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What I wouldn’t do for an ice cold draught right about now.

A little early? Pffft, it’s World Beer Day  – yep, August 4 – which means any time is the right time.

Today we join beer lovers from all over the world to celebrate the role of the golden nectar has in our society, being the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drink.

Before we identify types of beers you should try out, here are some “important” facts:

1. Ancient Babylonians took their brewing very seriously. If a bad batch was made, the brewer is said to have been thrown in and drowned.
2. Ancient Egyptians consumed loads of beer while building the pyramids – about 4 litres a day.
3. Vikings actually thought a giant goat lived in Valhalla with udders filled with an unlimited supply of beer.
4. Czechs each drink an average of 40 gallons of beer every year – making it the beer drinking capital of the world.
5. Beer is good for you, according to IBD. That’s because it has silicon in it and that increases calcium deposits and minerals in bones

No wonder beer is the third most popular drink in the world, after water and tea.

We suggest you use today as an excuse to challenge yourself and test some beers you would otherwise avoid. Below is a simple guide to tasting new flavours and what you should expect, courtesy of Metro:

1) IPA

‘India Pale Ale’ was first brewed in the 18th century for British imperialists stationed on the subcontinent. Its characteristic flavour and appearance is owed to its high hop content, originally formulated to guarantee the brew could survive the long sea voyage from England.

British IPA is moderately bitter with what experts call ‘caramel sweetness.’ American IPA is a little more citrussy, and drinkable for the newbie. IPA loves strong grub, and especially curry.

2) Porter

In the nineteenth century it was considered perfectly acceptable to be rat-arsed drunk at work. Health and safety wasn’t invented – nor breathalysers – so why not? However, one group that was somewhat frowned upon by polite society for getting smashed on the job were the geezers who wheeled luggage and parcels around bustling Victorian London.
So a special, lower-alcohol beer was developed specifically for these ‘porters’. It became known as (you guessed it) ‘porter’.

Interestingly, by modern standards, the porter they drank was still an extraordinarily potent 6.6% ABV.

Modern porters are often chocolatey with roasted grains, and luxurious undertones of coffee or occasionally liquorice. Porters are perfectly flavoursome by themselves, or lovely with meat dishes.

3) Stout

A variation on porter, ‘stout’ (another word for ‘strong’) traditionally referred to more heady porters, up and around the 8% ABV mark. Once believed to be something of a health drink, stout was recommended to blood donors, post-operative patients and even pregnant women as a vitalising tonic. Guinness Draught, while significantly tamer, is the most famous ‘dry stout’ available nowadays. Savour with chocolate or oysters.

4) Wheat beer

Divided into the equally highfalutin’, continental-sounding ‘Witbier’ and ‘Weissbier’ categories, wheat-based beer is thought to be the oldest variety of beer still commonly available. Originally from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, the most famous non-craft brand is Hoegaarden, which is fairly representative of the aromatic, fruity, full-flavour experience of craft wheat beer. Food-wise it’s a toughie. Generally speaking, for Witbier try mussels, for Weissbier a savoury schnitzel or mexican nosh.

5) Pilsner

Most right-thinking wreckheads associate Germany with the finest quality beer. Well, it wasn’t always so. Back in the 1830s, German drinkers appalled by the cloudy, uneven potency of brews on offer ditched whole barrel loads of the stuff in protest.

Go on, try one of each.

Head to The Taproom in Salt River today and order from their tasting menu. With a little sip of each you can flex your newly-found knowledge, which I am sure will only increase as the night goes on.

After all, Devil’s Peak is all about creating beers that teach you about what’s going on internationally, keeping you up to speed with all the tastiest developments in the world of beer.

Teach me.

[source:metro]