Beer Flashcards
What are the 4 base ingredients of beer?
Water
Cereal / Grain + Malt
Yeast
Hops
Which cereal grain is most used to brew beer because of its high quality?
Barley
What other cereal grains can be used to brew beer?
- Oats
- Rice
- Wheat
- Corn
- Rye
In order for fermentation to happen, what does a brewer have to do to the cereal grain?
Germinate the cereal grain to turn its starches into fermentable sugars – because yeasts eat sugar, not starch.
What is malt?
Cereal or grain that’s been germinated.
What does malt provide
Malt provides beer with sugar for fermentation to create alcohol, plus color, flavor, body, texture, and mouthfeel.
What is Germination
The process where grain kernels (seeds) produce enzymes that will turn starches into sugar for fermentation to occur. This creates malt.
What is Kilning
The heating of germinated barley to dry it and develop flavor and color. The length of time and the temperature of kilning will determine the color and flavor of the malt and the eventual beer.
Besides fermenting malt sugars into alcohol, what other role do yeasts play in beer production?
They contribute characteristic aromas and flavors to the beer.
In beer production, what ferments the malt sugars into alcohol?:
Mold
Botrytis
Yeast
Yeast
Describe ale yeasts and impact on taste
Top-fermenting yeasts produce ales
Creates more aromas such as fruit and spices
Describe lager yeasts and impact on taste
Bottom-fermenting yeasts, clean and crisp, less effect on the aroma and flavor profile of the final beer.
Ale fermentation
Warm and fast fermentation (68-72°F or 20-22°C)
Lager fermentation
Cool and slow fermentation (48-55°F or 9-13°C)
What determines if a beer is an ale or a lager?
The yeast strain
Ale yeast name
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Lager yeast name
Saccharomyces pastorianus
What is hops
Hops are flowers of the hop plant that are used in beer production.
What are the roles of hops in beer production?
- Their resin, when boiled in the fermentation process, contributes bitterness to beer which helps counterbalance the sweet maltiness in beer;
- Act as a preservative with antibacterial properties
- Lend flavors + aromas
True or False - all hops provide the same flavors
Many different varieties of hops produce a wide range of flavors and aromas
American Hops varieties
Cascade, Centennial, Citra
European Hops varieties
Hallertau, Saaz, Tettnang
Importance of water in beer production
90%+ of beer content, clean water is essential to the brewing process
Why is water an important consideration
The style of beer that is produced is due to the unique mineral and ion content of various local water sources.
Ales use ____-fermenting yeasts.
Lagers use ____-fermenting yeasts.
Ales = top-fermenting yeasts
Lagers = bottom-fermenting yeasts
Ales ferment at ____er temperatures.
Lagers ferment at ____er temperatures.
Ales ferment at warmer temps
Lagers ferment at cooler temps
Ale Examples
Germany: Hefeweizen
Britain: Pale Ale, India Pale Ale (IPA), Porter
Ireland: Irish Dry Stout
Belgium: Lambic, Wit or White Ale
Lager Examples
General: American Lager, European Lager
Czech Republic: Pilsner (origin of the Pilsner beer)
Germany: Pilsner (Pils), Bock, Doppelbock, Oktoberfest
ABV
Alcohol by volume—an ABV of 6% means a beer contains 6% alcohol.
IBU
International Bitterness Unit, the higher the IBUs means a more bitter beer.
Germination
Malting
Mashing
Boiling
Fermentation
Lagering
- Germination: Barley grains are soaked in water to sprout, activating enzymes needed to convert starches into fermentable sugars.
- Malting: The sprouted grains are dried in a kiln to halt germination, creating malt, which provides the beer’s sugars and flavor base.
- Mashing: Crushed malt is mixed with hot water to convert starches into fermentable sugars, producing a sweet liquid called wort.
- Boiling: The wort is boiled and hops are added to contribute bitterness, flavor, and aroma while sterilizing the mixture. They lower the temperature after this to prep for fermentation
- Fermentation: Yeast is added to the cooled wort, converting sugars into alcohol and CO₂ over 1–2 weeks
-
Conditioning Matures the beer, refining its flavor and removing unwanted compounds.
* The beer is stored at controlled temperatures for a period ranging from weeks to months.
* Secondary additions, such as dry hops, may be added at this stage. - Lagering: For lagers, the beer undergoes a secondary fermentation and aging process at cold temperatures to refine flavors and enhance clarity
- Filtration / Clarification (optional)
- Carbonation - Adds fizz and enhances mouthfeel
European Pale Lager
Stella Artois
Heineken
American Pale Lager
Budweiser
Bud Light
Coors Light
Pilsner
Pilsner Uruquell
Brooklyn Beer Pilsner
American IPA producers
Goose Island Brewery
Stone IPA
American Pale Ale producers
Daisy Cutter
Three Floyds Alpha
American or British Porter producers
Samuel Smith: Released Taddy Porter in 1979, which helped revive the style in England
Anchor Brewing: The first American brewery to release a porter in 1972
Irish Dry Stout producers
Guinness
North Coast Brewery
Common beer containers
Bottle
Can
Keg (many sizes and shapes exist)
Sour Beer producers
Cascade: Known for their sour ales, including Noyaux Sour Ale, Kriek Sour Ale, and The Vine American Wild Ale
Victory Brewing Company: Produces Sour Monkey
Hefeweizen producers
Little Miami Brewing Company
Live Oak Hefe Weizen
Witbier producers
Ritual Brewing Wit’s End
Perennial Artisan Ales Daydreaming
What’s the stocking principle for beer
First in First Out
True or False - beer is the one of the oldest alcoholic beverages
True
A private dining event wants to order enough kegs of a specific beer to serve on tap for a special event.
There are 200 people attending.
They estimate 40 percent of customers order one pint
each.
One pint = 16 ounces
The beer is only offered in Quarter Barrel kegs; a Quarter Barrel keg = 29.3 litres/ 992 ounces
How many guests order a glass of this beer?
How many total ml/ounces will you need to pour throughout the evening?
How many Quarter kegs must you order to ensure demand is met
*How many guests order a glass of this beer?
*
80 guests
*How many total ml/ounces will you need to pour throughout the evening?
*
80people × 16 oz/person = 1,280 oz
1 ounce = 29.5735 milliliters
1,280 oz × 29.5735 ml/oz = 37,854.08 ml
How many Quarter kegs must you order to ensure demand is met
2 kegs
Beer food and pairing
An incredibly flexible beverage with food because of the vast arrays of possibilities with a few simple ingredients.
Understand common food and beer pairing principles
Sweetness from malt
Bitterness from hops
Generally low alcohol content
Carbonation or bubbles
Service of Beverage for Beer
Glassware must be clean polished
As with wine, many styles of beer have specific and appropriate glassware for service.
What is this?
Weizen
History and Lore for Beer
Mesopotamia:
(-) Nomadic hunter-gatherers began to settle down to farm and grow crops to make bread and beer
(-) Beer styles are a window into time and place.
(-) Classic styles were created during very specific times in history
What is this?
Pint
What is this?
Tulip
What is this?
Mug
What is this?
Pilsner
Weizner vs Pilsner (photo)
