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09Oct2022
How to Read Old World Beer and Cider Labels

How to Read Old World Beer and Cider Labels

By: Liz FosterComments: 0

In a world that is all about the “new,” we decided to take a closer look into the beautiful world of the old… Old World beer, that is!

In our video, our well-traveled beer buyer Liz outlines some key terms to know when perusing your local bottle shop, as well as offering up some insightful fun facts along the way. Don’t have time to watch? Check out our blog post below.

Click here to shop our Old World Beer Selection!

Mead

An alcoholic beverage made by fermenting a mixture of honey and water. Mead is one of the oldest known alcoholic beverages (evidence points to mead existing in the stone age), and as a result, there are countless variations on the original base recipe, some of which contain flavoring adjuncts like hops, spices, and herbs. Check the label for these kinds of additives, as well as the ABV, for a decent picture of how this unique beverage will taste.

Saison

A style of pale ale originating in Belgium, saisons are often highly carbonated, with strong esters reminiscent of banana and spice. Additional spices are sometimes used–including orange zest, coriander, and ginger–during fermentation. The name comes from the French word for “season,” and refers to the period that the beer was drunk within.

In comparison to saisons from North America, Old World saisons are often bottle-conditioned, leading to a unique style of carbonation that’s often described as being reminiscent of sparkling wine. These beers are generally spicier than their American counterparts, and feature stronger esters. Mild tartness can even be present due to wild fermentation.

Oude Kriek

This definition is actually a three-parter! The first word we’re tackling is “Kriek,” which usually refers to a type of lambic beer that has been brewed using cherries. What’s a “lambic” you ask? That’s a Belgian-style ale that’s been fermented by exposure to a wild yeast, giving it distinctly tart and tangy sour taste and unique esters. Finally, “Oude” means “Old” in Dutch, and refers to the additional barrel-aging and bottle-aging that this beer underwent before going to market.

Got all that? If it helps to think about it this way: (Almost) all Krieks are Lambics, and this particular Kriek (Hanssens Oude Kriek) was aged enough to earn the modifier of “Oude.”

Keeving

Keeving is a traditional, artisanal form of cidermaking that originated in France and England. This difficult-to-master technique creates naturally sweetened, sparkling ciders without need for additional sugar. Keeved ciders often display a complexity of flavor not displayed in more commercial cider productions.

Bière de Garde

Translating roughly to “Beer for Keeping” in French, ​​Bière de Garde usually refers to a style of blonde or amber farmhouse ale originating in Northern France. The “keeping” aspect of the name refers to the high ABV that these ales were brewed with in order to prevent spoiling during long storage.

In a confusing twist, the beer we featured in our video (Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien 2019) self-identifies as a “Bière de Garde” on its label, but its sour taste, deep red color, and malt profile places it much more in the realm of a Flanders Red (a sour beer style from Belgium).

Weizen Doppelbock

“Weizen” refers to wheat in the German brewing tradition, while “Dopplebock” (double-bock) is a high ABV malty lager. Doppelbocks were originally created to supplement the vegetarian diets of the monks that brewed them, and are still rich and malty beers.

Wheated dopplebocks (sometimes called Weizenbock) such as Aventinus often use the same yeasts as other Old World wheat beers like Hefeweizen, offering the same estery notes of banana and spice in a maltier, boozier package.

Comments

Susan
Posted on 2022-10-12 14:41:54
Great article! Keep doing information pieces like this, fun to learn history & encourages exploration of beer styles & flavors. Thanks!

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