Sherry

Simply because sherry is mentioned several times I thought I'd do a post on how sherry is made.

What is sherry?

I was surprised to find out that sherry is actually a type of wine. Though, if I'd thought about cooking sherry, this wouldn't have been a surprise. It is originated from Spain and there are several different types of sherry that range from pale to dark, as with most other drinking alcohols.

By Trabajo propio - Own work, GFDL

Sherry is a fortified wine, which means that after the initial fermentation is complete, grape spirits are added to bring the alcohol content up to 15-17% prior to aging. Dependent upon this final alcohol content is whether or not a layer of flor will develop thus preventing oxidation or not. If flor develops then a pale-colored final product is had, but if it does not, then slight oxidation is allowed to happen, producing a darker final product.

Development of the flor can be seen through this clear front.

By El Pantera - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0

All sherries are initially dry due to fortification taking place after fermentation, unlike with other beverages, such as port wine, where fortification takes place part way through fermentation, thus retaining some of the natural sugars.

There are currently three varieties of grapes used to produce sherry. Prior to an insect infestation there were many, many more varieties used. These grapes are Palomino, Pedro Ximénez, and Muscatel. Palomino is very bland or neutral which lends itself to being easy enhanced in the sherry-making process, which is a desirable attribute. Pedro Ximénez is very sweet. On top of being very sweet, the grapes are usually dried for two days to enhance the sweetness by concentrating the sugars. Moscatel is similar to Pedro Ximénez but not used as often.

Sherry is blended in a system called solera. This is varying ages of sherry blended so that the final product does not have a particular vintage year. The solera system is a series of three to nine barrels used to blend new and old wines. New wine is placed in the first barrel and aged a certain amount of time, then some of the new wine is transferred into a barrel of older wine in the next cask down, using specific instruments called the canoa and rociador in the solera system so as not to disturb the flor. Solera is literally stacking with the youngest on top and oldest on bottom.

So there you have an ever so brief description of sherry and why Frank could only tolerate two glasses max!

Brandy-and-Splash

I must admit defeat here .... I cannot locate anything specifically as brandy-and-splash :((
However, it does seem to be that it is brandy with a splash of club soda! Oh I could be totally wrong and I'll gladly take correction if someone can not only correct me but give me a source (a book, a magazine, a website, etc).

Lager-and-Light

What exactly is a lager-and-light or light-and-lager as it is also called?

I'll tell you what was in my mind when I first read it but don't laugh! First, everyone was down at the pub. Second, I know what lager is. So I assumed it was a pint of lager and a cigar or cigarette lol I was on the right track but not exactly close to what a lager-and-light is.

As it turns out, it is a bottle of light ale and a half pint of lager in a standard pint glass. Interesting. Easy as this seems to be to order, it apparently isn't so easy to receive! There are several variations of what one might receive though generally in the same vicinity of one another. For instance:

- a bottle of light ale and a half of a half pint because they used a half pint glass

- a bottle of light ale and a nearly full pint of lager

- a full pint of lager

and several other varieties.

I found a list of possibile variations here at A Light and Lager. Too bad this is the only post. I was getting ready to settle in and read about his light and lager adventures.

Since I couldn't read about his light and lager adventures, I decided to see what is the difference between and ale and a lager. The Beer Store has a great little break down of ales, lagers, and more! Please click the link and read the article for much more information.

Ales are a top-fermentation brew, brewed at cellar temperatures. They are darker than lagers and more full-bodied with a variety of individual character to each. Ales can come in many varieties including Abbey Ales, Bitters, Milds, Nut Browns, and Pale Ales to name a few.

Lagers are bottom-fermented stored at near freezing temperatures for months. Longer storing times gives them a smoother finish. They can range from sweet to bitter and pale to dark.

If you have experience with lager-and-lights, leave a comment telling of your experience!

Ales

Lagers

Photo from Duck & Drake