California Dreamin’

~ untappdbadges ~ 1 Comment

Have 5 California Commons, or Steam beers, to get this badge.

Essentially an ale brewed with lager ingredients, the style came about when German immigrants arrived on the Californian goldfields in the 1800s. Pre-refrigeration, fermenting cool lagers in the hot Californian climate was impossible so the German brewers made the best of what they had.

The style nearly died away in the 20th century until it was revived by Anchor Brewing when they launched a bottled version of Anchor Steam Beer in 1971. Steam beer is now a trademark of Anchor (who is owned by Sapporo) and so California Common is used to describe the style.

Gluten-Free

~ untappdbadges ~ Leave a comment

Have 5 beers listed as Gluten-Free on untappd to gain this simply named badge.GE

Gluten-Free diets have been trending for a while now and the beer industry has caught on. For an industry where malted Barley is a main ingredient this can be quite a challenge!

While Untappd recognises Gluten-Free as a beer style all on its own, beers that are Gluten-Free can range from complex ales to IPAs to light lagers.

A brewery that specialises in this is Omission. Owned by the “Craft Brew Alliance” of Redhook Ale brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewery and Anheuser-Busch InBev, all of Omission’s brews are Gluten-Free.

Respect the Kölsch

~ untappdbadges ~ 2 Comments

KolschHave 5 Kölsch for this badge. A Kölsch is a German style of beer from Cologne (or Köln).

A golden ale, the style has some similarities with American Cream Ales and Altbier, which is from the neighbouring city of Düsseldorf. Their is even an ongoing rivalry between drinkers of Kölsch and the drinkers of Altbier.

Kölsch is a protected term within the European Union, which means it can only be brewed by breweries near Cologne. However, outside of the EU the term is fair game, and many craft breweries make their own version of the style.

Budmo

~ untappdbadges ~ 1 Comment

Have 5 beers from the Ukraine to gain the Budmo badge. Of course, it levels every 5 all the way to level 100.

Three companies dominate the Ukrainian market, locally owned Obolon, Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Chernihivske and Carlsburg’s Lvivske.

Lagers and Pilsners dominate the market and the cost of beer is cheap, about $1 USD per 500ml.

Silence of the Lambics

~ untappdbadges ~ 7 Comments

Check in 5 different Lambics to gain this badge. Lambic is a Belgian style of beer that is unique because it is left and allowed to ferment naturally, with wild yeast. The natural yeasts in the area around Brussels give Lambics their distinct dry yet sour taste.

After fermentation, Lambics are aged in barrels for over a year. Usually old port or sherry barrels are used to add additional yeasts and flavours. Untappd currently recognises seven different styles of Lambic: Traditional, Faro, Fruit, Framboise, Kriek, Gueuze and “Other”.

Lambics are one of the few styles where there is a tradition of adding fruit. Raspberry (a Framboise) or Cherry (a Kriek) are popular enough to be their own styles, but other fruit such as peach, grape or other berries are also commonly used.

A Gueuze is a combination of both old and young lambics blended together. This blend is then further aged to make a delicious, dry style of Lambic.

A Faro is also a blend, this time between a Lambic and a younger ale, sweetened with brown sugar.