Beer Flashcards
What is beer?
A fermented beverage from cereal grains (mainly barley), water, hops, and yeast.
What are the grains for making beer?
Barley + others (rice, corn, wheat, oats)
What is the germination process?
Grains must have starches converted to sugar before fermentation can occur.
Germination is the process where grain kernels produce enzymes tht will turn starches into sugar for fermentation to occur.
What is malt and what does it do?
Malt provides beer ith sugar for fermentation to create alcohol, plus color, flavor, body, texture, and mouthfeel.
What is kilning?
The heating of germinated barley to dry it and develop flavor and color.
The length of time and the temp of kilning will determine the color and flavor of the malt and eventusl beer.
What is the purpose of yeast in beermaking?
Yeast consumes the sugars from the malt to creat alcohol for fermentation to occur. Can also provide flavors to beer.
What yeast is used to create ales?
Saccharomyces cerevisae (same as wine!)
Warm and fast fermentation (68-72 F)
What yeast is used to reate lagers?
Saccharomyces pastorianus
Cool and slow fermentation (48-55 F)
What kind of beer is created with top fermenting yeasts?
Ales
Develops fruit and spice aromas
What kind of beer is created with bottom fermenting yeast?
Lagers
Less of effect on aromas, crisper
What are hops?
- The flowering cone of the hop plant
- Provide beer with aroma, flavor, and bitterness to balance out malt sweetness.
- Act as a natural preservative/antibacterial
What are some common hop variety names?
American hops: Csascade, Centennial, Citra
European hops: Hallertau, Saaz, Tettnang
What % of beer is water?
90%
How does water effect the type of beer made?
Unique mineral content and ion content of various local water sources will have an impact on style of beer.
What is the process of producing beer?
Germination
Malting
Mashing
Boiling
Fermentation
Describe Malting
3 steps:
* Steeping - steep barley in water and drain
* Germination - moisture content allows barley to sprout and develop enzymes
* Kilning - once germinated, its dried to stop the sprouts. Enzymes created are now read to convert starch to sugar.
Describe Mashing
Heat, moisture, and time cause enzymes in grains to convert starches to sugar
Wort is created
Describe Boiling
Sterlizes the wort
Boils off undesirable flavors
Draws bitterness from hops
Describe Fermentation
Wort transferred to temp controlled steel tank and yeast is added accorded to type of beer being made (top or bottom fermenting yeasts)
Describe Lagering
- Process of cold aging
- Takes a few weeks, matures flavors of beer, allows yeast to continue to work
- Not required for Ales
Examples of Ales
- Germany - Hefeweizen
- Britain - India Pale Ale, Porter
- Ireland - Irish dry stouts
- Belgium - Lambic, Wit, White Ale
Examples of Lagers
- General - American or European Lager
- Czech Republic - Pilsner (developed in Pilsen, CR true name has Urquell after it)
- Germany - Bock, Pilsner, Doppelbock, Oktoberfest
2 beer examples & producers
Pliny the Elder by Russian River Valley Brewing - IPA
STS Pils Bohemian Pilsner by Russian River Valley Brewing - Pilsner
What is the history of beer and how did a specific time in history impact style of beer made?
- Mesopotamia - Nomadic hunter gatherers settled and began to make bread and beer from crops.
- Beer styles are a window into to time and place - classic styles representative of a time in history
- ie: provide armies with calories, spice and herbs added to delay oxidation, hops added for medicinal properities, safer to drink than water or milk during Medieval times.
- Lagering developed in Bavaria as new yeasts were introduced to prevent spoilage.
What type of glassware to use with beer?
Belgian beers - goblet
German/Czech beers - tall narrow glass
Pilsners/crisp styles - can use white wine glass
Fuller bodied beers - can use red wine glass
Beer and food pairings
Sweetness from malt - pair with spicy foods
Bitterness from hops - pair with Sausage/something oily
Low ABV - pair with fish/delicate dishes
Carbonation - high carbonated pairs with everything, low carbonated will be sweeter pair with spicy fods
