’s another twist using a Trappist beer yeast, which traditionally comes from a handful of monasteries in Belgium, to brew an American-style India pale ale (IPA). It pours a hazy, off-orange colour with a dense head that falls into the beer rather quickly. The flavour is bitter and citrusy, grapefruit-like, which is quickly followed by the signature banana and cloves from the Belgian yeast. The melding makes for an interesting, fused take on two very distinctive flavours in the beer world.
Karma Citra
Brewed by: Great Lakes Brewery
ABV: 6.6 per cent
IBU: 65
Score: 90
Karma Citra.
This is a more classic take on the IPA style. Where it differentiates itself is in the use of only one type of hops for bittering purposes, Citra. Most other IPAs blend various hops to create a specific flavour profile. With this, it’s all about the Citra hops. It succeeds, as Citra is very citrusy and almost tropical. The beer pours an almost copper colour with a dense, off-white head. Citrus scents waft from the glass. The beer is bitter, but not in the kick-in-the-teeth way as some IPAs can be. It’s mild and balanced and extremely easy to drink.
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