Beer Brewing Information

by Contributing Writer

Overview

Beer is one of mankind's oldest beverages, with written evidence of brewing dating back to the Sumerian culture. There have been many different styles and flavors of beer brewed across the world, but the basic process is the same for all of them.
Ingredients

Beer is traditionally made with four ingredients: malted grain, water, hops and yeast. Modern brewers have been known to experiment with a wide array of adjunct ingredients, including fruits, vegetables and spices.

Malted Grain

Malted grain is created when the grain kernels (usually barley or wheat, but many varieties of grain can be used) are soaked in water until they just begin to germinate. The kernels are then dried in an oven, drying them out and stopping the germination process. The malted grain can be left in the oven to achieve various levels of roasting.
Hops

Hops are used as a bittering agent to contrast the sweetness of the malt. Hops come in many varieties and can add many flavors and aromas to the beer, including spicy, citrusy or woodsy (pine) notes. Hops added early in the brewing process contribute bitterness, while hops added late in the process contribute aroma qualities.
Yeast

Yeast is what turns wort (the mixture of water and sugars/flavors from the malt) into beer. The yeast consume the sugar in the wort and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol as a result. Some brewers use the yeast's carbon dioxide to naturally carbonate the beer, while others filter the yeast out of the finished product and carbonate artificially.
Brewing Process

Malted grain is mashed or steeped in hot water at various temperatures. This process extracts flavors and sugars from the grain. This mixture, called wort, is then boiled and hops are added at specific intervals. The finished product is chilled and yeast is added to start the fermentation process. When fermentation is complete, the finished beer is packaged and consumed.