HOW BEER IS MADE
BEERS MAY VARY ORAETICALLY IN FLAVOR. COLOR AND ALCOHOL CONTENT, BUT THE BASIC PROCESS FOR EVERY BEER REMAINS THE SAME.
THE INGREDIENTS
ALL BEERS ARE MADE WITH THE SAME FOUR INGREDIENTS: BARLEY, HOPS, WATER AND YEAST.
GRAIN
HOPS
WATER
YEAST
THE PROCESS
VARIETY IN BEER COMES FROM THE AMOUNT OF EACH INGREDIENT USED AS WELL AS SLIGHT VARIATIONS IN ONE OF THESE FIVE BASIC BREWING STEPS.MALTING
The brewing process starts with harvesting the grain — usually barley but sometimes wheat or rye. It is then processed through a combination of heating, drying and cracking, in order to isolate the enzymes necessary for mashing.
MASHING
Next, the grains are steeped in hot water for about an hour, activating the enzymes that break dawn and release the sugar inside. Once the grain is full of sugar, the water is drained — leaving behind stinky, sweet liquid called wort.
BOILING
The next stee is to boil the wort, and gradually add the desired amount of hops. Hops are crucial to the brewing process — they not only act as natural preservative, but they also provide bitterness and flavor to balance out the sugary wort.
FERMENTATION
After an hour, the wort is cooled, strained and filtered into a sealed container with yeast beginning the fermentation process. The time and temperature of fermentation varies between beers—ales are stored at room temperature for a couple weeks, while lagers are stored in the cold for much longer. During this time, the yeast turns the sugar from the grains into CO2 and alcohol.
BOTTLING + AGING
Now the only thing missing is carbonation. During bottling, the beer can either be artificially carbonated or ‘conditioned’ with age, allowing she yeast to release enough CO2 for natural carbonation. Once the aging is complete, your beer is ready to drink!