It’s no secret in the Aussie community that drinking beer is a sacred ritual. Whether you’re having an outdoor barbecue with friends and family or catching up with co-workers at a bar, it’s highly unlikely that you can go through either experience without cracking open a cold one. You certainly can’t go against tradition.
With such high demands, it’s not surprising that Australia has one of the leading craft beer industries in the world. But even so, not all beers are the same. While your perception of what’s good or bad liquor is entirely subjective, there are a few universal criteria that can lead you to the most refreshing Australian local beer you can find. Feeling curious and want to find out more? Stick around for our quick rundown on all the basic information.
How Do You Choose the Best Beer?
Finding the beer that you like most isn’t an inherent skill by any means. It’s something that’s acquired through trial and error, tasting all the not-so-pleasant beer flavours until you find one that’s just right. But what if you don’t have the time or patience to browse through all the different Australian beers? Is there a way you can take a shortcut? Of course, there is – if you pay close attention to the following factors.
Appearance and Colour
This is the first thing you notice when you lay your eyes on any beer. Both factors are determined by brewing specifics such as boiling time and the amount of barley used.
When discussing appearance, we’re mainly referring to your drink’s clarity. The idea here is simple – the clearer the liquor is, the better its brewing process was. And if your beer is brewed properly, we can safely say that you can expect a good one.
On the other hand, the colour you see can easily be misinterpreted. What we’re trying to say is that if your beer is dark, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s bitter. Similarly, if your drink has a brownish, gold colour, you shouldn’t automatically assume that it’s sweet.
Aroma and Taste
Appearances aside, what’s on the inside matters as well. For starters, apart from the obvious scent of alcohol, you might notice a few specific floral and fruity aromas when you take a whiff of a specific kind of beer. The smell itself isn’t necessarily a straightforward indication of whether or not the beer is good so it all comes down to your personal preference. However, if you notice that your beer smells like vinegar, that means that it’s gone bad.
In terms of taste, it’s up to you to decide what suits you most. Do you want your beer to tickle your tastebuds with its sweetness? Or do you want to feel a more bitter edge? In any case, there’s a wide range of flavours for you to choose from so you’ll be able to find something you like.
Alcohol Percentage
Once again there’s no universal criterion as to what’s good or bad alcohol percentage. You’ll more than likely be able to see the amount of alcohol on the label of your drink. So if you want something with a stronger kick, choose a beer with a larger alcohol percentage and vice versa.
Can You Make Your Own Beer at Home?
How kind of you to ask. Of course you can. Nothing is standing between you and your very own Australian local beer. Homebrewing is also one of those unique hobbies men can have when they’re not working.
Either way, if you want to get started, you’ll have to stock up on the right equipment. Back in the day, you couldn’t even think about homebrewing without distillation, fermentation and barrel storage. And that takes a whole lot of time and energy, both of which are very precious aspects of our lives these days.
Fortunately, homebrewing is another area of human creation that has inevitable advanced in recent years. By far one of the best innovations is the convenient beer extract kit that lets you brew beer at home quite easily. You will no longer need to do all the gruesome grain mashing by yourself because it’s already been done for you. The whole production process is completely simplified so it’s the perfect home brewing head start for beginners.
Essentially, the kit itself is usually found in either powder or liquid form. Their recipes are all carefully-crafted and tested by professionals so there’s very little chance of you messing things up. Plus, many other factors such as pH balance and temperature have all been already taken into consideration so you won’t have to worry about any of that when you’re using a beer extract.
If you’re not exactly sure how to use it yet, don’t worry, each kit comes with detailed instructions on the package so you’ll have a step-by-step guide on how to go about it. All you have to do is prepare a heat source and boiling kettle so that you can dump the contents of the kit into the mix. This will provide the sugar levels that are required for fermentation. Once everything is ready to go, make sure you use the appropriate tubing to transfer your mix into a fermenter. At this stage, you can use a hydrometer to measure sugar density and alcohol percentage. Don’t forget though – all of your equipment needs to be properly cleaned and sanitised to prevent contamination. You definitely wouldn’t want all of your work towards creating the perfect Australian beer to go to waste, would you?