What is Beer?
What is beer?
In its simplest form, beer is an alcoholic drink made from four main ingredients: water, grain (barley), hops and yeast. The combination of these ingredients is what causes fermentation to occur, which creates the alcohol content in the drink and the unique flavours that we enjoy.
The brewing process involves heating and cooling the water, along with the malt (a type of barley) to release various floral, bittering and aromatic flavors. It also releases fermentable sugars that the yeast will feed on.
Yeast is a single-celled organism that converts the sugar into ethanol and carbon dioxide during the fermentation process. It is used to create a variety of different beers, each with its own style and flavor profile.
Brewers use two types of yeast to make their beers: ale yeast and lager yeast. The choice of yeast determines the type of beer you’ll enjoy, and is one of the most important decisions a brewer will make.
A brewer will often select the type of yeast based on the specific flavor they want to achieve for their beer. This is particularly true for craft brewers who use a wide range of yeast strains to create their beers.
Another factor affecting the taste of beer is the quality of the water it’s brewed in. The water should be free of any sulphur or chlorine odors, and have the correct amount of calcium and acidity.
After the wort is boiled, it is cooled and fermented by adding the yeast. Yeast will start to consume the fermentable sugars from the malt and turn them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. With the fermentation complete, gravity readings are taken and the final alcoholic content of the beer is determined.