BEER
Introduction: - beer is a potable alcoholic beverage fermented from barley malt and flavoured with
hops which is a dried flower of the mulberry or nettle family. The alcoholic content strength ranges from
3 per cent to 11 per cent and is known to be a refreshing drink particularly in summer. Beer is a brewed
and fermented drink prepared from malted cereals, especially barley. In the brewing process, the malt is
extracted from the cereal by infusing it in the hot water which results in the product called Wort and the
hops are added to hot wort to obtain flavor and bitter taste. It is then cooled and fermented with the
addition of yeast.
Raw materials used in making beer……..
1) Barley:- is preferred to other cereal plants as it can be easily malted for brewing and the
soluble extracted from barley malt are more complete than those of other grains. Though there
are many varieties of barley, the ones chosen for beer production must have high starch
content, low protein content and a little flavor. It is for this reason that the two-row barley-
which has two rows of seed on its head- is considered best.
2) Malt: - Barley is steeped in water, which encourages germination- a thumbnail sprout.
Sprouting is necessary to produces malt enzymes, which converts the grain`s starch into
maltose, which has sugar that can be fermented. Sprouting is stopped when the maximum
maltose is achieved. This is achieved drying the malt in hot kilns. The malt is then roasted
according to the brewer’s recipe, which affects the dryness, sweetness and colour.
3) Hops: - hops belong to the nettle family. They are dried, scaly fruit from Humulus Lupulus plant
in Europe. The female plants bear cone-shaped formations that measure from 1-4 inches in
length. The petals have tiny glands that contain various oils and resins, which prevent the
growth of bacteria in beer and impart a bitter flavour. It has pleasant aromas, increasing the
refreshing quality of beer and stimulating digestion. It also preserves beer.
4) Sugar: - graded or refined sugars are added for fermentation and to add sweetness, its help to
produce a beer of pale colour, less filling, better taste and of course, increased stability.
5) Yeast: - yeast is a living organism which is essential to induce fermentation. During the
fermentation process, the yeast converts the sugar into alcohol and releases carbon dioxide gas.
Any one of the two types of brewer’s yeast use- Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces
carlsbergensis is used in beer production.
6) Water: - water is an essential ingredient. Its quality is critical and therefore, spring water is
preferred. Lager beers are produced from water with low mineral contents.
7) Finings: - finings are used for the clarification of cloudy beer. It is made from isinglass got from
the swimming bladders of the Sturgeon fish. Brewers are particular about the quality of isinglass
because one type is more effective than others. Isinglass consists of water and proteins, and it is
in no way a constituent of beer but acts purely as an agent of clarification.
Production of Beer:-
1) Malting: - the first step is the production of beer is malting. In malting process, the starch in the
cereal is converted to soluble sugar.
The barley is soaked in water for about three days and then spread on the malting
floor which causes germination or sprouting. Moisture, warmth, and oxygen are necessary for
the growth of shoot and rootlets. During the germination, the insoluble starch in the cereal is
converted to soluble sugar by the enzyme. The germinated cereal is termed as green malt.
Green malt is then dried and roasted in a kiln to stop further germination. The temperature and
the length of time the cereal is heated dictate the colour and taste of the beer. Pale malts are
used for light ales and dark malts for dark beer and stout. After kilning the dried and roasted
malt is milled to coarse powder, called grist.
2) Mashing: - crushed malt called grist is mixed with water at a temperature of 70 C ( 154 F) for
the proper length of time in a mashing tun. The mash is mixed and cooked from one to six
hours; during the malt enzymes amylase converts the starch into maltose and the enzymes is
broken for the beer clarity. The resultant called wort in a warm and sugary fluid ready for beer
making. The residue (spent grain) is strained into a lauter tub. Lauter means “to make clear” in
German. This process is also known as Lautering process.
3) Brewing: - the wort is placed in huge copper or stainless steel kettles when hops are added.
The mixture is then boiled to sterilse the wort and to extract the bitter flavor of the hops. The
hops are drained off and the wort is cooled from 50-70 F for beers and from 37-49 F for lager
beers.
4) Fermentation: - is the process where the yeast splits the sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
This is the most decisive phase in the brewing for attraining brews of fine tasye and aroma.
There are two types of fermentation:-
1) Top- fermentation – top fermentation is a fast and vigorous (energy) process achieved at
high temperatures, the beers is produced in only a few days. It produced heavy foam on top
of the brew. The wort is cooled from 50-70 F. It is filtered, bottled and packaged for
immediate consumption. Ales, porters and stouts are the popular top- fermented beers.
2) Bottom- fermentation- bottom fermentation is a slower process from which lager is
produced. The yeast works slowly at low temperature and the fermentation starts at the
bottom identified by the bubbles of carbon dioxide that emerge at the top of the wort. This
process was first introduced in Bavaria in the eighteen century to preserve beer, which
soured quickly during summer when refrigeration was not discovered. Brewers fermented
the beers in cool caves to preserve it. They discovered that this process also added flavor to
the beer and made it smoother and mellow (soft).
5) Pasteurization: - is the process of heating liquid like beer or milk to kill bacteria in the liquid
and to stop fermentation. Pasteurization is necessary for bottled and canned beer to preserve it
for longer shelf life.
6) Brightening / Clarifying: - the beers are then brightened with the addition of finings,
carbonated and filtered.
7) Carbonation: - this is a process adopted to add carbon di oxide to beer to make it fizzy. Beer
cannot be enjoyed without carbonated and is considered `flat`. Carbonation can be achieved by
retaining the carbon di oxide during fermentation or by injecting carbon di oxide to the brew in
neutral containers like glass or stainless steel.
8) Packaging: - the beers are packed into sterilized casks, kegs, bottles and cans. Some draught
beer and bottled and canned beer are pasteurized by subjecting them to steam at 140 F (60 C)
for 18 minutes to sterilize and lengthen the shelf life of the beer. The beer is then cooled,
labeled, packed, and distributed for sales.
Beer comes in the following containers, depending on its market:-
Casks, Kegs, Bottles, Cans and Tank.
Beer Manufacturing Terms:-
Some important terms related to beer manufacturing are as follows.
1) Malting- process of converting insoluble starch in the cereal in soluble sugar.
2) Grist: - milled dried and roasted barley.
3) Mash: - hot water and grist.
4) Wort: - boiled water with malt and hops.
5) Pitching: - the addition of yeast to the wort for fermentation.
6) Fining: - process of brightening the beer by adding isinglass.
Beer Brands with Country & Ingredients:-
1) HEINEKEN.
Country- Netherlands.
Ingredient- Lager.
2) NEW CASTLE BROWN ALE.
Country- United Kingdom.
Ingredients- Ale.
3) CORONA EXTRA.
Country- Mexico.
Ingredients- Lager.
4) BECK `S
Country- Germany.
Ingredients- Lager.
5) GUINNESS EXTRA STOUT.
Country- Ireland.
Ingredients- Ale.
6) CRUS CAMPO.
Country- Spain.
Ingredients- Lager.
7) GUINNESS DRAUGHT.
Country- Ireland.
Ingredients- Ale.
8) DESPERADOS.
Country- France.
Ingredients- Lager.
9) BUDWEISER.
Country- United States.
Ingredients- Lager.
10) FOSTER`S PREMIUM ALE.
Country- Australia.
Ingredients- Ale.
11) JEVER PILSENER.
Country- Germany.
Ingredients- Lager.
12) HARP LAGER.
Country- Ireland.
Ingredients- Lager.
13) GUISNNESS DRAUGHT EXTRA COLD.
Country- Ireland.
Ingredients- Ale.
14) FOSTER`S LAGER.
Country- Australia.
Ingredients- Lager.
15) TSINGHTAO LAGER.
Country- China.
Ingredients- Lager.
16) INDIA.
Kingfisher- Lager
Haywards- 2000, 5000, Black- strong
Royal Challenge- mild
Kalyani Black Label- Premium, Strong
Flying Horse- Lager
Golden Eagle- Lager
Cobra Beer- Extra Smooth Premium
17) TIGER BEER.
Country- Singapore.
Ingredients- Pale lager.
18) CARLSBERG.
Country- Denmark.
Ingredients- Pilsner.
19) SINGHA.
Country- Thailand.
Ingredients- Lager.
Types of Beer:-
Beers are classified into two basic types. They are:-
1) ALE (top fermented beer) 2) LAGER (bottom fermented beer).
1) ALE (top fermented beer)-
1) Barley wine- it is dark fruity beer with high alcoholic contents which ranges from 6 to 11 per
cent by volume.
2) Bitter-it is copper coloured draught ale with predominant hop flavor which results in bitter
taste.
3) Brown- it is dark brown sweet beer, low in alcohol.
4) Mild- it is lightly hopped, faintly sweet beer, which is slightly weaker and darker than bitter ale.
5) Stout- a very dark beer made with a high proportion of malt and hops. The world`s most
famous stout is Guinness.
6) Scotch ale- it is very strong, often extremely dark, malt accented beer from Scotland.
7) Porter-it is brewed from charred malt which contributes bitter taste and dark colour.
8) India pale ale (IPA) - it has higher alcoholic strength with hoppier flavor.
2) LAGER (bottom fermentation)- lager is a type of beer that is fermented and conditioned at
low temperature, pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available , style of
beer in the world.
1) Pale lager- these are light colored and light bodied beer that are highly carbonated with a
light taste. The best brands of beer that produce pale lager is Budweiser.
2) Pilsner- the pale colour beer that looks like a pale lager is a pilsner. It has a more bitter
taste and the flavors of pilsner are more very light than a pale lager.
3) Light lager- the American light lager contains less hops and barley that is used to produce
low- calorie beers. The European light lagers are pale in colour with light taste.
4) Dark lager- the beer made from roasted hops and barley are dark lager beers. They have a
rich flavor and are obviously dark in colour, they are full- bodied beer.
FAULTS IN BEER-
Beer faults can be attributed to poor cellar management, common faults noticed in the beer
and the possible reasons for them are in the following-
1) Sour beer-
1) Deposits of yeast in the pipes and dispensing equipment.
2) Adding stale (old) beer to a fresh cask of beer.
3) Not exhausting the beer on time.
4) Exposed to heavy lighting.
2) Cloudy beer-
1) Stored in low temperature.
2) Uncleaned or poorly cleaned pipes.
3) Trying to pull the beer from the cask before removing the spile (tap).
4) Flat beer-
1) Poor or faulty spile control- having a soft pile when hard spile is needed.
2) Too low a temperature.
3) Served in greasy glass.
4) Poured and left in the glass for a long time.
Classification of Beers according to the alcoholic contents:-
S.No. TERM ALCOHOLIC RANGE (0/0 by VOLUME
1) Alcohol free Not more than 0.05 %
2) Low alcohol 0.5-1/2 %
3) Standard 3-4 %
4) Premium 4-6 %
5) Strong 6-8 %
6) Super 8-11 %
