BEER

 

BEER

Introduction: -

Beer is an alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermenting malted barley, with hops added to flavor and stabilize it.

In England, beer drinking establishments were known as PUBLIC HOUSES (PUBS). In earlier times, only a few people could read, which is why ‘pubs’ were identified by pictorial signs such as King’s Head or Red Rooster.

Today, beer is made almost in every country, but England, West Germany, United States are especially famous for beers.

An interesting fact is the countries famous for beer making are not known for quality wines or wine production and vice – versa.

The alcoholic content of beer ranges from 4 – 8 % alcohol by volume (ABV).

Manufacturing: -

Beer manufacturing has four major ingredients without which beer is not considered to be complete. These are: -

1.       Water

2.       Grain

3.       Hops

4.       Yeast

 

1.       Water –

Ø  It constitutes about 90 % of beer volume.

Ø  The nature of particular water is determined by the salts dissolved in it, which influences the character of the beer.

Ø  Water with high calcium content is hard and low content is soft.

Ø  For beer making, natural water is modified to conform to brewer’s standards.

Ø  Natural spring water or from waterfalls is the best water that can be used in beer making as it contains the right quantity and quality of salts and minerals dissolved in it.

2.       Grain –

Ø  Traditionally, barley is used as the basic grain over hundreds of years.

Ø  There are different varieties of barley that can be used in beer making.

Ø  Barley is first malted, by steeping it in water until it begins to sprout or germinate.

Ø  This turns starch in grain into soluble sugar, which is later fermented by addition of yeast.  After malt has sprouted, it’s heated to stop the process.

Ø  For some beers it is roasted as roasting turns malt darker and gives a darker color.

Ø  The two main types of barley are –

§  Two row barley

§  Six row barley

o   Row refers to the row of fertile flowers.

o   Two rows barley is preferable as it has low protein content.

o   The largest producers of barley in Europe are France, Britain and Denmark.

3.       HOPS (Humulus Lupulus) –

Ø  Hops are the dried flowers of a hop wine plant.

Ø  In ancient times it was used to preserve beer.

Ø  Today, Ale and Lagers (Light beer) in United States are made with small quantities of these blossoms.

Ø  Other preferred herbs for flavoring are Balsam, Broom, Centaury, Dandelion, Hay, Mint, Wormwood, etc.

Ø  In Germany and Czech. Republic only the female hop plant is used.

Ø  Functions of hops are –

o   Imparts flavoring

o   Helps in clarification and preservation

o   Imparts characteristic bitter taste to the beer

o   Has antiseptic properties (prevents a beer from the bacterial attack)

Ø  Varieties of hops are –

o   English Fuggles – United Kingdom

o   Goldings – United Kingdom

o   Saaz – Czech. Republic

o   Northern Brewer

o   American Cascade

o   Hallertau – Germany

o   Hersbruck

4.       Yeast –

Ø  It encourages the beer to ferment (a process that converts sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide)

Ø  Unlike the manufacturing of wine, the beer manufacturing process does not allow the carbon dioxide to escape.

Ø  It is retained and reintroduced in the beer at a later stage which provides the characteristic carbonization or fizz in beer.

5.       Additives (Optional) –

Ø  Many breweries add additives in the final stages of beer making

Ø  Reinheitsgebot / Purity Command – In west Germany, the government has had a law since 1906, which states that only malt, hops, water and yeast may be used in making a beer. The law restricted the sale of any foreign beer if it contained additives.

Ø  In 1987, European Court of Justice ruled out that this law created an illegal restraint of trade, it is likely that the Germans will continue to demand their domestically produced beer remains “pure” and to make it difficult for the imported beers (Foreign beers) containing additives to compete.

Process –

There are many steps involved in the manufacturing of beer. The major steps involved are –

a.       Mashing

b.       Brewing

c.       Fermenting

d.       Lagering

e.       Pasteurizing

 

Grain is soaked, ripened, heated or roasted to obtain malted barley.

a.       Mashing

Ø  Malt is ground to grist and hot water is added.

Ø  Adjuncts (additives) corn or rice may also be added at this point and cooked for several hours.

Ø  Malt enzymes are broken down into starch and then into sugar.

Ø  After cooking, spent grain is strained out and resulting liquid thus obtained is called “Wort”

b.       Brewing

Ø  Hops are added to Wort and the mixture is boiled for 1 – 2 hours.

Ø  The Wort is cooled for Ale

Ø  The Wort is chilled for Lager

c.       Fermentation

Ø  Saccharomyces Carlsbergenesis – it is added to cooled or chilled wort. The yeast converts sugar in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This CO₂ gas is collected and stored under pressure so that it can be added back at a later point. This fermentation process can take a week or more.

d.       Lagering

Ø  After the fermentation completes, the beer is then aged or lagered