Beer drinkers see a pint of beer as a magical golden brew. Many have said that it’s surely the Nectar of the Gods. In reality, most beers are based on a basic four-ingredient recipe, and undergo a simple brewing process before bringing joy to the parched bar patrons of the world.
The four main ingredients like water, hops, and malted barley and yeast are mixed to form a beer. It is added with flavorings and sugar to enhance the taste. Starches are added to the beer so that the sugar will easily ferment. In the meantime, alcohol content is being increased by adding fermented sugars to add body and flavor.
Water
Beer is mainly composed of water, so the source of the water and its characteristics has an important effect on the character of the beer. Many beer styles were influenced by the characteristics of water in the region. Some beer makers claim that spring water or mountain water create their unique flavour and body. Understanding the effects of water minerals can be complex, but basically soft water is suited to light brews, where hard water is more suitable for dark beers.
Hops
Hops are responsible ingredient for beer’s bitter tasting. It balances the malts sweetness and the effect is astounding as beers are mostly bitter-sweet. Moreover, it contributes a string of aromas from citrus to herbal. The beer’s bitterness is measured through a scale known as International Bitterness Units. On the other hand, microorganisms cannot easily invade and affect the quality of the beer because of hops antibiotic effect.
Malt
Malt is also a basic ingredient in beer making. Malted oats, rye, rice or wheat yet malted barley is widely used. It has high content of amylase which is responsible in breaking starches to sugars. Malt is created by dipped soaking it in water where it is allowed to germinate, then after dried in the kilt.
Yeast
Yeast is an organism that is responsible in fermentation. It has different strains that are carefully selected by brewer depending on what type of beer they want to produce. It helps to absorb sugar from grains wherein alcohol and carbon dioxide are by-products. Prior to construing yeast functions, fermented beer uses wild and airborne yeasts. Nowadays, ale and larger yeast are generally used.
Clarifying agents
Beer sometimes is added with clarifying agent but publication of such ingredient is with high caution. It has different types that include isinglass, bentonite, gelatin finings, and Irish moss. If you are not keen on taking meat product you should be aware that gelatinous substance derived from swim bladder of fish like isinglas. So ask first the brewer regarding such concern.
Before gulping and indulge your self in a bottle of beer, just ponder a minute and imagine the intricate details of how that beer is being processed. It’s time to tell your friends and leave your work behind, enjoy and savor your beer.
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