Introduction of Beer

BEER

Beer is an alcoholic beverages, made by cereal mainly barley. Beer is making by process of brewing power. It has low alcoholic content i.e. 3 % to 8% and some Indian beer have 12 %. It is especially serve chilled.

Brewing materials are:

Malt: Barley is used for making beer because it is helpful to the yeast in breaking down the sugar.  Otherwise beer can be made of any cereals. The cereal goes through a process which converts it to malt.

HOP: This is one type of flower which other name is Homulus Lupulus.  It is used for brewing process which gives the beer characteristics flavour (bitter) and fine froth. There are several different kinds of hops suitable for the brewing of different beer. In India, it is produced in the Kashmir valley.

Sugar: Specially graded refined sugar is used which helps in fermentation and the production of alcohol.

Brewers yeast: Yeast is microscopic organism which act is catalysts during fermentation and converts sugar in alcohol and CO2. Two type of yeast is generally used for fermentation.

Sacharomyces Cerevisiae (Top fermenting yeast), for ordinary beer.

Sacharomyces Kurlsbergenesis (Bottom fermenting yeast), for lager beer.

Finning: It is clarifying agent, used during the storing of beers.  It attracts all the impurities /sediments to the bottom of the cask during storing.

Priming: It is a solution of sugar and hop added to some beers during storage. The function of the solution is to develop the condition of the beer by the remaining yeast reacting with the sugar to give off CO2 and alcohol in the cask. This is called second fermentation.

Brewing Water: Generally mineral water used for this process which help to develop the special characteristics of beer.

BREWING PROCESS

First, the barley is ripened, soaked and the spread on floor to germinate. After germination it is dried or roasted. The starch in the cereal changes to sugar. It is called malt.  The malted barley is crushed and called grist. The grist mixed with hot water. This mixture called mash. The extract is allowed to infuse. The extract is called roust.

Then the extract is drained to a containers called ‘copper’, hops and sugar is added. The liquid is then boiled to concentrate. The extract is strained off to remove hops. Cool to approximately 16 degree centigrade or 60 degree F. Then it is going for fermentation. Yeast is used and fermentation starts. The CO2 is given off and is colored to use in case of bottle beer. After 36 hours of fermentation the yeast is collected to resise. The beer is allowed to mature in oak cask or trunk finning are added to brightens the beer, the beer is allowed to settle. There racking is done. The beer is tasted for quality and consistency before being send out for trade.