Listed below are the essential ingredients to most beer. The taste and quality of the beer is directly proportional to the quality of the ingredients used for brewing. Breweries tend to keep a watch on their coveted recipes. There are certain beers and breweries that have been around for hundreds of years. Even though the number of ingredients are usually similar, the distinctive taste of a particular beer depends on the handling and quantities.
The basic and essential beer ingredients of water, malt, hops and yeast are described below.
Water
The volume of beer is made up of approximately 90 to 95% water. In earlier times, to facilitate the brewing process, breweries would locate near their water source. Streams, creeks, and bodies of running water made great sources of water for early breweries. In present time, the water can be filtered and the acid/alkaline ratio balanced to adjust the taste as required. This makes it so an "ideal" water source is not needed. Most breweries use city and county water lines.
Hops
Hops are the blossoms harvested from a female hop vine. Only the pine cone shaped blossoms are utilized. Hops are used to give beer it's "bitter" taste. In order to get a specific flavor, hops are hand selected and chemically analyzed before being purchased by a brewery. The hops imported from Germany and Czechoslovakia are the most premium.
Malt
Malt is made from two and six row barley. Two row barley is the premium type of barley. Premium beers use more two row barley and less six row. The barley is soaked in water and allowed to sprout. It is then cleaned for impurities, and roasted in a kiln. The amount of "kilning" directly affects the color and flavor of beer. Malt contains enzymes, carbohydrates and flavoring. During brewing, the carbohydrates are broken down into sugar, which along with the yeast produce the alcohol.
Yeast
Yeast is a living biological organism that when combined with the sugar, produces the alcohol. Most brewers carefully control yeast quality by buying from only the best suppliers. If the yeast changes during storage, the beer will take on a different taste. Bottom fermenting yeast is used for lagers, while top fermenting yeast is used for ales.
Adjuncts
Corn or rice may also be added to barley malt to produce a lighter bodied, lower costing and paler beer.
This basic understanding of ingredients used in the making beer is essential beginning to learn the brewing process.
The basic and essential beer ingredients of water, malt, hops and yeast are described below.
Water
The volume of beer is made up of approximately 90 to 95% water. In earlier times, to facilitate the brewing process, breweries would locate near their water source. Streams, creeks, and bodies of running water made great sources of water for early breweries. In present time, the water can be filtered and the acid/alkaline ratio balanced to adjust the taste as required. This makes it so an "ideal" water source is not needed. Most breweries use city and county water lines.
Hops
Hops are the blossoms harvested from a female hop vine. Only the pine cone shaped blossoms are utilized. Hops are used to give beer it's "bitter" taste. In order to get a specific flavor, hops are hand selected and chemically analyzed before being purchased by a brewery. The hops imported from Germany and Czechoslovakia are the most premium.
Malt
Malt is made from two and six row barley. Two row barley is the premium type of barley. Premium beers use more two row barley and less six row. The barley is soaked in water and allowed to sprout. It is then cleaned for impurities, and roasted in a kiln. The amount of "kilning" directly affects the color and flavor of beer. Malt contains enzymes, carbohydrates and flavoring. During brewing, the carbohydrates are broken down into sugar, which along with the yeast produce the alcohol.
Yeast
Yeast is a living biological organism that when combined with the sugar, produces the alcohol. Most brewers carefully control yeast quality by buying from only the best suppliers. If the yeast changes during storage, the beer will take on a different taste. Bottom fermenting yeast is used for lagers, while top fermenting yeast is used for ales.
Adjuncts
Corn or rice may also be added to barley malt to produce a lighter bodied, lower costing and paler beer.
This basic understanding of ingredients used in the making beer is essential beginning to learn the brewing process.
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