What Ingredients Are In Beer?
Do you know one requires four main ingredients to make a beer? Studies indicate that many people spend most of their time on various search engines trying to enquire about the multiple ingredients that make beer. Unlike the wine that may require only two ingredients to make, beer production is a little more complicated.
From the definition, we can say beer refers to a fermented alcoholic beverage made from cereal grain, therefore the required ingredients must include;
Water
Water is among the essential ingredient used to make beer. Without water, making beer is not possible. Research indicates that water occupies a more significant percentage of the beer. That is because water accounts for close to 90% of the total volume of beer. Therefore water is considered as the main ingredient in making beer.
Water is known to influence the taste of the beer enormously. One good example that can help you to know the effect of water used to make beer is the below question.
Why does the same brand beer taste differently in various countries?
A beer from similar brands may taste differently when in various countries because of one primary reason. The reason is that companies use different water. If you have ever noticed, water tastes differently from one place to another. Thus the water from various areas makes the beer taste differently even though they use the same ingredients.
Cereal grain
Malted barley is the other essential ingredient used to make beer. Just like the way you will require grapes as a source of sugar when making wine, you also need a source of sugar to make beer. Although there are various grains used to make beer, the most recommended grain for making quality beer is barley. For one to use barley, it must undergo the malting process. The malting process helps in converting the starchy carbohydrates in the barley into sugars. There are five main things that cereal grain provides to the beer. Those five things include;
- Color
Studies indicate the malt roasting period helps to determine the color of the beer. Lightly roasted malt provides light beer styles while deeply roasted malt offers deep ones.
Some of the other things that grain provide in the beer include;
- Flavor
- Proteins
- Maltose
- Dextrins
Hops
Hops refer to small and cone-shaped flowers that are green in color and grows on the bine. Hops have resins that help in lending flavor, bitterness, and aroma after being added to the wort. The resins are added during the boiling process to ensure the beer gets the best flavor, bitterness, and much more. Below are the four main attributes of hops in beer making.
- Improves beer stability
The beta acids contained in hops help to stave off the bacterial and other contamination from the alcohol. Therefore the hops help to improve the lifespan of the beer.
- Adds aroma
The other attribute of hops is to give the beer a sweet aroma.
Some of the other attributes of hops in beer are to give the beer a sweet flavor and bitterness.
Yeast
The last essential ingredient use to make beer is yeast. Yeast helps to convert the sugars into alcohol. In short, yeast is the one that makes beer. That is because yeast eats all the sugars in malt and produces alcohol. The reaction stops immediately when the yeast becomes dormant.
