WHAT ARE THE PROCESSES IN THE MAKING OF BEER?
Brewing beer is, in theory, a straightforward process: combine grain and hot water in a mash tun, separate them, and then discard the spent grain; transfer the liquid (now known as wort) to a kettle, boil it, add hops, and transfer it to a fermentation tank; add yeast, allow it to ferment, and allow it to condition before packaging (with or without filtering first); and then drink.
Brewing beer is, in actuality, a pretty involved process. Breweries use a variety of systems and procedures, and every component and method of production has an impact on the end product. The major components, as well as the process of brewing beer, are discussed in the following sections.
WATER
Don’t underestimate the significance of water: it is the primary element of beer, and excellent water is required for the production of good beer. Because water serves as the foundation of the beer, it must be of exceptional quality.
Small variations in the composition of water may result in significant variances in taste. Smooth water, for example, imparts a soft, clean body to beer, making it particularly suitable for lighter beer types such as Helles and Pilsner, while hard water imparts a dryness that accentuates hop and malt bitterness, making it particularly suitable for IPAs and Stouts.
Great brewing cities (such as Pilsen, in the Czech Republic, with its soft water; Burton on-Trent, in England, with its hard water; and Bend, in Oregon, with its pure mountain water) have built up around the greatest water sources, and they will continue to do so.
All brewers handle their water in some fashion. Some breweries have a water treatment facility to keep the water clean, while others just add various salts and minerals to the brew to make it taste better. This is done in order to balance the water composition to fit the beers they manufacture and to guarantee that the brewing water (also known as liquor) is constantly consistent.
GRAIN
The mix of water and barley forms the basic shape of the beer before the hops and yeast provide the finishing touches. Malted barley is the most often used brewing grain, but it is not the only one: wheat, oats, and rye all contribute to the texture and taste of beer, while rice and maize tend to lighten the flavor (and are generally only used in microbrewing).
Grain offers the carbohydrates necessary for the production of alcohol, therefore if you want a lot of alcohol, you’ll need a lot of grain. It also contributes to the beer’s body and color, and the brewer creates the basis for the beer by blending various kinds of grain.
For example, pale malt, Munich malt, crystal malt, and chocolate malt would make a nice Brown Ale basis; replace the Munich malt with roasted barley and you get a Stout; eliminate all of the dark malt and add the pale malt and you get an IPA.
The barley must first be malted before it can be utilized in a brewing process. Each grain has a little pearl of sweetness that contains the starches that are transformed into sugars (which are then converted into alcohol by the yeast).
Because barley has a tough outer husk, it must germinate first, which means it must be soaked in water so that the rootlets may break through the shell.
When the germination process is complete, the grains are dried in a kiln and then roasted to various degrees of darkness—the longer they are roasted, the darker they will become. Consider the analogy of toast:
it starts off sweet and bready, then caramelizes and becomes sweeter in the center, and then, if you leave the bread in the toaster for too long, it becomes black, brittle, and bitter, with no lingering sweetness.
Different malts go through different procedures in order to adjust their starch and sugar composition. Crystal malt, for example, is germinated, then quickly heated to convert the starch to sugar, simulating the mashing process, and then roasted, with the final result being crystallized sugars that are unfermentable, imparting a caramel-like richness and depth to the beer it is used in.
Some barley is just roasted (not malted), and this will result in a product that is dark and bitter. Other grains, in addition to malted barley, contribute to the distinctive characteristics of beer: oats provide a smooth, rich body to the beer; wheat aids in head retention and texture; and rye imparts a nutty, spicy depth of flavor.
The grains are milled or crushed and then transferred to the mash tun, where the process of mashing with hot water (the saccharification sweet spot is around 67°C or 153°F, though different enzymatic activity occurs at different temperatures) converts the starches in the malt into fermentable sugars.
As the color and sweetness of the grain are drawn out of the grain and soaked up by the water, the mash takes on the appearance of a large, malty porridge and tastes like a delightful sweet tea, which is now known as wort (rhymes with pert).
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From the mash tun, everything is carried to the lauter tun, where the wort is separated from the grain and sparged (or sprayed) with hot water to extract as much goodness from the grain as possible.
Then it’s into the kettle—not all breweries have a lauter tun, in which case the separation occurs in the mash tun when the wort travels to the next tank.
CHARACTERISTICS OF DIFFERENT GRAINS
MALT PILSNER
The base grain is quite light in color and has a faint biscuity flavor.
MALT
The base grain is lightly toasted and cereal-like.
MALT MUNICH
Toasty, somewhat reddish grain with a nutty flavor.
MALT CRYSTAL
Caramel sweetness adds body to beers.
MALT CHOCOLATE
Dark and bitter, with a strong roast and a low level of sweetness
BARLEY ROAST
It's black, caustic, and bitter, and it stains beer black.
HOPS
Hops give beer its bitterness, taste, and scent by adding bitterness, flavor, and aroma. Beer pyrotechnics, face slaps, laughing, and sweet kisses are among them. They're also the A-list ingredient that, because to the excellent attributes it imparts to beer, has propelled craft brewing all over the globe.
Hops have been used as a bittering ingredient in beer for hundreds of years, but things got really interesting in the 1970s and 1980s when pioneering American craft brewers started using American hops.
Not only were these brewers developing beers that weren’t light lagers, but they were also employing components with complex taste profiles, such as citrus pith and juice, bitterness, and floral freshness from hops. It was the color-cinema moment for beer.
Hops are varietal, with each variety having a distinct taste characteristic ranging from delicate to harsh. They may be fragrant, citrusy, spicy, tropical, herbal, earthy, grassy, piney, or flowery, and are grown all over the globe.
The hops (together with the yeast) are used to determine the beer type after the base block is generated in the mash tun: the same malt bill may be hopped in two different ways to produce two distinct beers:
Porter vs. Black IPA; Tripel vs. Belgian IPA; Scotch Ale vs. Barley Wine. Hops, like spices in cuisine, perform best in pairs rather than singly—”try my amazing, single-spiced dish prepared with just cumin!” should give you an idea—though there are some great beers created with just one kind.
Flowers, pellets, and oils are all made from hops. Flowers are gathered, dried, and pressed together; pellets are blitzed flowers that have been smashed together and sliced into little blocks;
and oils are liquid. (Oils were originally frowned upon in the craft beer world, but they are now widely tolerated, especially in really hoppy brews where they provide bitterness and fragrance that would be difficult to accomplish with only flowers or pellets.) Some brewers solely utilize flowers, while others only use pellets; most brewers use a combination of both.
The wort is heated to a roaring boil as soon as it enters the kettle. The first hops are added at this point.
The beer is sterilized by boiling. It also permits hop bitterness to infiltrate the system. Hops include acids and oils, and alpha acids (which give beer its bitterness) must be cooked in order to isomerize into water-soluble iso-alpha acids. Because hop oils are volatile, boiling them for a lengthy period of time destroys their taste and fragrance.
As a result, early hop additions provide bitterness, while later amounts impart flavor and fragrance. To provide additional fragrance and taste, hops may be added after fermentation (a procedure called as dryhopping). Brewers are always coming up with new methods to incorporate additional hops into their beer, including adding them to the mash tun.
The world of craft beer is ruled by hops, and IPA reigns supreme. With strong tastes and aromas, IPA symbolizes what craft beer is all about more than any other type. “Look at me!” it screams. “I’m not like the other look-alikes on the beer shelves.” Hops from the United States were the first, and they are still in high demand.
New World hop producers include farms in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand; Europe is the Old World of hop cultivation, with traditional types, while new kinds are continually being produced and cross-bred to provide new and diverse taste characteristics.
THE YEAST (AND TEMPERATURE)
Beer is impossible to make without yeast. Because healthy yeast equals delicious beer, these microorganisms are well-cared for in the brewhouse. There are several commercial yeast strains available (see www.whitelabs.com).
Some have a neutral flavor, while others leave a fruity aftertaste, while others are utilized for funky tastes and sourness, while others are brewery-specific strains, and yet others are style-defining strains.
There are yeasts that “top-ferment” and yeasts that “bottom-ferment.” If “Beer” is at the top of the family tree, “Ale” and “Lager” branch out from it. Top-fermenting yeast ferments the wort in three to six days at warm temperatures of 18–24°C (65–75°F), rising to the top of the tank to produce a thick, sticky foam before falling back into suspension. Fruity tastes are added to beer by using top-fermenting yeast.
Lager is prepared using bottom-fermenting yeast, which works slowly, fermenting all of the sugars in five to ten days at cold temperatures of 8–14°C (46–57°F) before settling to the bottom of the tank. Lager yeast is flavorless, thus there isn’t much flavor imparted to the beer.
The yeast enters the fermentation tanks and consumes the sugars produced during the mash, resulting in the production of alcohol and bubbles as by-products. Temperature management is vital for yeast since it is sensitive, and the two function together.
If you attempt to ferment lager yeast at ale temperatures (higher than normal), you’ll get a variety of strange and unpleasant odors (esters).
When you attempt to ferment ale at lager temperatures (lower than typical), it takes a long time or doesn’t work at all—although there are notable exceptions, such as Steam beer.
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Some beers are distinguished by their base malt (for example, Bock and Scotch Ales); others are defined by the hops used (for example, all forms of IPA); and yet others are defined by the yeast and the traits it contributes (for example, Wit, Saison, and Wild Ales).
Hefeweizen is a great example of yeast being the most important component in determining fragrance, texture, and taste. Unfiltered, the beer retains all of the yeast, and scents of bananas, bubble gum, cloves, and vanilla waft from the vase glass.
Esters, which are predominantly generated by yeast during fermentation, are responsible for these fragrances. Banana, pear, apple, rose, honey, and a solvent-like odor are typical ester fragrances. Esters are acceptable in certain beers but not in others, where they may indicate a lack of brewery control.
Yeast is responsible for a majority of the possible off-flavors in beer. As a result, in the brewhouse, precise management of yeast and temperature is essential.
SPICES, FRUIT, AND OTHER INGREDIENTS
Brewers may then add anything else they wish after utilizing water, grain, hops, and yeast. Cherries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, grapes, oranges, apricots, raisins, and pumpkin are all common fruits.
Fresh, frozen, or cooked, the fruit may be utilized as syrup or peel. Ground coriander, ginger, chile, pepper, curaçao, and hard herbs like thyme, lavender, and rosemary may all be used to add depth and flavor. One of the most prevalent components, especially in stouts, is coffee.
Popular flavors include honey, almonds, vanilla, and chocolate. Nettles (a cousin of hops), bacon, tea, peanut butter, spruce, and a variety of other items are among the most unusual additions. Some components are added to the mash tun, while others are added later in the process, such as late or dry hops.
Others are added during fermentation, conditioning, or blending.
BARRELS The use of a barrel to enhance flavor is an additional aspect of beer-making. The beer is aged in barrels that have previously contained something else, such as whiskey, bourbon, or wine, or in “virgin” barrels that have never been used.
If the barrel formerly housed a spirit, the beer takes up the “ghost” of the spirit, as well as some wood flavor and texture. It may bring a lot of depth to a beer, but it can also be overwhelming. The most frequent barrels are bourbon barrels, which offer vanilla, coconut, toffee, spice, and bourbon-like characteristics when coupled with the barrel.
Wine barrels give beers a fruity sharpness, and they may also be laced with wild yeast and bacteria to emulate Belgium’s sour Lambic flavor. The ideal combination of barrel taste with depth in the beer is kept for the rare, strong brews, and some of them are amazing.
NOW IS THE TIME (AND TEMPERATURE)
Despite the fact that time is not a physical component, it is an important factor in the production of beer. It takes time to create a good beer. Others beers take weeks to develop, while others take months, and some only reach their prime after a few years in the bottle.
Temperature plays an essential part in this process, and the beers are cooled and conditioned following fermentation. Consider beer maturation or conditioning time in the same way you would cook time for a fantastic chili: if you add all the ingredients and simmer it for 20 minutes, it will taste like a chili, but not excellent.
All of the flavors will come together beautifully if you simmer it for another two hours at the same temperature. It’s impossible to produce decent beer (or chili) in a rush. Beer requires cold temperatures to develop properly: if it gets too warm, it warps in strange ways, or the aging process is hurried up like a sun-wrinkled anabolic.
PASTEURIZATION, CENTRIFUGE, FINING, AND FILTERING
Craft beer has taught us that beer that you can see TV through isn’t always an indication of quality. Some beers leave the brewery cloudy and unfiltered (i.e. with the yeast still present), and many consumers are content with a pint they can’t see through.
Unfortunately, too many drinkers still see cloudiness as a flaw—but cloudiness is only a flaw if it tastes terrible. Even so, clear beer is essential in specific kinds or locations.
The yeast in beer may be filtered out, kicked out using a centrifuge, or dragged to the bottom of a tank or barrel by a fining agent. There are excellent and terrible methods to clear beer, and the procedure always results in the loss of some taste or character (though this isn’t necessarily a negative thing, since certain types need the crisp, clean finish of a filtered beer).
Pasteurization is a distinct procedure that is used in craft brewing quite seldom. This is what the large brewers do to extend the shelf life of their cans and bottles, and it includes subjecting the beer to a high-temperature treatment to destroy any germs that could be present, albeit it does come at the expense of taste.
BREWERS Without brewers, beer would not be manufactured. They develop the recipes, oversee every step of the process, and determine what the beer will become depending on the components utilized and the procedures it undergoes.
Brewers may change the four basic components of beer in a surprising number of ways. The ability of the brewers who create it is the mark of a superb beer.
BEER DISPENSING
Your choice of drinking glass may have a significant impact on how you perceive and experience the beer you pour. At first, I was skeptical of this concept—after all, it’s the beer, not the glass—until I sat down and tried the same beers in various glasses.
Others glasses made the beer hide, while others overemphasized things, and some made the drink seem more delicate or less polished. The selection of an appropriate glass for a particular beer’s features may significantly improve your enjoyment of the brew’s distinctive traits.
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BEER GLASSES OF DISTINCTIVE DESIGN
Every beer cabinet should be stocked with the following basic glasses.
Pilsner is tall and thin, which allows the bubbles to stream into the dense foam. 2. As the name implies, this kind of glass is most suited for Pilsners and pale lagers since it directs the delicate scent to your nose.
- WEISSBIER VASE: A vases-like form for Hefeweizens in which the foam is focused at the top of the glass, similar to a scented pillow, where the foam is concentrated. In order to observe the exquisite haziness in the body and to obtain the full effect of the estery scent, it is shaped in this manner.
Shaker is a chunky all-arounder that works well with American styles such as American Wheats, Pale Ales, Reds and Brown ales, and IPAs, where the fragrance is enhanced by the presence of hops without overpowering the beer’s flavors. - TULIP: An attractive glass that is ideally suited for Belgian beers such as Wits, Saisons, Triples, and Wild ales or styles where you may swirl, smell, and concentrate the scents in the tapering rim while admiring the gorgeous colors and carbonation. 5. TULIP:
BOWL: For those huge beers that need a lot of attention, like as Imperial Stouts and Barley Wines. As they swirl around in your glass, imagine them to be exquisite spirits. It is important to drink slowly in order to allow the enhanced scents to escape. - PINT: Whether it’s a nonic, a tulip, a straight-sided mug, or a dimpled mug, they are for those low-ABV, session-style beers such as Bitter, Pale Ale, Stout, and Porter. Most Czech lagers are served in a circular dimpled mug with three-fingered tight foam on the top. Instead of using it as a vessel for thought, it is intended for drinking.
- GOBLET: Squat and circular, and employed for strong, black Belgian beers (Dubbels and Quads), in which the often-high carbonation is immediately tempered by the usage of the goblet. When sipping from a goblet, particularly at a Belgian café, there is something grand and unique about it.
GLASSES A collection of beloved glasses that I wear on a daily basis is one of my possessions. Even if you like to drink from a single glass, that’s perfectly acceptable—most of the time, I alternate between three: the Shaker, the Tulip, and the Cup. Choosing a beer glass, on the other hand, is a science, and you’ll discover that the shape and size of the glassware may have an impact on your perception of taste and enjoyment.
In the realm of craft beer, KEG is the most often used dispensing machine. Using a little shove of gas, the beer is carbonated and pushed through the tap. Beer poured in kegs may be served either cold or warm depending on the temperature of the environment.
CASK The British tradition of cask-conditioned beers is rising in popularity across the globe, and this is particularly true in the United States. Most of the time, unfiltered beer is poured into the cask without the addition of carbon dioxide. A solution of yeast and a priming sugar is added, and a secondary fermentation takes place within the barrel, resulting in a subtle carbonation and a delicate taste (and also slowly develops the flavor). In order to serve proper cask beer, it must be brought into the pub and allowed to settle and condition for a few days before being served; excellent beer requires a competent cellarman who understands when to put it on tap. From the cellar to the pint glass, cask beers are either drawn by arm-work or dispensed by gravity dispensers at the bar. The best case scenario is that beer in casks is consumed quickly; otherwise, oxygen enters the casks and stales the beer.
BOTTLE You’ll find an incredible range of bottle shapes and sizes if you go to a liquor shop that sells beer. It is advantageous to use bottles since it allows drinkers to take them home and store them in the refrigerator. Their labels may also provide information or convey an attitude to the person who is drinking from the container. Stay away from beer in transparent or green bottles since the beverage will most likely be light-struck, and this will make it taste bitter.
CAN Several advantages of canned beer include its light weight, stackability, low oxygen content, and lack of the danger of being hit by lightning. Cans are also less likely to break than bottles, because they cool down more rapidly. Craft brewers are bottling their beers in greater quantities as time goes on.
TANK No better way to consume beer than straight from the tank—ideally, the tank it was produced in.
In order to serve the beer, brewpubs all around the globe are increasingly connecting their bar taps directly to their beer tanks. It doesn’t get much more fresh than that..
GROWLER Toss a growler in your local brewery’s taproom, fill it with fresh draft beer and take the growler home with you. Then return to the brewery to refill it and continue the process indefinitely and joyfully. Growlers are reusable containers (usually with a capacity of up to 2 liters/312 pints/4 US pints in volume) that are used to transport brewery-fresh beer to the consumer’s residence.
