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Beer has a reputation of being the world’s best drink, and beer lovers consider the intoxicating experience as a divine experience. This notion dates back in the ancient times.
The process of beer making was discovered in the ancient times by the Sumerians. The basic ingredients of beer making even then are Hymn of Ninkasi otherwise known as the goddess of brewing, which consists of barley and baked bread. The accidental discovery of beer making happened when baked bread crumbled into water and formed a mash, which was then fermented and an inebriating pulp resulted. This was how the ancient Sumerians discovered beer making.
When the Babylonians became rulers of Mesopotamia after the Sumerian empire collapsed, the Sumerian culture of brewing beer was passed on; and the Babylonians were able to produce twenty different types of beer. This gave the Babylon people the luxury of enjoying the divine drink even more.
Additionally, the King of Babylon at that time recognized his people’s want for this exhilarating and blissful drink, thus he decreed a daily beer ration to his people. During his reign, beers were not being sold but were used to barter trade.
Beer making did not stop in Mesopotamia; other countries also produced fermented beverages just like Chang, the beer in Tibet and Chicha, the corn beer and Kumis, the beer that comes from fermented camel milk. Other countries also produced beer, the beer they prouced does not have much difference from the Mesopotamia brew.
Historically, after the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans succeeded beer making and brewing. There was even a time where Romans considered beer as barbarian drink. Even with this notion though, beer drinking was still very much popular.
The beer they brew during that era can never be stored becuase it was too cloudy and with almost no foam.
Popularity of beer making and brewing is a result of the early civilizations belief that beer making is a neat sacrifice for their Gods. Additionally, because of the wonderful feeling they get from drinking beer, they treat beer making as a gift to themselves as well.
Thus, beer making became so popular and workers do not resent doing it for both these purposes.
Moving forward, in this modern time, beer is not that hard to acquire. You can find beer in every corner of the world, from small stores to big entertainment houses.
Additionally, some American beer aficionados even perform beer making in the confines of their own homes. This beer making process done by some Americans are no longer for sacrifice to the Gods but for their personal enjoyment, and for sharing with their friends as well.
Like in the ancient times, beer making ingredients are malted grain, barley, wheat and sometimes rye.
Brewing is also almost the same such as malt would come from germinated grain. This malt will be dried in kiln or roasted, the germination creates enzymes, which will convert starch in the grain into sugar.
The malt will take on dark color and strongly influence the flavor of the beer; this process is dependent on the amount of roasting done on the malt.
Grist will come from crushing the malt, and mixed in heated water and mashed together in a mash tun.
The process of brewing will then take effect, the result will be the beer that will provide enjoyment to you, which you can also share them with your friends.
There may be some equipment necessary in the process of brewing beer, but if you will only do beer making for personal use, what you have on your kitchen may be enough.
Commercial beer making may need the other sophisticated equipments. You will only need these special equipments if you are making beer for commercial purposes.
Various beer making websites will be able to help you brew your own beer. If your friends know that you made the beer specifically for their enjoyment, surely, your friends will consider your beer as the best beer in town.
Continue the saga of beer making and live on the tradition of drinking this exhilarating, wonderful and blissful drink that people consider divine.
Seek help from beer making websites and brew the beer you longed for.
Shannon W. Brown has brought together some of the best “Beer Making” resources online. You can visit his site at: http://www.wemakebeer.com
Author: Shannon Brown
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Posted February 20th, 2011. Add a comment
As a contributor to Butter’s Fine Food and Wine’s food blog, I can’t help but think that writing about beer for a well-known, high-end, gourmet food store can’t be a bad gig. I get to try all kinds of beer from all over the world and hope that someday, the beers I enjoy the most, will pass the NH liquor bureaucrat’s sniff test and that those bureaucrats will bless those beers onto the shelves of fine NH craft beer outlets. There is a bottle-neck bringing new beer labels into the state right now because of an immense cost to the brewery per label, but let’s not go there today. Today, I’d like to focus on my Top 10 Most Memorable Beers of 2010.
Most brews that I am about to describe made the list because there was something memorable about the beer. It might have been a special moment that surrounded the beer or a flavor that left me wanting more. Regardless, there is something special to me about each of the beers on this list. I started cataloging each beer that I tasted this year by snapping a picture using Blackberry Smartphone and then uploading that picture to Facebook. Prior to that, I just used my memory. And well, after 40 years and hundreds of varieties of beer later, I just don’t trust the old method as much as I used to.
There were several brews that deserved an honorable mention, like one of my old favorites- Pig’s Ear Brown Ale from the Woodstock Brewery. I love that beer. I decided to cut it out only because I’ve tried it before and, for no other reason than familiarity, I removed it from the list. I decided to focus on the task and come up with my top 10 most memorable beers of 2010. If something is too familiar, it’s just not that memorable.
Now why a top 10 list? Well that easy. You have 2 choices when the New Year comes around… you can either make a New Year’s resolution or create a top 10 list. Seems that like this is what most people do. And since my resolutions usually don’t work out, I decided that a making list would be a far better and more achievable choice than a making another resolution.
So, counting backwards, of the 87 some odd beers that I sampled in 2010, here are my Top 10 Most Memorable brews:
#10- San Miguel Pale Pilsner *** San Miguel brings back fond memories of pub crawling (aka cave hoping) around Madrid, Spain in the late 80s. I remember my father bringing back a case of San Miguel while on active duty Spain and I managed to sneak a sip or three when dad wasn’t looking (not that he really cared, it was just fun to think that I was sneaking a beer). A year after his return, I managed to get myself onto the Spanish class travel club roster and luckily found a grocery store near my hotel in Madrid selling none other than the same San Miguel beer that my father had brought home a year earlier. The flavor isn’t quite as good as the memory of Spain, but it’s still pretty darn close. It won 3 gold medals at some European beer tasting, so I guess I’m not the only one that thinks it’s good. It has been a favorite of the military stationed in Europe for years, as I learned after offering a San Miguel to one of my ex-military buddies. Come to find out, it’s a product of the Philippines and not a product of Spain (something I thought to be true for 24 years). Oh well. It was great to get reacquainted.
#9- New Belgium Skinny Dip *** The name is as good as the beer. Skinny Dip has officially become one of my all time favorite Summer beers. It’s impossible to buy it in New Hampshire at the moment but new distributors like the Craft Beer Guild are working hard to make it happen and soon all New Belgium beers will be in the state. So hopefully we’ll see the likes of Fat Tire by the end of 2011. As for Skinny Dip, I can’t wait for Summer! I picked up a case of this at a Brew Thru in the Outer Banks, North Carolina while RVing through the South this summer. A big cheers to Skinny Dipping in ice-cold waters (buckets of ice that is)! -
#8 Sierra Nevada Summerfest ** I bought this beer at a regular old grocery store thinking I’d try it, only because it was on my list of beers that I’ve never tried, but thinking it was just another silly summer beer. My theory on summer beers is that every brewery has one. Well, this wasn’t any normal summer beer! It was excellent. It was light on the malt and lightly hopped and every bit as crisp as the label claimed. There’s nothing better than a cold crisp drinkable brew on a hot summer evening after a hard day’s work. Forget the fruity beers and the wheat beers… try this one next summer instead. -
#7- Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour *** Now this one was truly interesting. I picked this up at The Cheese Shop in downtown Williamsburg, VA. I’ve tried a few sour ales in my day and I wasn’t particularly fond of any of them, mostly because they were all sour and nothing more. They had no balance. But this one was different. I put this beer on ice soon after the purchase and a couple of hours later, this beer couldn’t have tasted better. It was sour and tart and finished a little sweet and the tiny bubbles (like champagne) made all those icy balanced flavors dance. It was delicious and oh so thirst quenching.
#6 White Birch Brewing Barrel Aged Tripel M1 * I’ve been a fan of Bill Herlicka’s beer for a while now. I recently found a bottle of Bill’s stout in my fridge from before he became White Birch Brewing (it’s easy for a beer bottle to get lost in my fridge). I remember tasting this lost stout many years ago (and I’m angry that I missed one). That stout, as I remember it, was awesome! Well, Mr. Herlicka has outdone himself this time. While other breweries are racing to age their beer in Bourbon Casks, White Birch is mixing it up. This Belgium Style Tripel was aged in a Merlot Barrel (hence the M1 on the label), and if ever there were a beer that belongs at Butter’s Fine Food and Wine, it’s this one. It smells like a wine initially, but transforms into a nose of a Tripel (and a nice Tripel at that). The taste is the same way! Try this with chicken or a steak! It could possibly pair with more foods than any other beer know to man. It’s extremely complex and versatile. Great stuff! Keep up the great work Bill!
#5- Berkshire Brewing Steel Rail Pale Ale * This is one of my favorite beer finds of 2010. When you walk into a golf course clubhouse in the early morning, about and hour before the charity tournament is about to tee off, and you see 2 of your old pals sitting at the end of the bar enjoying some suds for breakfast, you know you’re in for a good day. Beer always tastes better for breakfast anyway. After having consumed my share of Steel Rail Pale Ale, and after enjoying a bunch of laughs with a group of great friends while hitting a golf balls all over the course, I knew that this day’s consumption would lead me to a long time relationship with Berkshire Brewing. Two weeks later, after a few emails back and forth with Berkshire Brewing, I learned that NH Distributors had just filled their truck with a few pallets of Berkshire Ale bound for Concord, NH, and, shortly there after, four of the Berkshire Brewing brews made their way to Butter’s Fine Food and Wine. I call that Beer Karma.
#4- Dogfish Head Punkin Ale * In a world filled with pumpkin style ale wannabees, this one sets the standard. For quite a while I thought that Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin was at the head of the class, until I sipped this one. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale isn’t head and shoulders above Shipyard, but it’s clearly a better beer. And, everyone who has accepted my challenge to a taste test of pumpkin ales agrees with me. There’s nothing too sweet or over done or over done about this beer. It’s a perfect balance of everything you think a pumpkin-harvest-October-Halloween beer should be. And, you’ll keep wanting another and another. I cannot say that about any other pumpkin beer. Most pumpkin beers, I’d rather not drink at all. Some, I’m one and done, but this beer… is perfect. -
#3- Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Island Creek Oyster Stout * This stout is a very rare and specialized beer. We may never see it again, being that it is part of the 100 Barrel Series. I can only hope that it somehow gets incorporated into the standard Harpoon line of beers. But, assuming that it won’t, this beer was one of a kind. It’s a really good stout, great roasted flavors, a little bitter finish but completely balanced, with a perfect body. Sounds pretty darn good doesn’t it? But wait, there’s more! (RIP Billy Mays). Harpoon added OYSTERS to the beer! Now that sounds a little funky, but, if you are an oyster lover, it’s heavenly. You won’t get a chunk of oyster as you sip, just a hint of oyster flavor. I can’t think of much else better than sipping on an Island Creek Oyster Stout and downing about two dozen oysters at Jumpin’ Jays Fish Cafe in Portsmouth. It’s just a great beer!
#2 Samuel Adams/Weihenstephan Infinium ** I have to admit it. I had to sneak across town to get a bottle of this. It’s fairly new and I did what I had to do to experience this beer. It was all worth the guilt of buying from a competitor. The very sight of the bottle is impressive- it looks like a fancy corked champagne bottle. The goal for this beer from Sam Adams was to join with Weihenstephan Brewery in Germany (a company with which they have formed an alliance in recent months) and combine 100 years of beer knowledge and brewing experience into this… “Infinium”. I sat down with my friend AJ to sample this beer, and at first, I couldn’t wrap my head around it. It was so complex and the layers of flavors kept coming and coming… I was dazed. I didn’t know what to do. But I recovered and poured another glass to dissect it further. I finally came to the conclusion: this was perhaps the most complex beer that I’ve ever tried. WARNING: if you don’t like complex beers, don’t try this… you might pass out (not from the alcohol, but from the confusion). It’s a near perfect beer that defines a new category, but don’t try this alone. You’re going to need someone to talk to in order to figure out the flavor puzzle. Clearly, this is one of my most memorable brews of 2010.
#1- Guinness Foreign Extra Stout * NUMBER ONE! OK, it’s no secret. I’m a Guinness guy through and through. Anyone who truly appreciates beer usually is. If someone tells you that they like Guinness, that usually means that they have a love for beer, which means that they don’t love beer for its alcohol or the buzz, but they love beer as a whole. I thought I had the world of Guinness all figured out. The Extra or the Draught… all were welcome in my beer fridge. Until I met Guinness Foreign Extra. What the hell just happened??!? Perfect just got more perfect?! It isn’t right. But, it is! I sat down with Bruce, my long time friend and fellow purveyor of anything labeled “beer” (or Scotch for that matter), on New Year’s Eve to try this new addition to the Guinness family (new to the US). We couldn’t help but think that the taste was going to be nothing more than familiar. We poured it, and sniffed it, initially trying to figure out what exactly this “Foreign” label meant. The sniff, we thought was “sweet” like an imperial (and we’re not big fans of Imperial- so we were a little apprehensive). But then, the moment of truth…the taste… it wasn’t sweet at all. It was celestial- perfectly bitter and balanced and, as hard as it was to believe, it was better than the other Guinness’ that we’d come to know and love. Perhaps the only thing better would be a pull from a fresh batch of Guinness at an authentic Irish pub in Ireland, but other than that, I don’t think it gets much better. (Except for when my wife walked in with a case of Guinness Foreign Stout (true story) just as Bruce an I polished off the 4 pack). What a way to finish off a great year in beer!
Cheers! And Happy New Year everyone! -Butter’s Fine Food and Wine Roving Food Reporter
P.S.- Please give “Beer Cataloging” a try for yourself in 2011… you’ll be amazed at what you remember when you look back at 87 beers… not only about the beer itself, but about the people you were with, the places, the smells, even the weather. But most importantly you’ll chuckle as you remember the good times, the abundant smiles shared with your friends and family, and the overall kindred spirits that were around as you poured that unfamiliar brew.
P.P.S- If you would like to become a beer blog contributor to the Butter’s Fine Food and Wine blog, please email beerblog@buttersfinefood.com and let’s us know what you’d like to do.
*- Denotes Beer that is currently sold or was sold at Butter’s Fine Food and Wine
**- Denotes Beer that is available in the State of NH, but not yet sold at Butter’s Fine Food and Wine
***- Denotes Beer that is not available in the State of NH (not yet anyway)
Kristy Stephens Ammann, is the chef/proprietor of Butter’s Fine Food and Wine in Concord, New Hampshire. Butter’s Fine Food and Wine, established in 2006, is a specialty cheese, wine, gourmet grocery, award winning cakery, and craft beer destination. Kristy’s talents have been recognized recently and awarded NH Magazine’s top honors for Best Old Fashioned Cake in 2009 and, best Gourmet Sandwiches in 2010. For more information on Butter’s Fine Food and Wine, please visit http://www.ButtersFineFood.com
Author: Kristy Stephens Ammann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Posted February 17th, 2011. Add a comment
Beer, hearing the term mind directly strikes the scene of a beer pub where people are holding mugs filled with beer and the foam is coming out of the glasses. Beer is not a new term since time immemorial, world’s most widely consumed and probably the oldest of all alcoholic beverages. Beer is the third most popular drink after tea and coffee. Beer is prepared by brewing and fermentation of starches which are derived from the cereal grains particularly malted barley but wheat, corn and rice are also used. Generally beer is flavoured by the addition of hops which adds a bitter taste to beer and also acts as a preservative. Apart from hops some herbs and fruits are also used for flavouring the beer. Literature from the olden times suggests that there was a Code of Hammurabi which was concerned with the laws of regulating beer and beer parlours and the Hymn to Ninkasi was a prayer to Mesopotamian goddess of beer serving both the functions of prayer as well as remembering the recipe of beer preparation. Presently, brewing industry is a multinational business providing employment to thousands of individuals in the form of small pubs to large regional breweries.
There are two categories of beer. First is the pale lager and the other regionally distinct ales which share further different varieties like pale ale, stout and brown ale. The alcohol content of beer is around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (abv) which may be sometimes less than 1% abv to 20% in rare cases. Beer forms a part of culture of beer drinking nations and is also found to be associated with the festivals as well as with games. Beer is one of the oldest known beverages prepared since 9000 BC and has its record in the history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. The chemical evidence of beer belongs to circa 3500-3100 BC from the site of Godin Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. In China around 7000 BC beer was prepared from rice by malting. Any substance containing carbohydrate like the sugars and the starch usually undergoes fermentation and this laid down the foundation of beer production throughout the world. The production of beer and bread had generally resulted in the development of human civilization as well as technology but this fact is argued strongly by various scientists.
Beer was spread through Europe by the Germanic and Celtic tribes around 3000 BC back and at that time people don’t call it beer. Beer produced before the Industrial revolution was on domestic scale but today beer production is a global business and according to a report of 2006 around 133 billion liters of beer is sold every year which costs billions of dollars. The process of making beer is termed as brewing. A edifice dedicated strictly for making beer is called as brewery although beer can be prepared in homes also as known from the ancient literature. A company producing beer is called as a beer company. Beer produced on domestic scale is termed as home brewing regardless of the fact how it is prepared. Beer production is strongly under the rules and regulations of the government of the country and the producers have to deposit the taxes and fulfill the necessary documents in order to run a brewery successfully.
The main purpose of brewing is to convert starch into sugary liquid called wort and later on this wort is converted into alcoholic beverage called beer which is fermented by the action of yeast. The first step in making beer is mashing where the starch source (malted barley) is mixed with hot water in a mash tun. Mashing process is complete is 1-2 hours and during this time period the starch gets converted into sugars and becomes sweet in taste. This sweet liquid now called wort is drained off form the grains. Now the grains are washed and this step is called sparging. Sparging helps the brewer to obtain as much as fermentable liquid from the grains as possible. The process of filtering spent grain from the wort and sparged water is designated as wort separation. The traditional process of wort separation is called as lautering where the grain itself acts as filter medium. Modern breweries use filter frames for this step. The sparge obtained from second and third run contains weaker wort and thus weaker beer. Brewing with several runnings is called as patrigyle brewing.
The sweet wort obtained from the sparged water is now kept in the kettle and boiled for 1 hour. Boiling evaporates the water of the wort but the sugars and other components remain as such and this allows efficient use of starch sources in beer. Boiling also inactivates the enzymes left after the mashing process. Hops are now added as source of flavor, bitterness and aroma. Hops may be added more than one time during boiling. If the hops are boiled for a longer time then the bitterness of beer increases and the flavor and the aroma content of beer declines. After boiling the hopped wort is allowed to cool and is now ready for yeast action. During fermentation the hopped wort becomes beer and this step may take a week to months depending upon the type of yeast and the strength of beer. When fermentation is over the yeast settles leaving the clear beer. In some cases fermentation is carried out in two steps, primary and secondary. Once beer is produced through primary fermentation it is transferred to a new vessel and is allowed to undergo secondary fermentation for certain period. Secondary fermentation is generally used when beer requires long term storage before packaging or greater clarity. When beer has fermented it is transferred into casks for cask ale or in aluminium cans or kegs or bottles depending upon the varieties.
The key ingredients of beer are water, a starch source like the malted barley and brewer’s yeast which is responsible for fermentation and flavouring agents like the hops. Apart from malted barley other sources of starch may be used like the corn or rice and then the term adjunct is used as they serve as a lower cost substitute for barely. Other inferior sources of starch include sorghum, millet, cassava root in Africa, potato in Brazil and agave in Mexico and other nations. Grain bill is the total amount of starch source in the beer making process. The major composition of beer comes from water. Water of different regions has different mineral components so the beer prepared from different regions shares unusual taste and variety. Water in Dublin is hard so it is best suited for the production of stout, Pilzen has soft water so famous for the production of pale lager. Water from Burton is rich in gypsum so is suitable for the production of pale ale. Sometimes the brewers add gypsum to the local water for the production of pale ale and this process is termed as Burtonisation.
The starch source in beer is the key source which provides the material to be fermented and is responsible for the strength and flavor of beer. Most common starch source used for beer preparation is the malted grain. Gran is generally malted by soaking it in water and is then allowed to start germination and finally the half germinated grain is allowed to dry in a kiln. Malting process produces enzymes which are responsible for the conversion of starch into fermentable sugars. Different colours of malts are prepared from the same grain by allowing the grain to roast at different times and temperatures. Dark malts produce dark beers. Majority of beers have malted barley as starch source as its fibrous husk is not only important in the sparging process but also contains amylase, a digestive enzyme which converts starch into fermentable sugars. In the recent years brewers have produced gluten-free beer from the malted sorghum especially for those individuals who are unable to digest gluten-rich beer derived from malted barley, corn and rice.
The foremost components of flavouring of beer are the hops which are derived from the hop vine. Hops are actually the flowers of hop vine which act as flavouring agents as well as preservative. Apart from hops certain herbs and berries are also used as flavouring agents. Hops add a bitter taste as well as balance the sweetness of the malt. Bitterness of beer is measured on International Bitterness Units Scale. Hops add floral, citrus and herbal aromas and flavours to beer. Hops have an antibiotic effect and allow the use of lesser number of micro-organisms and have a preservative action. The micro-organism responsible for the fermentation of beer is the yeast. Yeast converts the sugars obtained from malted grains into alcohols and carbon dioxide and therefore turns wort into beer. It also imparts character and flavor to beer. The dominant strains of yeast used in fermentation are the ale yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisae) and the lager yeast (Saccharomyces uvarum) which produce ale and lager beers respectively. Some brewers also add clarifying agents to beer as they precipitate out of the beer along with the protein solids and are found in traces only in the finished product. These agents make beer fine and clean instead of the cloudy touch as that obtained from wheat in the olden times. Commonly used clarifying agents are isinglass obtained the swim bladders of fishes, Irish moss from seaweed.
There are many varieties of beer found all over the world but the basic concepts of their preparation are always shared among different nations. The traditional European brewing regions like Germany, Belgium, and United Kingdom have local varieties of beer. Brewers from Canada, USA and Australia are so much inspired by the European style of beer preparation that they have developed their own different indigenous varieties of beer. Apart from the different varieties beer can be classified into two major types depending upon the temperature of brewing which affects yeast activity during fermentation. Beers may be lagers brewed at high temperature and regionally available ales brewed at low temperatures. Ales may be further divided into pale ale, brown or dark ale and stout. Beers are basically classified on the basis of yeast action used in fermentation. Beers which require fast acting warm fermentation leaving behind residual sugars are classified as ales while beers utilizing slow acting cold fermentation where the yeast removes most of the sugars are lagers. Steam beer, Alt and some modern British Golden Summer Beers use elements of both ale and lager beers for their preparation.
Limbic is a variety of beer that is prepared in Belgium by using wild yeast rather than the cultivated one. Many of the varieties of yeast used for making lambic are not the strains of S.cerevisae so they impart different flavours and aroma to beer. Strains of yeast like Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus are used for making lambics. Lactobacillus is basically responsible for the sour taste of lambics where it produces acids. Stout and porter are dark beers prepared by using roasted malt or roasted barley and brewed by slow fermenting yeast. There are other varieties also like the Baltic porter, imperial stout and dry stout. The term Porter was used for the first time in 1721 to describe a dark coloured beer popular in the streets and river porters of London. This beer was later on got famous by the tag stout. The history of stout and porter got intertwined later on.
Another variety is wheat which is significantly obtained by the use of wheat but it also contains certain proportion of malted barley also. They are usually top fermented and the flavour of wheat beers vary considerably according to the style in which they are brewed. Ales are prepared by warm fermentation by using brewer’s yeast that clumps and rises to the surface so they are called as top fermenting beers and also require higher temperatures and get fermented more quickly in comparison to lagers. The suitable temperature for carrying out fermentation of ales is 15-24C. in this temperature range yeast produces suitable esters and flavours along with aroma products resulting in a beer with fruity touch like that of apple, pineapple, banana, plum and others. Hops were introduced into England in the 15th century and after the addition of hops in brewing the term beer was used. The term Real Ale was coined by Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in 1973 for the beer brewed by using traditional ingredients and secondary fermentation without use of carbon dioxide.
The cool fermenting beers of European origin are termed as lagers. The pale lagers are the most popularly consumed beers all over the globe. The word lager has got its origin from a German word lagern which means to store because the brewers used to store the beers in cool cellars and caves during the hot summer months and they observed that fermentation process continued in the stored beers and this resulted in better quality of beers. The yeast used for fermentation of lagers is very much active at lower temperatures and it carries out primary fermentation at the temperature range of 7-12C and then a long secondary fermentation at 0-4C. After the secondary fermentation is over lagers become clear. Cooler temperature also inhibits unusual production of esters and other byproducts resulting in production of a tasty lager beer. The modern method of lager production was put forward by Gabriel Sedlmayr the Younger, who clarified the dark brown lager at Spaten Brewery in Bavaria, and Anton Dreher brewed an amber-red coloured lager in Vienna in 1840-1841. With the improvement of yeast strains modern lagers get ready within a very short time period say from 1-3 weeks.
Malt is responsible for the particular colouration of beer. The common colour of beers is pale amber which is basically produced by the use of pale malts. Pale lagers and pale ales are prepared from the malt dried with coke. Coke was used for the first time in 1642 for roasting the malt but this step was prohibited in 1703 but the term pale ale came into existence. In terms of sale and volume the majority of the beers are based on the pale lagers brewed in 1842 in the town of Pilsen in the present-day Czech Republic. The pale lager consumed in the present scenario is very light in colour passed through carbonation with alcoholic strength of around 5% only. Pilsner Urquell, Bitburger, and Heineken are the common brands of pale lager beers and Budweiser, Coors, and Miller are common American brands of pale lager beer. Dark beers are generally brewed from pale malt or lager base malt along with certain proportion of dark malt to achieve a desired colour. Caramel, roasted unmalted barley are also used for achieving a dsired shade of beer.
The alcoholic strength of beer ranges from less than 3% by volume (abv) to around 14% (abv) although this strength can be further increased up to 20 % (abv) by use of champagne yeast and 60% (abv) by freeze distillation process. The alcohol content of beer varies with style and practice. Alcohol in beers comes from the sugars that metabolized during the fermentation process. The quantity of fermentable sugars in wort and the strain of yeast used for the fermentation of wort are responsible for the alcoholic content in the finally obtained beer. Sometimes fermentable sugars and enzymes are also added for increasing alcoholic strength of beer. Alcohol is produced as a byproduct of yeast fermentation and is toxic to the yeast. Low temperature and too little fermentation decrease the activity of yeast and so as the alcoholic content of final beer. The alcoholic content of beers has increase in the last few years of 20th century and a Dutch brewery has produced the strongest beer with alcoholic content of 60% (abv).
The brewing industry is a multinational business in the modern world and it works in collaboration with regional as well as national breweries. Microbrewery is a modern brewery that produces a limited amount of beer every year around 15,000 barrels. A brewpub is a microbrewery serving beer along with some edible materials also. Draught beer from a pressurized keg is the most frequent method of dispensing beers in the bars. A metal keg is generally used which is first filled with beer and then pressurized by using carbon dioxide. Nitrogen is also used sometimes for sealing beer kegs. Cask ales are unconditioned and unpasteurized beers. When a cask arrives in a pub it is kept horizontally in a frame called stillage which is designed to hold it at 90 and then allowed to cool at the cellar temperature before being tapped and vented.
Beers are basically cleared off from the yeasts before they undergo packaging in bottles and cans. Bottle conditioned beers however retain some yeast that is left unfiltered so beers should be poured slowly. Many beers are typically sold in cans all over the world. People drink directly either from cans or by pouring into the glass. Cans protect beer from coming in contact with light and there is little of no risk of leakage. Plastic bottles are also used for packaging beers. Temperature of beer strongly influences the drinker’s experience. Warmer temperature reveals flavour of beer and cool beers are more refreshing. Most drinkers prefer to consume pale lagers chilled while imperial stouts are generally preferred at room temperature.
The beer writer Michael Jackson has proposed a five level scale for serving beer. He has suggested following types like chilled for light beers, chilled for wheat beers, lightly chilled for dark lagers, cellar temperature for British ale, stout and room temperature for strong dark ales. The consumption of chilled beer began in 1870s and spread to all parts of the globe where pale lager was preferred on high scale. Chilling the beer adds a refreshing taste to it but chilling below 15.5C reduces the taste and at 10C awareness and taste both decline. Beers served at room temperature have a wonderful flavour. Cask Marque is a non-profit beer producing organization which has set a temperature range of 12-14C for serving the cask ales. Beers are served either in cans, mugs, glasses etc. The glassware used for drinking beer may influence the character and style of an individual. Many breweries offer branded glasswares for serving beer. Beer is poured in a style in the drinking glasses and opening of beer container releases carbon dioxide as it is opened.
Many social activities have been found to be associated with drinking like playing cards, pub games etc. Beer is most popularly consumed all over the world in a high proportion in comparison to the wine which the second most popularly consumed beverage. The main active key component of beer is alcohol so also affects human health. Moderate consumption of beer reduces the risk of cardiac arrest and cognitive decline. Long term effects of alcohol increase the risk of liver damage. The brewer’s yeast used for the fermentation of beer is a rich source of nutrients like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin and vitamin B and therefore, beer is sometimes called as liquid bread. According to a study conducted by Japanese scientists in 2005 low alcohol beers have strong anti-cancer properties. Non-alcoholic beers reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorders. But over consumption of anything is injurious so beers must be consumed in a limit.
From the process of preparation till packaging and up to marketing the brewers put so much effort and this effort is the key of the success of breweries all over the world. One must enjoy beer at least once in his or her lifetime.
Author: Navodita Maurice
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you have bought a six pack of beer from the store lately you probably already know that the cost keeps increasing from week to week. Well, how would you like to make your own beer? Brewing beer at home is not difficult as you might imagine, and cost a fraction of what you would normally pay at the grocery store. Do you want to learn how to make beer at home and never have to pay for it again? Then check out this step by step process that will have you enjoying your own home brew.
Equipment and ingredients
The first thing you will have to do is assemble all of your equipment and ingredients for your home microbrewery. The list includes a 3 gallon brew pot, a standard kitchen strainer, a large funnel, a rolling pin, and a thermometer. Other equipment such as a 3 gallon container of bottled water, a 3 gallon scratch free food grade bucket, two 3 foot sections of 3/8″ clear poly-vinyl tubing, and glass bottles with caps for the finished beer. The ingredients for the home brew can be purchased at any brewery supply shop, or ordered through the internet. You will need the following ingredients for each batch of brew, 3 lbs. light dried malt extract, 8 oz. crushed crystal malt, 1 oz. Northern Brewer pellet hops, 1 pkg. brewers yeast, and 3/8 cup of sugar for bottling.
Brewing process
The brewing process begins with crushing the crystal malt with a rolling pin until it is a coarse texture. From your 3 gallon water bottle fill the brew pot to within 3″ of the top and add the crushed malt. Set your burner to medium and bring the mixture up to a temperature of 150 to 155 degrees, cover and let stand for 30 minutes, then use a strainer to remove as much of the malt as possible. Return the pot back to the stove and bring the liquid to a boil. You will then add about 2/3 oz. of the hop pellets and let it boil for 60 minutes. Then cover and let it steep for 10 minutes, and let cool to room temperature.
Fermentation
Empty the leftover water from the water bottle, as this will serve as the fermentation container. Using the funnel pour the mixture into the empty container. The next step involves adding of the pkg. of yeast for fermentation. The lid to the water container will need to have a hole drilled into it so that you can insert one end of the poly-vinyl tubing into the cap. A seal at the cap can be made by melting some wax around the tube where it meets the cap for an airtight seal. Place the other end of the tube into a cup of water and let it ferment for 7 to10 days in a cool dark place.
Bottling
Before you bottle the beer, measure 3/8 cup of sugar in 1 cup of water and bring to boil and set aside to cool. Now pour the sugar water into the scratch proof plastic container and siphon the beer from the fermenting water bottle in with it, carefully avoiding the sediment at the bottom. Once this step is completed, you can then bottle the beer and set aside for 7 to 10 days before you drink it.
Now that you know how to make beer at home there is no reason to buy it at the store. And since you make your own beer by brewing beer at home, you can save a lot of money in the long run.
Author: Cindy Morse
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Posted October 16th, 2010. Add a comment
Among all of the factors that promote an accumulation of uric acid, the consumption of high levels of alcohol is one of the foremost in the development of gout. This does not necessarily mean that every individual who regularly consumes a modest amount of alcohol will develop gout. Actually, the medical field has determined that the levels of uric acid vary greatly based upon the differing types of alcoholic drinks.
Researchers in the medical field have, for many years, deduced that dietary habits such as those high in alcohol, salt and red meat together with a lifestyle containing little or no exercise contributes to the development of gout. Unfortunately, many individuals, especially in the Western countries, adopt these dietary habits and sedentary lifestyles. The adoption of these types of lifestyles usually occurs around middle age. Gout is often referred to as the “disease of kings” because of the rich diets and lazy physical routines.
Researchers in the medical field have found that men who consume an excessive amount of specific kinds of alcoholic beverages tend to suffer from an increased risk of gout development. Beer seems to be a major contributor to this condition. It is known that the body expels uric acid through urination and that accumulation of uric acid within the body leads to gout. The interesting thing about the alcohol / gout-related discovery is that alcohol seems to affect uric acid production AND the expulsion of uric acid from the bodily system.
Once consumed, alcohol transforms into lactic acid. This transformation affects the kidney’s ability to expel uric acid from our bodies. Since an excessive intake of alcohol means an excessive level of lactic acid, the uric acids now have “stiff” competition in the race to be removed from the body. Lactic acid slows the removal of uric acid which, in turn, translates to uric acid build up which again, in turn, translates to gout.
Studies have shown that specific types of alcohol pose more risk of promoting gout than other types. It has been found that the moderate consumption of wine or spirits poses little to no risks associated with gout. On the other hand, and to the great disappointment of beer swillers everywhere, beer above all other forms of alcohol poses the greatest risk of promoting gout.
It seems that some of beer’s non-alcoholic ingredients are the culprit. Of all of the alcoholic beverages available, beer is the only one which includes Purines. Anyone who has researched the causes of gout will know that a Purine rich diet leads to a high production of uric acid. This being the case, some scientists still don’t think the Purines in beer are to blame. The reason why is because a Taiwanese study on vegetarians who ate a purine rich diet showed that their bodily systems still had a low gout risk.
This is puzzling. Some studies seem to point to the fact that a Purine rich intake will increase the risk of gout. The fact that beer has a high level of Purines seem to make the belief which states that excessive beer drinkers are more likely to develop gout a no-brainer. Researchers believe that excessive beer drinking leads to gout when combined with other lifestyle factors. It has been found that beer drinkers often combine their beer intake with salty and fatty snacks. Also, beer drinkers seem to have more of a sedentary lifestyle. The combination of these factors point towards gout.
Overindulging in alcohol consumption occasionally will not dramatically affect a person’s chances of developing gout but constant overindulgence in beer drinking, combined with poor dietary choices and a “lazy” lifestyle of inactivity will only promote the onset of gout and it’s excruciating symptoms. A simple and natural component of a gout remedy would be too simply, stop drinking beer. Easier said than done!
Gout Remedy Online provides information on Gout Treatment that actually works. All-natural gout remedy that will end painful gout symptoms, lower levels of uric acid naturally and lose weight along the way.
Author: Danny W Cooper
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Posted October 13th, 2010. Add a comment
Note: the following is not based on kit brewing with ingredient packs. It is based on a 5 gallon (2 case) extract or all-grain batch using standard equipment and average pricing of ingredients.
Since I began brewing over 10 years ago I’ve noticed that the hobby has grown in popularity, especially as commercial beer prices climb and beer lovers who happen to also be hobbyists or DIYers start to contemplate saving a little money by brewing there own. Can you really brew beer for less than it costs to buy? Well, if you drink micro brews, imported beers, or anything other than mass marketed light lagers, then yes, you can brew your own for less.
A 30 pack of certain pale, light lagers goes for about $15. You can’t brew your own beer for as little as that, but technically, if a home brewer made a basic batch of pale ale using about 6.6 lbs. of DME or LME (Dry or Liquid Malt Extract), 2 ounces of hops and a packet of dry yeast, two cases could be brewed for about $32.50.
In calculating that estimate I used current pricing of Muntons light malt extract (3 or 3.3 lbs. at about $11.50 or $11.99 respectively), Cascade hops ($2.99 per ounce) and Coopers brewers yeast ($2.50 per pack), and I rounded up. Prices may vary depending on supplier, and in the case of hops, supply and demand.
That estimate does not include caps, bottles, or the initial investment for brewing equipment. But once you have your equipment and extras, the ingredients are really the only expense to be concerned with. Any specialty grains, additional hops, or liquid yeasts will add to the cost, and don’t forget shipping or gas expenses. But even if you add specialty grains, an extra ounce of hops and liquid yeast you could still stay below commercial prices, as we’ll see below.
When you do the math, using the above basic recipe, your looking at a cost of about $16.25 per case of homebrew, compared to anywhere from $27 to $30 (or more) per case for the commercial good stuff. So in brewing your own beer, it might be possible to save as much as $13.75 per case of beer. Steep a half pound of chocolate malt and use liquid yeast instead of dry and you’ll only add about $5 to your ingredient cost. That’s still below commercial prices!
Switch to all-grain brewing and you can save more, since bulk grains cost much less than prepared extracts. For example, 1 lb. of pale 2-row barley malt, suitable for a one step mash, can cost as little as $1.90 per lb., versus $3.99 per lb. for DME, so an all-grain version of the above basic recipe might save you an additional $3.50, or so, per case.
The trade off? You will actually have to work for it, and practice patience. Homebrewing is not for everyone, and it is isn’t always a walk in the park, but the payoff is pouring a refreshing ale that you brewed yourself, and having your friends rave about how much better your brews are than the store bought stuff.
Is that extra $13 or $16 worth the convenience of popping in to the local liquor store and picking up a six pack of your tried and true favorite ale? Nothing is going to stop us beer lovers from buying our beloved craft brews, but we can enjoy a nice relaxing, and rewarding hobby, plus save a few bucks in the process.
Drew Vics writes articles on beer brewing and other beer related topics at his website Cryptobrewology.com.
Author: Drew Vics
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Posted October 10th, 2010. Add a comment
Although it is true that people have been making beer and wine in their homes since at least 10,000 BC (that we can prove — maybe much earlier) the modern notion of home brewing is very new.
Chances are that your father did not make beer at home.
Modern home brewing grew out of the dissatisfaction people started to feel in the early 1980′s with the small selection of mostly bland beers. Craft beers, micro brews and brew pubs came on the scene to give people a choice of good taste.
Home brewing also made it’s modern appearance. And with the good also came the bad. No doubt a lot of bad. Because, like any craft or art, brewing beer is difficult. Not once you learn, but to get started. If you did not learn home brewing at your fathers knee then chances are you have no idea where to start to make beer at home.
Enter the Home Brewing Kit.
Home Brew Kits are all-in-one solutions to making your first batch of beer. The best ones come complete with the proper equipment, all the ingredients and detailed instructions to remove all the guesswork.
If you don’t want to wait through several months of trial and error for your first decent batch of beer, then a beer making kit may be right for you.
Besides giving you a drinkable batch of home brew the first time, home brewing kits also have these things going for them:
1. They are a cheap way to test the hobby. Hey, even if you love the taste of beer, making it at home may not be right for you. Why sink $1,000′s into expensive equipment and learn you hate it. Very good home brew kits can be found on the internet for under $100 and many lesser ones run 1/2 that.
2. Home brewing kits come with EVERYTHING you need — a big plus for the beginner. The right ingredients and the right equipment are all included. Not last minute runs to the store when you find you have forgotten an essential component. Not ruined batch because you used the wrong pail or your airlock did not work.
3. Kits can teach you the process of brewing that you can expand upon if and when you want to buy more serious equipment.
4. Home Brew Kits are designed to do exactly what they say they will and exactly what they need to do and come with detailed step by step instructions to help you along. No guessing if you have the right piece or if these hops or grains will work for this beer or that. Plenty of time to experiment later.
Which brings up one of the best reasons to use a home brew kit to make beer at home:
5. The best home brew kits can grow with you. They are great for starting out — all the ingredients to make your first batch or two of beer — but then you can easily reuse the equipment for you future batches. Find new recipes and try different styles. Your kit is ready to perform.
Make sure that if think you may want continue using the kit to make more beer you get a quality kit from the beginning.
These are just a few of the reasons a home brewing kit is best for the beginner.
It is easier than ever to get started in the fun and delicious hobby of Home Brewing. Best Home Courses offers a Free 43 Page Ebook called, naturally, Home Brewing to help you. Learn the history of beer, whether home brewing is legal in your state, the best ways to get started and best places to get all the equipment and recipes you’ll ever need — including the best place on the web to get the best Home Brew Kits.
It’s totally free to download. No purchase required. Just click and get.
Download your Free Home Brewing Starter’s Guide at Best Home Courses.
Mark Hester
Author: Mark Hester
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Ginger beer plant is, surprisingly, not a leafy plant at all. Instead ginger plant is a probiotic plant culture which you can use to brew your own, fizzy, old-fashioned drink.
What are the benefits of real such a drink?
When you make your own real ginger beer, you are avoiding nasty additives like aspartame which are often included in cans of sparkling drinks. The true drink is made through fermentation with the probiotic plant bacteria and yeast creating a fermentation to give it a good fizz. Most colas and other shop-bought fizzy drinks are carbonated, and that’s what makes them fizzy. You are controlling all of the ingredients that go into your own fermented beer, so you can be sure that no nasty ingredients go in. You can use organic fair trade sugar, and organic ginger and lemons to ensure that your beer is organic too.
What actually is ginger beer plant?
Ginger plant’s origins are not known for certain, but we know that it became popular in the UK some time in the 1700′s, and was a common sight in kitchens right up until the 1950s. In the 1880s, curious botanist Harry Marshall Ward spent many years researching the culture. He worked out that beer plant is a “composite organism consisting of a fungus, the yeast Saccharomyces florentinus (formerly Saccharomyces pyriformis) and the bacterium Lactobacillus hilgardii (formerly Brevibacterium vermiforme)”. So now you know!
How to spot the beer plant that isn’t a probiotic culture.
Many places are selling ‘plant’ starter kits. This is not real ginger beer, but merely a yeast. This will not provide you with the real thing for life.
Brewing your own real ginger beer.
Home brewing your own organic beer is easy when you have some beer plant. Unless you know someone who will give you some spare ginger plant, then most people will buy their plant online. This has usually been dehydrated. When you receive it, you need to rehydrate it in unchlorinated water and sugar for a few days, and then you will be able to rinse out the probiotic culture grains and start adding ginger, lemon and sugar to start the fermentation process. After a few days, you’ll be able to bottle your real home brewed organic ginger drink.
What equipment do I need to brew ginger beer?
Other than the plant, you’ll need sugar, unchlorinated water (filtered or mineral water is fine), root or powdered ginger and lemon. You’ll also need a large jar for brewing the beer and then a plastic bottle to decant it into.
So you can see that for a relatively small initial investment and just some basic kitchen utensils and ingredients, you can ensure that you and your family have an everlasting supply of real old-fashioned ginger beer, a delicious probiotic drink.
Retro Culture specializes in real ginger beer plant and probiotic cultures. Visit http://www.retro-culture.com/ for free recipes, advice and resources and to buy real ginger beer plant online. You can even see hi-res photos and videos of real ginger beer plant as it grows here: http://www.retro-culture.com/gallery.html
Author: Darren W Chow
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you enjoy having beer on hand regularly, you might actually enjoy brewing your own from time to time. The process of homebrewing is not really difficult to do, provided you know a few basic steps along the way. Here are some things that you can do in order to get yourself started quickly.
The first step in homebrewing is actually to gather all of the ingredients and equipment that you are going to need in order to get a batch going. Although it certainly is possible for you to buy all of these things individually, it is easier if you start out by getting a beer kit. These typically contain everything that is necessary to get going and many of the tools that are included can be reused on future batches.
Of all of the different things that is necessary for you to keep in mind whenever you are brewing beer, sterilization is by far the most important. If you do not sterilize (often called sanitize) the equipment properly, you are more than likely going to end up ruining the batch and perhaps giving up on homebrewing altogether. Make sure that you sterilize and you’ll have a much better experience overall.
The list of ingredients that are necessary in order for you to brew the beer is actually quite short. Included in your beer kit should be malt extract, hops and yeast. You will need to add water and sugar to these ingredients in order to get the batch going. Choosing different types of malt extract will make a difference in the way that the beer looks and tastes. You can either try brewing a batch of your favorite type of beer or be a little bit adventurous and try something new.
The first real step in homebrewing is making the wort. This is where you mix all the ingredients together and put it through a heating and cooling process. Once the wort has been successfully made, you can begin the fermentation process, which will take anywhere from two to three weeks.
After the fermentation process is over, the homebrewing is really completed and the only other step that is necessary is for you to bottle the beer and chill it if desired. Of course, you will have the all important step of tasting the beer and enjoying it with friends, but that really is a hobby all of its own.
Get your free homebrewing guide – with 13 delicious recipes today. Also see our beginners’ homebrewing site.
Copyright 2009 Ron King.
Author: Ron King
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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If you just follow a few very easy step you easily make your own wine or beer with the homebrew kits that are available in the marketplace today, there’s a variety of kits for beer and wine making around, even a newbie wine or beer maker can start making there own home brew concoctions.
Wine and beer making kits come with all the essential equipment that’s needed for making wine or beer with the added bonus of the main ingredients being provided. A really higher grade of grape concentrates will be used as one of the main ingredients, and if you want to produce a high quality wine then you should obtaining grapes from the northern regions of Italy, the climates much cooler so you’re able to produce high quality wine from your home wine making escapades. It’s possible to make a unique wine or beer with a great flavour that will more than satisfy many wine or beer drinkers, it really is quite easy to produce a great wine or beer from these kits that are available. Most instruction guides specify that you only will need the fruit but you’re going to need, yeast, sugar and additives along with the kit which will have all the necessary gear which includes a 3 or 6 gallon kit.
Making your own beer or wine will be carried out in four main steps, its you’ll do the initial fermentation, 2nd you’ll stabilize and give the wine clarification then bottling the wine.
The great thing with using wine or beer making kits, is that you’ll not only have all the gear and equipment but some companies that sell the kits may even throw in a few extra cases of beer. These kits can cost any thing between $80 and $150 and is dependent on the amount of beer or wine that you’ll want to brew. You’ll some times find that some kits have a secondary fermenter with ingredients. Having a secondary fermenter will let you conditioning the beer and clarify it, so that the sediment that have been created can be removed, it really doesn’t take long to brew five gallons worth of homebrew, it will take a period of four hours in total, two hours for boiling and setting up time for the beer or wine in the fermented, and the other two hours for bottling and capping the homebrew. When brewed, your homebrew beer or wine can be ready for consumption between a period of three to four weeks. All five gallons beer and wine kits will need a four to five gallon brewing pot so you’re able to brew two cases of wine which is around 12 bottles.
When you first take on the process of home brewing, it may seem complicated but is quite simple and after you’ve made a few batches it will become really easy and you’ll be able to do it with your eyes closed, just joking. You’ll first of all need to heat the water; you then turn the heat off and add dry malt extract into the brewing pot which should consist of grains of tied muslin. You’ll then reapply the heat and really boil up the brew, then add bittering hops and leave to boil. Then put the last bag of muslin bag and hop in and the wort in after five minutes, right at the end of the boil. Leave the pot to cool right until the pot is not too hot to touch, and then sanitize the wort and then spoon.
You’ll need to add around 2.5 gallons of cold water to your sanitized bucket and then put the decant to cooled wort into the fermenter, lid the bucket and rock the sealed bucket off and on for around five minutes. Last of all you’ll put the fermenter at a temperature of between 65 and 75 degrees, bottle your bear or wine after you’ve siphoned it from the fermenter and into a bottle allowing the beer or wine to condition for around two to three weeks, once finished you can then enjoy.
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Author: Steve Shillingford
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Posted September 28th, 2010. Add a comment
