traced back to at least the 5th millennium BC, even before writing. In those times
brewing of beer was only a homemaker's job. But as time passed, during the 14th
and the 15th centuries, beer brewing was no longer a family-oriented activity. The
pubs and monasteries started brewing their own beer for the people. Its main ingre-
dients consist of malted barley, hops, and water. It's fermented and carbonated in
all cases.
Beer Brewing...
The process of brewing beer is pretty difficult and is different in different places but
the basic stages remain the same. There might be more filtration steps between the
stages outlined below.
Mashing
This is the first stage in brewing where the malted grains are flattened and soaked in warm water so that a malt extract is created. The mashed product is stored at a constant temperature so that the enzymes are capable of converting the starches in to fermentable sugars.
Sparging
In this stage, the water is filtered through the mashed product so that the sugars are dissolved. The dark, sugar-heavy liquid that is formed is called as the 'wort'. (pronounced like 'dirt' or 'word')
Boiling
In the third stage, the wort is then boiled with any other ingredients that are remaining so that the excess water is removed and the microorganisms are killed. This does not include the yeast. Then the hops, a flower used for stability and flavouring, is added at some point in the boiling stage.
Fermentation
In the fermentation stage, the yeast is added and the beer is left to ferment for some time. After the beer is fermented for the first time, some brewers ferment it for the second time also. The second fermentation lets the yeast and other particulate matter settle further.
Packaging
In this stage, the beer contains alcohol but not much carbon dioxide. However, the brewer does not have many options to add carbon dioxide here. Large-scale brewers force carbonation in to the bottles by directly adding carbon dioxide gas. The small-scale brewers add sugar or newly fermenting wort.
After the beer is brewed, it is stored in kegs that are metal containers usually made of stainless steel. The beer is also either casked, canned or bottled.
Health Benefits...
Beer is made up of alcohol that has a number of health benefits. It contains magnesium, potassium, biotin, selenium, phosphorus, and B vitamins. It is said that darker the beer, the more nutritious.
Home Brewing
Go through this page and learn the fine points of making a home-made beer.
Beer Brewing Kits
Information on all the best beer brewing kits from around the world.
Beer Brewing Tips
For the one of the finest home-made beer, take a few tips from this page.
Beer Brewing Recipes
Beer brewing recipes from all over the world.