To the uninitiated making beer can almost seem like a black art. But the process of turning grains, water, yeast and hops into beer is really a very simple one. In fact, it could be said that very little of the work is done by the brewer. The real heroes of beer making are the yeast cells.
The object of the entire process is to convert grain starches to sugar, extract the sugar with water, and then ferment it with yeast to produce the alcoholic, lightly carbonated beverage.
Ingredients
Water - Beer is composed mostly of water. Regions have water with different mineral components and as a result different regions are better suited to making certain typers of beer. For example Dublin has hard water ideal for brewing stout, such as Guiness, while Pilzen has soft water well suited for brewing pale lager, such as Pilsner Urquell.
Starch source - The starch source provides the fermentable material and is a key determinant of the strength and flavour of the beer. The most common starch source used in beer is malted grain.
Hops - The flower of the hop vine is used as a flavouring and preservative agent in nearly all beer made today. The flowers themselves are often called "hops".
Yeast - Yeast is the microorganism that is responsible for fermentation in beer. Yeast metabolises the sugars extracted from grains, which produces alcohol and carbon dioxide, and thereby turns wort into beer. In addition to fermenting the beer, yeast influences the character and flavour.
Clarifying agent - Some brewers add one or more clarifying agents to beer witch precipitate out of beer with protein solids and are found only in trace amounts in the final product. THis makes the beer apear clean and brighter.
Here is a synopsis of the brewing process:
Malted barley is soaked in hot water to release the malt sugars.
The malt sugar solution is boiled with Hops for seasoning.
The solution is cooled and yeast is added to begin fermentation.
The yeast ferments the sugars, releasing CO2 and ethyl alcohol.
When the main fermentation is complete, the beer is bottled with a little bit of added sugar to provide the carbonation.
Here's a very intresting clip taking you on a tour around the Chimay Brewery and explaining the process of brewing.
Topics for discussion:
Have u ever been in any brewery on a tour ? If not would you like to ?
What Polish brewery do you like the most and what makes it so special ?
Have you ever been in any brewery on a tour ? If not would you like to?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I've never been in any brewery but I would like to visit some in the future.
What Polish brewery do you like the most and what makes it so special?
Unfortunately, I do not have favourite brewery.
I've also never attended such a tour. The only occasion when I saw brewing aparature are visites in Browarmia where on -1 level those instruments are part of decoration. On the other hand it would be really great to take such a tour especially if it would be finished with a certificate of beer gourmet.
ReplyDeleteI don't like any particular. And there's also important fact that few breweries produce about 10 beer brands so in fact some of them have a lot in common.
I've never been in a beer factory. But perhaps one day will be an opportunity to see a beer factory. My favorite beer is Lech and Zywiec.
ReplyDeleteI produce beer by my self. I have bought a brewery kit from allegro. Now I only buy malt from time to time, to "maintain the production":)
ReplyDeleteHere is the link to this kit:
http://allegro.pl/item1071451898_piwo_domowe_23litry_wszystko_co_potrzebne_butelki.html
I have never been to one also... yet.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I have met some people how tried to create a beer on their own, at home. They claimed that it is great, but I did not enjoy it more than the one from shop.
I realized that polish beer has a very good opinion in the world, but I am not sure why :)
1.Have u ever been in any brewery on a tour ? If not would you like to ?
ReplyDeleteI have never been in any brewery and I suppose I wouldn't want to. I'm not interested in technical aspects of beer production.
What Polish brewery do you like the most and what makes it so special ?
I'm not much into beer except summer when anything what is wet and cold is welcomed. I usually drink Żywiec and Tyskie, but can't tell that those are more special than others.
I've never been to any brewery, but I'd be pleased to do it. I would choose a small, local one, where beer is being made in more traditional way. From polish ones I like the most Ciechan's honey beer, because it contains the real honey, not only something that tastes like this.
ReplyDeleteI've never been in a brewery and I can't tell you what my favorite beer is as I'm an abstinent.
ReplyDelete