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Spaten (Franziskaner Hefe-Weiss)	Germany
South German-style Hefeweizen	Spaten-Franziskaner-Brau
Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Hell is noted for its agreeable level of carbonation and its natural cloudiness. It is brewed from wheat malt, barley malt, hops, top-fermenting yeast and water according to a time-honoured Bavarian recipe.

Spaten Premium Lager	Germany
German Pilsener	Spaten-Franziskaner-Brau
In 1894 Spaten became the first brewery in Munich to produce this brand of light lager. Golden in color with a well-balanced hop-flavor. The full rounded body is a superb balance between hops and a malty sweetness. Also known as Spaten Münchner Hell and is sold under that name in Germany.

St. Arnold Amber Ale	Houston, Texas, USA
American Amber / Red Ale	Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
A well balanced, full flavored, amber ale. It has a rich, malty body with a pleasant caramel character derived from a specialty Caravienne malt. A complex hop aroma, with a hint of floral and citrus comes from a combination of Cascades and Liberty hops. It has a rich, creamy head with a fine lace. The light fruitiness, characteristic of ales, is derived from a proprietary yeast strain. .

St. Arnold Elissa IPA	Houston, Texas, USA
American IPA	Saint Arnold Brewing Co.
A traditional India Pale Ale, the Elissa IPA is very hoppy with a properly balanced malty body. Elissa has huge hop additions in the kettle that give it a wonderful bitterness and is then dry-hopped in the fermenter to create the pleasant floral, hoppy nose. Our reverse osmosis water makes the bitter very soft with no harsh notes to it. The maltiness is derived from British Maris Otter malt. Its rich flavor stands up to the hops that would otherwise dominate this beer. The Elissa is an authentic version of the IPA style which was first brewed in the late 1700’s in England for transport to the British colony of India. The high level of hops combined with higher alcohol levels worked as preservatives to keep the beer good over the long voyage to India where conditions were not conducive to brewing. This beer is named after ELISSA, a tall ship now moored in Galveston. Ships like ELISSA were used in transporting IPAs to India. Saint Arnold is donating a portion of the proceeds of this beer to the Galveston Historical District for preservation of this ship.

Stella Artois	Leuven, Belgium
Euro Pale Lager	InBev Belgium
Stella Artois is renowned as a quality beer brewed for an average of 6-11 days longer than most other beers using the finest quality hops and barley including Bohemian Saas hops. It is these Saas hops that give Stella its distinctive full flavour. It begins with a brewery dubbed Den Horen, or 'the horn' dating back to 1366. The title of master brewer was conferred to one Sebastian Artois in 1708, who then proceeded to pass on his gifts to his sons. Through a purchase by said Sebastian, the house came to be known as the Artois Brewery in 1717. While the Artois Brewery may have served gentleman and rogues since 1366, it wasn't until 1926 that the pride of Belgium was born. Christmas had enrobed the town of Leuven. As the spirit of goodwill permeated the crisp air, the brewers of Artois took it upon themsleves to devise a special Christmas brew. This new beer emerged clear; clear as a star, you could say. It was truly christened 'Stella', Latin for 'Star'. The people rejoiced in this new brew and have henceforward set their tables with it year round. The name Stella Artois revels in a birth brought about by natural elements. The natural ingredients that comprise its make-up include water, malt, hops and the magic element, a unique Stella Artois yeast. The water itself is drawn from underground wells located deep beneath the brewery. The finished product is a culmnination of ingredient, tradition and style.

Warsteiner Premium Verum	Germany
Classic German Pilsener	Warsteiner Brauerei
Warsteiner Premium Verum is a pilsner style beer with a smooth, rich-full bodied taste wrapped in a thick creamy head and a refreshing hop finish with no aftertaste. Warsteiner quenches the beer lover's thirst for a clean, crisp, refreshing beer taste.

Woodpecker Apple Cider	United Kingdom
Cider	Bulmers Worldwide
Woodpecker is the brand most synonymous with cider. Percy Bulmer introduced it in 1894, the first of his ciders to have a brand name – chosen after the bird he regularly spotted pecking the apple trees. Its sweeter taste and lower alcoholic strength at 3.5%abv (Draught is 4%abv) makes Woodpecker a particular favourite of young women. Equally, as the sweetest of the ciders in the Bulmers range, it is popular in cold climate countries, such as the Pan Scandinavian region, and is often seen as an introduction to cider drinking before moving on to more challenging styles.

The Brewing of Beer
How Beer Is Made

Article reposted with permission of History-of-Beer.com

Almost all beer contains only four ingredients: barley, water, hops, and yeast.

Different styles of beer are created by variations in the brewing process, which consists of four stages.

The first ingredient to come into play is barley, which is grain (or in other words, a seed). The seeds are soaked and allowed to begin their development into plants. Enzymes are released that will break down the proteins and starches in each grain into simple sugars meant to nourish the baby plant. However, once this process has begun, the barley is cooked in a kiln, arresting the growth process while the enzymes are at their peak of production. This is called malting.

In the mashing stage, the grain is actually transformed into sugar. The grains are crushed and then soaked in water. Proteins are broken down; these will eventually give the beer its body. Starches are broken down into simple sugars that will nourish the yeast. Complex sugars remain to give the beer its malty taste. The mash is heated and strained to yield a substance called wort.

Next, the wort is brought to a boil and the flowers of the female hop plant are added. Bitter resins and aromatic hop oils are released.

The variety of hop, the amount added, and the point or points in the boil at which they are added all contribute to the flavor of the beer. They add bitterness when added early to the boil, flavor if added in the middle, and aroma when added at the end. Then the beer is cooled and yeast is added and allowed to consume most or all of the sugars in the wort. This is the fermentation process, in which alcohol is produced. The beer is separated from the yeast (racked) and then aged and carbonated by conducting a second fermentation in a closed container, or by adding carbon dioxide artificially.