Beer

BeerWhat is beer?Beeris analcoholic beverageproduced by thesaccharificationofstarchandfermentationof the resulting sugar. The starch and saccharification enzymesare often derived frommaltedcereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat.Most beer is also flavoured withhops, whichadd bitternessand act as a naturalpreservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included.Main Ingredients of beer

Process of beerMillingThe first thing a brewer needs to do before getting to work making beer is to ensure that their brewing grain is ready to go. Assuming they arentmaltingtheir own barley, this means milling, or crushing, the grains. This crucially important step can make or break a beer before it has even begun.MashingOnce the grain has been milled, it is added to a large vessel called the mash tun, and mixed with hot water to form the mash.LauteringThe next step in the brewing process is the take the mash, and separate out the spent grain from the sugary liquid known as wort (pronounced wert). This process is called lautering.BoilingOnce the sweet wort has been separated from the grains, it is brought to a strong, prolonged boil for one to two hours. This boiling process is critical for many reasons. First, and from a historical point, most importantly, it sterilizes the beer. FermentationFermentation is also where the brewer decides wether or not he/she will be brewing an ale or a lager. This decision is a simple choice of using lager yeast or ale yeast, although the brewing of the beer changes drastically depending on which direction the brewer goes.ConditioningOnce fermentation is over, and the yeast have worked their way through the off-flavors, it becomes dormant and begins to settle to the bottom of the fermentation vessel. From here, the brewer can easily remove the yeast, leaving only bright, clear beer. To help this process along, many brewers also filter the beer mechanically, or by adding filtering agents which help collect the yeast into larger groups, which then fall out of suspension at a faster rate.

PackingIts easy to forget that the final step in the brewing process is packaging the beer. Luckily, brewers dont forget this, or else wed all be drinking directly from massive conditioning tanks (which now that I write it, sounds pretty awesome).