These days the wide varieties of beer from around the world are outstanding. The explosion of craft brewers in the United States over the last 20 years has helped to fuel the fire, giving people the choice of drinking quality beer instead of the boring, watery lagers that were the only type of beer available in the US for many years.

Now there are so many types of specialty beers available that it can make a beer drinker’s head spin before they ever take a sip. There is no need to be intimidated by the multitude of styles of beer available. Simply refer to this handy guide to beer.

Ale or Lager?

Almost every kind of beer in the world falls into one of two basic categories, ale or lager. The biggest difference between the two categories is the type of yeast involved. Ale yeasts ferment the beer at a higher temperature, and they are generally less aggressive than lager yeasts. Lager yeasts ferment the beer at a lower temperature, and they tend to be more active. The more active lager yeasts are the main reason that ales tend to be sweeter and more flavorful than lagers.

Both lagers and ales are usually aged for a few weeks after the fermentation process, but there is again a difference in temperatures. The ales are aged somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-55 degrees Fahrenheit, while lagers are aged at a cooler 32-45 degrees Fahrenheit.

This temperature difference is maintained all the way to the drinker’s palate. Lagers are generally considered to be better served as cold as possible, while most ales are considered to be best when served in the range of 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit.

The most common ales are, pale ales, India pale ales, porters, stouts and wheat beers. The three most common lagers are pilsners, bocks and Oktoberfests. The pilsner beer is the style of beer that dominates the beer market with brands like Bud, Coors and Miller.

Taste Beer from Around the World

One of the most enjoyable ways to learn more about beer is to take a World Beer Tour at B.Merrell’s. B.Merrell’s is proud to serve one of the widest beer selections found anywhere. They have hundreds of beers available from around the world. Having the ability to sample different types of beer in the same place is a great way to learn the differences between styles.

As enjoyable as it is to drink the beer during the learning process, B.Merrell’s has managed to add even more enjoyment to the process. Their World Beer Tour offers voyagers prizes along the journey. Every beer on the menu is considered to be a stop on the tour. Those who make 35 stops receive a mug or a sipper cup. At seventy stops the beer drinker earns a golf towel or a six-pack cooler. At 100 beer stops travelers earn the choice of a gym bag or a baseball cap. The ultimate prize is entry into the Hall of Foam with 130 stops. Anyone that makes it into the Hall of Foam will get a T-shirt, his or her name engraved on the Hall of Foam plaque and a picture on the wall.

Appetizers

Rotisserie Chicken Spring Rolls: Chicken fresh from our rotisserie combined with vegetables in a spring wrapper that is fried to a golden brown and served with our famous barbecue vinaigrette dipping sauce.

Spicy Chicken Skins: Potato skins piled with our delicious rotisserie chicken, cheddar cheese, picante sauce and sour cream.

Salads

B.Merrell’s Rotisserie Salad: Our famous rotisserie chicken on top of a bed of fresh lettuce greens, cheese, bacon, tomatoes, walnuts and raisins with your choice of dressing. Order the 1/2 size if you are cutting back for dietary reasons.

Oriental Salad: Salad greens mixed with red peppers, water chestnuts, mandarin oranges, fried wonton strips and savory teriyaki chicken, served with teriyaki caesar salad dressing.

Wings

One of the stars of the menu, the wings, come in three different varieties: Mild, Medium and Hot. They also come in three flavors:

Original: The tangy wing sauce that started it all with a classic taste.

Caribbean: A sweet sauce with a small kick of heat for those who prefer not having too much spice.

Caribbean Burn: Same Caribbean flavor but with a big kick of heat.

Depending on how hungry you are, you can choose from the following sizes and platters:

Snack Pack: 6 wings

Single: 10 wings

Double: 20 wings

Triple: 30 wings

Hungry: 50 wings

Hungry Set Up: Carrots, celery sticks and your choice of bleu cheese or ranch dressings.

Rotisserie Chicken

The B.Merrell’s signature seasoning blend flavors these juicy birds that are lovingly basted and slow-roasted. Choose from:

1/4 Rotisserie Dinner: In your choice of dark or white meat

1/2 Rotisserie Dinner: Choice of white or dark.

Both meals are served with mashed potatoes and gravy and your choice of 1 side dish.

Hamburgers

Hot Finger Sandwich: Crispy chicken fingers dipped in your choice of wing sauces on a bun with lettuce and tomato, cheese optional.

B.Merrell’s Burger: Juicy ground chuck is chargrilled and topped with bacon, BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese. Served on a bun with pickles, onions, lettuce and tomato.

Specialties and Entrees

Chopped Sirloin Steak: Grilled chopped sirloin slathered in mushroom gravy with mashed potatoes and a side of your choice.

B.Merrell’s Top: A 10 ounce sirloin steak is marinated for 36 full hours before being grilled to order.

Bronzed Salmon: An 8 oz filet is carefully cooked to perfection using more of B. Merrell’s signature seasoning blend with a sweet and spicy butter sauce over rice pilaf.

The kid’s menu includes smaller portions of burgers, grilled cheeses and chicken. Adults can eat the child’s menu for a small surcharge while anything on the menu can be reduced to a child’s portion as well.

Side dishes include vegetable casserole, spinach Maria, baked potato, onion strings and much more. Dessert includes strawberry shortcake, brownies, apple crisps and ice cream.

And don’t miss the extensive beer and wine menu, including the World Beer Tour where you attempt (over several visits of course) to drink one of all the beers on the menu.

We use only the finest and freshest ingredients in our kitchen, which allows us to deliver amazing food for your functions. We will work with you before your event to custom design a menu that’s especially for your event. We have a talented staff here at Creative Catering with an expertise not found anywhere else in the area. We are able to craft tasty dishes that can be used with any price range you may have. We have done any event you can think of, from charity events to wedding receptions, and even small personal gatherings with friends to watch a football game.

We take the stress out of planning and provide you with a selection of food that will satisfy your guests and let them remember the event for years to come. Make the right choice when you need a local catering company.

For almost 20 years now we’ve served thousands and thousands of gallons of B.Merrell’s hot wing sauce. We feature three different flavors: Original, Caribbean, and Caribbean Burn.

Our Original flavor keeps flavor 1^st and the heat second. We like to think that sauce should be hot, but not so hot that the flavoring isn’t 1^st.

Our Caribbean flavor is sweeter than the Original, and then gets a little hot. Perfect for wing lovers that like the flavor of very hot wings without scorching their mouth.

Our Caribbean Burn is a combination of both the Original and Caribbean sauces. It features an even sweeter taste with more heat. It’s a favorite in the area!