Check it.
Beer is traditionally made from malted grains (typically barley), water, hops, and yeast. Some beer styles call for wheat to be mixed with the barley. Some breweries even use corn and/or rice mixed with barley because they are cheaper than barley.
The malted barley is steeped in very hot water (140 - 1580 F) for up to several hours, very much like a cup of tea. This liquid is called the sweet wort. The steeping of the malted barley converts the starches in the barley into fermentable sugars, thus the wort is sweet. The wort is then rinsed from the grains and put into the boiling kettle. The wort is boiled for anywhere from 1 hour to several hours. During the boil, hops are added to impart bitterness to balance the sweetness of the wort. Near the end of the boil, more hops are usually added. These later hops create the nose or flowery aroma in the beer.
The wort is then drained away from the hops and is chilled very quickly and placed into a fermentation tank. Yeast is then pitched into the wort. There are two basic styles of yeast
1) Lager or bottom fermenting yeast
2) Ale or top fermenting yeast
The yeast begins to convert the sugars into alcohol immediately (usually within the hour). After this conversion, some styles of beer call for more hops to be added to impart more hop aroma to the beer. This is called dry hopping.
After proper aging in the fermentation tanks, the liquid can be primed for bottling or kegging. The liquid is primed by adding more fermentable sugar that will produce the carbonation evident in the beer. Some beers are force carbonated by injecting carbon dioxide into the beer under pressure.
Most beers should be enjoyed within three months of bottling, lest they begin to lose their flavor and freshness. Some beers require extensive aging to develop complexity (ex: Thomas Hardy Ale). Yet others are ready to drink immediately but can still improve with age (ex: Chimay Grande Reserve).
So Next time when you take a gulp of the lager, thank me.
Cheers
Gatty
