We are drinking 90 liters every year, as much as the countries with tradition, but are rarely consuming a quality beer.

Ben Vinken, the only beer sommelier in the world, invited us to taste four beers, all made after international recipe. At first, he "made the portrait" of each type at a time.

The first beer has 5% alcohol, and the malt and hops are perfectly balanced in this liquor. The second, called a beer "for women", has 5.1% alcohol and fresh aromas, of herbs and malt. "A light beer, round, sweet. Otherwise, Italy is not recognized as a traditional country for beer", says the Belgian Ben Vinken.

The tasting continued with a Danish beer, much more tasteful because of the 5.4% alcohol concentration. "The foam is beautiful, I feel herbs aromas, similar to cooked vegetables, is the specific aroma of this brand. At the end, the taste is bitter, dry. Is among the few beers in the world that has a better taste than its aroma", explains the sommelier.

"The cherry on the cake" was a classical Belgian beer. It was produced 60 years ago in the abbey's breweries, but now the monk's involvement resumes only to ethics. Even though, it hasn't lost its qualities.

"6.6% alcohol, beautiful foam, that leaves lace on the glass, golden color, surface fermentation (produced at high temperatures, so the yeast raises up to the surface), almost all you can wish from a beer", detailed the sommelier. The first beer was Heineken (produced by Heineken Romania), the second Peroni (the Italian beer produced by SAB Miller - Ursus Romania); followed by Carlsberg (Danish beer, produced by URBB - Tuborg Romania) and the last was Leffe (Belgian beer, imported by the local branch of InBev).

He copies the wine tasting

"There's a ritual of beer tasting", said Ben Vinken at the start of the tasting session. Lawyer by profession, he became sommelier after he spent many years in managerial positions in the Multinational beer producers from Belgium.

The beer tasting must take place in a room with fresh air, without strong smells, obviously without cigarette smoke. The glasses must be clean, and the beer cold, right out the ice bucket. The process is copying in the smallest details the tasting of wine, so the glasses must be cone-shaped - an elegant form which keeps the aroma of the drink.

In proportion of 70%, the beer is tasted by nose, so the rotation of the glass and the formation of the foam is essential. You take a good drink, swallow it - unlike wine -, in order for the bitter taste to be felt on the thong and in the throat. Then you let your imagination wonder - the yeast is felt strongly, the malt and the hops, with light aromas of fruits, herbs and even pepper. The Romanians are not experimenting

The Romanians are crazy about popular beer, and they consume it in quantities as large as the countries with tradition, but they don' know how to diversify the kinds and most frequently they are preferring price in front of quality.

This is how Ben Vinken sees us. The Belgian had access for his analysis only to few figures on the beer sales from the first half of this year. The data are showing a spectacular growth of the plastic bottles (PET), to 50% of the beer sales.

The Belgian showed that the best pack for beer is glass, and special beers are offering unique visual, olfactory and tasteful sensations. "We can't consume more than 90 liters of beer yearly on inhabitant, the actual level, so the next trend on the market will be the varying of the choices towards better beers", said Shachar Shaine, the president of the Berarii Romaniei association.

CULTURE

A drink with foam at a romantic dinner

Blond beer goes along with fish, dark beer with meat, and fruity beers - cherry and lemon - are the most appreciated at desert. "You have more possibilities in finding harmony in beer than in wine. And in an elegant presentation, brought in an ice bucket in a glass bottle of 0.75 liters and served in cone-shaped glasses, beer goes well at a romantic dinner as well, said Ben Vinken. At the appetizer "lager" beers are proffered, light, popular beers, of a bright yellow while at the main course the most suitable are the "Ale" beers, special, fermented at high temperatures.

"In Belgium, but in other European countries as well, we can talk about a beer culture, for example, studies are made on the approach of beer from a gastronomic point of view", explained the sommelier.