Aunt Esters and Weiss Guys

Malts predominate and can be complex. Mostly barley, some is roasted, toasted or lightly caramelized to add colors and complex mouthfeel to any given beer.

Water used in the brewing process also changes the ability of the mash to convert starches, pH being a transformative quality.

Hops are a great wild card, with many types and styles rising through popularity and availability. Beer is often a product of what is locally available; brewing around the world has historically revolved around what's around.

Another buddy of brewing is yeast, those silly, single-celled organisms that eat sugar and secrete alcohol as a by-product. Different strains of yeast yield different esters, scents and essences that can make a significant difference in the final flavor of a beer.

Some beers are ester-filled. A trip to Piece Brewery and Pizzeria gave me the opportunity to sample three estery brews. The Swingin' Single is a Belgian Ale, a citrus treat, light-bodied and sweet. At 5.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), it is a very drinkable session beer.

Next I tried the Top Heavy Hefeweizen, an unfiltered wheat beer that is cloudy when served -- fruit-free please -- with leapin' legions of bananas and cloves in the nose and throat for all that epitomizes a pure, wonderful wheat beer experience. Again 5.5% ABV, a hefeweizen is very drinkable ale that can be so smooth going down that one may not recognize how many have gone down the hatch.

Last on my list was the Dark & Curvy Dunkelweizen, which is a delicious diversion. Also 5.5% ABV I was getting filled to my gills and knew I made the right choice taking the CTA Blue Line.

Serve it:
Serve estery beers cold in tall, thick-bottomed, thin-walled vessels; traditional glassware has a heavy base with long gentle curves that widen at the top.

Somehow weizens and Belgian ales have come to be served with lemon or orange slices. I doubt this was envisioned by seventeenth-century German brewmasters. Fruit never touches these brewing processes. Often where hops take hold, in these beers yeasts yield citrus scents.

Eat with it:
Try fruity and estery beers with Thai or Viet foods, riffing off each other's citrus characteristics. Weizens pair well with seafood and salads. Plus, the carbonation and acidity can penetrate even the heaviest hollandaise or Alfredo sauce. Try Belgian ale with coconut crème pie for a complex sensory experience. There's an extra story to be told behind the tines.