Beer needs a certain level of fizz, and for many beer lovers across the world, this is an undeniable requirement of the beer drinking experience and an aspect that craft beer brewers need to take into consideration when creating their beers. However, just as not all beers are created equal, not all fizz is equal as well. For example, you can have two glasses with the exact same beer in them but different levels of fizz depending on the process of carbonation that was used in them.
The Carbonation Process
Beer carbonation is the process of adding C02 into the beer in order to give it the fizz that people love. This can be done naturally using a combination of yeast and sugar wherein the interaction between the two creates a certain amount of carbon dioxide that remains in the beer. Another method is forced carbonation wherein the beer is placed into a tightly sealed container (i.e. a keg), refrigerated, and then CO2 is forced via pressure into the keg so that this can be absorbed by the beer. This method of beer carbonation is the one most preferred by craft brewers since you can adjust the overall level of carbonation in the beer by simply increasing or decreasing the C02 pressure.
Adjusting Levels
Adjusting the level of carbonation is important since you can wind up with a radically different tasting and looking beer depending on how much C02 you add. For example, if you leave the pressure on full in your key, you could wind up with a beer that is similar to a German Weizen beer that is so carbonated that you need to pour it in slowly, otherwise the bubbles will easily overflow from the glass. The taste of this type of beer is said to be very frothy and incredibly fizzy. On the other hand, there are beers like Japanese Kirin beer or San Miguel Beer from Japan that use a lower level of pressure creating a smoother flavor that has just enough fizz in it.
Getting the amount of fizz just right is an exercise in trial and error since you need to balance the flavor of the craft beer with the fizz that you add in. Too much fizz and the flavor can’t be tasted as well, too little and the beer is too flat.
