some stupid questions ive always wanted to know about beer...

[studentofbeer]

but was afraid to ask. Lets see... first is, if you pour a beer with too much head (as i just did), are you wasting beer somehow, or is the head a different beast than the liquid portion? how exactly does head form and what is it exactly?

and, what makes belgian beers taste so darn belgian. do you know what i mean? is it the yeast? the type of malt or the way the grain is malted? Im not even sure how to describe the flavor exactly, but drink an abbey style beer and it tastes, well, belgian.

more to come im sure.

[Fast_Eddy]

Originally posted by studentofbeer
but was afraid to ask. Lets see... first is, if you pour a beer with too much head (as i just did), are you wasting beer somehow, or is the head a different beast than the liquid portion? how exactly does head form and what is it exactly?

and, what makes belgian beers taste so darn belgian. do you know what i mean? is it the yeast? the type of malt or the way the grain is malted? Im not even sure how to describe the flavor exactly, but drink an abbey style beer and it tastes, well, belgian.

more to come im sure.

Head is beer. Head forms when CO2 breaks out of solution and bubbles to the top of the beer. So all it really is is a whole bunch of CO2 bubbles.

The taste of Belgian beers is primarily a result of the yeast.

[BluesHarp]

Okay...my turn...
I have many growlers, but what are bombers?? Is it a regional thing??:confused:

[Stodbrew]

Bombers are 22 oz. bottles.

[Fast_Eddy]

Bombers are 22 oz bottles - there was a discussion about the origination of the name bombers a few months ago.

[newportstorm]

I understand what you're getting at when you say it "tastes Belgian". Unfortunately, that can be very misleading. Line up a nice Wit, sour Lambic (Cantillon, etc.), a big Triple or even a Quad and a, gasp :eek: Stella Artois. Too many differences to even compare.

Belgian brewers will use different malts, yeast strains and exotic ingredients than many other brewing cultures; but they do have a broader spectrum of styles and tastes than most people recognize. The generic "Belgian" association is similar to many others view of "American" beers being nothing more than fizzy, yellow, light lagers.

Cheers!