Page 42 - Thirst Magazine Issue 1 (Feb 2017)

cultivation meant beer manufacture
moved steadily to an industrial
scale, allowing for much greater
experimentation in styles and types of
beer.
Witbier and Dunkel (white and
dark beers) flourished in Belgium and
Germany while Pilsners and other pale
lagers, a style which came to dominate
the beer industry through the end
of the 20th century, were popular
throughout Eastern Europe.
In the UK the availability of beers
often changed depending on the
season. Porters and stouts were seen
as winter beers, whilst pale, amber
and brown ales were more refreshing
for other times of the year. And with
thousands of troops still stationed
across the globe as part of the British
Empire, UK brewers found ways to
ship their produce overseas without
it spoiling. More hops were added to
Pale Ales to preserve them as they
journeyed to the Subcontinent, thus
creating India Pale Ales, the now
ubiquitous IPA style. Meanwhile back
in the 18th century, darker beers
Carlsberg and STYLES OF BEER were made more alcoholic to last
Heineken are the the journey to the far east of Europe
only two breweries It’s easy at first glance to split beers creating Imperial (Russian) Stouts.
in Malaysia. into two distinct categories depending As the decades went by, global
on how they are brewed: the bottom- industrialisation led to fewer
fermented cold conditioned lagers; independent brewers and consolidation
crisp, refreshing and preferably drank to larger multinational ones, lager
chilled. And the warm top-fermented became the dominant global beer.
ales, with abundant flavours that By the 1980s commercial lager and
change as the beer slowly warms in pilsners were king.
the hand. But to think of beers as only Here in Malaysia the story was
available in two types misses the huge similar. Though various ale types may
differentiation in styles. have made it to Malaya and Borneo via
By the end of the 19th century various trade routes, the first officially
the importance of sterilisation in the imported beers were European lagers.
brewing process along with specific That style was also the first to be
knowledge regarding yeast types and brewed in the area in the form of

PORTERS AND STOUTS WERE SEEN AS

WINTER BEERS, WHILST PALE, AMBER AND
BROWN ALES WERE MORE REFRESHING

FOR OTHER TIMES OF THE YEAR.

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