Cooper's Passport Beer Club established in 1988 allows you to chart your course through our vast selection of over 200 international and domestic brews.  Beer tastings and upcoming pub tours keep the group busy all year long.    Cooper's Guide to Beer!

     BEER: is brewed and fermented beverage made from malted barley and other starchy cereals, flavored with hops.  Beer is a generic term embracing all malt beverages.

     ALE: is an aromatic malt or malt and cereal brew, usually fuller bodied and more bitter than beer.  Ale is fermented at a higher temperature than beer and the yeast remains at the top of the brew, hence it is a top fermentation brew.

     LAGER: is a bright, clear light-bodied beer, which is sparkling and effervescent, brewed from malt- and in some cases, prepared cereals such as corn grits or cracked rice-hops and water. The resultant "wort" is fermented and "lagered" (stored) for aging and sedimentation.  After this period it's "krausened" or carbonated (it's own CO2 is gathered and added back to it). All American beers are the lager type.

     PORTER: is a type of ale having a rich and very heavy foam.  Very dark malt is used to a high extract.  It is a sweeter/ and less "hoppy" than regular ale.  It is brewed like stout, but not quite as strong.

     PILSNER: is a term employed universally upon labels of a light beer around the world. The original and most famous is the Pilsner Urquell, from Pilsen Czech Republic which is featured at Cooper's. The intent of the brewer labeling his pilsner beer is to convey the impression that his beer is similar to that of a Pilsen. All are bright, light lagered beers. Pilsner is not a separate type of beer.

     STEAM BEER: the only style of beer indigenous to the United States. It originated in San Francisco during the last century. Lager yeasts are used, but the beer is brewed at a temperature normally considered more suitable for ale. The result, miraculously, is not abomination but a unique brew that combines some of the best qualities of a Pilsner and the flavor of a light ale. Anchor Steam is features at Cooper's

     BOCK BEER: is a special brew of a heavy beer, usually somewhat darker and sweeter than regular beer, which is prepared in the winter for use in the spring.

     STOUT: is similar to porter, but more full-bodied and creamer. Some stouts, like Guinness, are extremely bitter. Others can be very sweet.

     LAMBIC BEER: the beer of the lambic family, which include fruit-flavored Kriek, Framboise and Peche, are unique in that they are spontaneously fermented. Brewed from a part of the wheatmash, these beers come in a variety of versions, but all have an almost champagne-like sparkle.

     OKTOBERFEST BEER: medium-strength, full-colored, malt accented lager. Especially associated with late September and the Oktoberfest.

     WEIZENBIER: is the wheat beer of southern Germany, being made with larger proportion of wheat in the mash. It is pale, fruity and very refreshing. Some wheat beers are bottle conditioned, these can generally be identified by designation "hefeweizen", which indicated the presence of both wheat and yeast.

     DUNKEL WEIZEN BEER: a "dunkel" refers to a dark style of Weizen or wheat beer.  We feature EKU dunkel and edelweiss Dunkel Weizen beers.

     KRISTALL WEIZEN: The filtered version of Weissbier. (which is more like a lager) It is frequently served with a twist of lemon, which cuts the head and sharpness, making it more like a lager. Cooper's features EKU Kristal Weizen.

     MALT LIQUOR: A term resulting more from alcoholic beverage regulations than type of beer.  It denotes beers exceeding 5% alcohol. It is usually marked by a darker color and  a pronounced bitter flavor.

     PALE ALE: this traditional all-around favorite of the British is pale golden in color, somewhat like a lager but a bit more coppertoned, but offering more flavor intensity and a clean finish.

     ENGLISH BITTER: Brewed from pale-ale malts, with corn and rice added in small amounts to make the ale clear and brilliant. A staple of British pubs! We feature Batemans XXX Bitter and Fullers ESB (Extra Special bitter).

     DOPPEL BOCK: Often, but not always, very sweet, they are among the worlds strongest beers, containing as much as 12% alcohol by volume. We feature Celebrator and Paulaner Salvator.