For those of you new to the beer scene, or those who’ve never done anything beyond drinking it, Ron at Hop Talk has the following very good, very succinct, explanation of how beer is made. Home brewing is pretty much this exact process on a smaller scale, while commercial brewers follow the same steps, but with vessels as big as your car. I’ve seen this all done (but haven’t tried it myself), and it’s pretty cool to watch.
A starch source, primarily made up of cracked malted barley, is heated in water along with certain enzymes which starts a chemical reaction converting the starches into sugar. This process, called the mash, results in a thick, sugary, liquid called (shockingly) the mash.
The mash is then boiled along with hops, a conical flower from the hop plant (Humulus lupulus), which acts as both a flavoring and a preservative. Hops added at the beginning of the boil produce a bitterness from the alpha acids in the hops. Hop added later in the boil contribute less to the bitterness and more to the aroma. Brewers typically add some in the beginning, and some at the end. The result of this step is not yet beer, it is called the wort. (pronounced ‘wert’)
Once the wort is cooled and moved to a clean vessel, yeast is added and the process of fermentation takes place, converting the sugars into both alcohol and carbon dioxide. After fermentation is completed, the liquid is now called beer. This whole process is called brewing.
The amount of each ingredient, the type of each ingredient, the length and handling of this process can all be done in a multitude of ways each producing a unique result. With this, the wonderful world of beers is created.
For other great and more detailed references on brewing, check out these below:
Or watch this video from Iron Hill Brewing…
© Hop Talk
(Via Hop Talk.)
Thanks, Ron. Very informative!