At 30, Marie-Emmanuelle Berdah works as a zythologist in a cellar in Bouguenais, near Nantes. This beer enthusiast, graduate, half sommelier, half oenologist if we have to make the comparison with wine, leads several workshops this weekend on the occasion of the festival ”
Nantes under pressure », A major event dedicated to craft beer. 20 minutes had a drink with her and asked her a few questions.
Drinking from the bottle or from a glass, is it the same or not?
Not at all ! To enjoy your beer, I recommend drinking from a glass, and not just any. The best is the
Teku, which we see more and more, or in any case a stemmed glass, which allows the aromatics to develop. Approach your nose before tasting: do you smell more vegetal, cereal, fruity notes? By the bottle, the neck is much too thin for that. With a “classic” glass, which you hold in your hand, there is also a great risk that the beer will heat up. As for the cans, we also pour into the glass. I know they have a bad reputation but be aware that beer hates oxygen and light. The bobbin responds very well to both of these issues, although not the best for the environment!
Blonde, white, brunette… Is the color really important?
What gives the color of a beer is the malt [l’un des quatre ingrédients de la bière avec l’eau, le houblon et la levure] and its level of roasting. In the white, there is wheat which gives this cloudy side. To make a little history, it was the manufacturers who, in the 1980s, bought the few breweries that remained and decided to give colors to the beers to simplify the specifications and standardize all that. But behind, there are mainly the tastes, with 130 different styles! Afterwards, it is true that a white wine will more often be slightly bitter with citrus notes, while a darker, more roasted, will have notes of coffee or chocolate.
So, how can you not get confused when ordering at the bar?
The important thing when you ask for “a blonde” would rather be to know the flavor you are looking for: sweet, salty, sour, bitter? What degree of alcohol? With these elements, it is already easier to advise clients. I also like to talk to them about consistency, with round beers and dry ones. A bit like for white wine, there is mellowness and dryness. For me, a good beer is a balanced beer, which we enjoy drinking in large quantities, that is to say at least half of it! Foam is also very important because it will play a protective role. Thanks to her, I can also see if my glass is very clean (laughs).
Is it only as an aperitif or does it also work at the table?
The two ! For an aperitif, if you are very thirsty, I recommend a “lager”. This term designates all beers with bottom fermentation, that is to say at a temperature of 8-9 ° C, and which generally do not exceed 5 ° C of alcohol. [par opposition aux « ales », à fermentation haute]. I love “dark lagers”, roasted but thirst-quenching, for example. Despite what we hear, this type of beer does not make you fatter than a glass of wine: it is rather the fries or the sausage that we eat alongside those responsible! As for food and beer pairings, it is very interesting because we have an aromatic palette greater than that of wine. The easiest way to start is with cheese. It is also possible over a whole meal, even a sauerkraut, in particular thanks to the sparkle that comes to cleanse the palate and lighten the stomach.
Why is beer sometimes seen as a men’s drink?
From the first traces in Mesopotamia, beer has been a women’s affair! In England there were the Ale wifes often compared to witches. In France, it was mothers who brewed table beer… before men realized that it could be produced on a large scale and made money! Women were then gradually ousted and then the marketing appeared which passed beer, and its bitterness, for a manly drink. Remember this ad “I love Kro, I love my wife, my wife buys Kro, it’s crazy what I love my wife” … Today, I still hear this expression of “Women’s beer” for very sweet beers. It’s a shame because the taste buds are not gendered! So, yes, it’s a fight, but it evolves and so much the better!