Beer and Sake Flashcards
What are the two objectives of the brewing process?
The brewer must derive the wort, a sugar-rich liquid from malted grain
Then ferment the wort
What do hops contribute to a beer?
flavor and bitterness while contributing both preservative and antiseptic qualities that prohibit bacterial growth
What are typically the four raw ingredients used in beer production?
water
yeast
a starch source
hops
When was the Bavarian Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) passed and what ingredients did it list for beer production?
1516
water, barley, hops (action of yeast was not yet understood and wheat was used for bread production)
What is the first step of the modern brewing process? How is this achieved?
Creating the malted barley, or malt
Barley, the grain of choice for most beers, is steeped in water for approximately two days to promote germination of the grain.
Once the grain begins to germinate, or sprout, it is transferred to compartments with controlled temperature and moisture levels.
As the sprout grows to nearly an inch in length, the enzyme amylase is produced, which will convert the starchy carbohydrates of the grain into the fermentable sugars maltose and dextrin.
This “green malt” is then roasted with hot air in a kiln to halt further growth.
What are the two most common sugars created during the malting of barley? What enzyme will assist the conversion of carbohydrates to produce them during the malting process?
Maltose and Dextrin
Amylase will assist
The desired style of a beer will first be determined by what during the malting process?
The length and degree of roasting of the barley in a kiln
Heavy roasted black malts, for instance, are used for porter-style beers, whereas pale malt, dried at low temperatures and very light in color, is used for pale ales.
What two processes follow the creation of the malt in the brewing process?
The creation of the grist by milling the malt
The creation of the wort by combining the grist with hot water in a mash tun
Once the wort is drawn off of the grains what is the additional rinse called to extract additional sugar and flavor that will be combined with the wort? What’s the tradeoff from this?
The sparge
the addition of the spare may lead to unwanted bitterness in the finished brew
What is another name for a brew kettle?
“copper”
At what point are hops first added to any beer during the brewing process?
Following the addition of the wort (and sometimes sparge) to a brew kettle, or “copper”
After the wort, sparge, and hops are added to the brew kettle what happens to the mixture? Why is this done?
The mixture is brought to a sustained boil for up to 1 hour in order to stabilize and sterilize the brew, darken the color, and cause excess water to evaporate
During the boil of the wort, hops will contribute more and more bitterness the longer they boil, but lose aroma in the process. What is done to reintroduce hoppy aromas to a beer?
Fresh hops are reintroduced through the passing the wort through a hopback chamber. Fresh hops encounter the hot wort, and contribute fresh aroma.
Following the boiling of the wort and possibly the passing of it back through a hopback chamber, what happens to the mixture? Why is this point in the brewing process critical to style?
It is chilled prior to fermentation
It is at this point that the divergence in style between ale and lager will be made.
Wort destined to become lager is chilled to a lower temperature than for wort destined to become ale and specific yeasts pertaining to the preferred style will be selected.
What is the main yeast strain used for ales? Lagers? Which is top fermenting and which is bottom fermenting? Temperature preferences? What is the general description for each style.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ales) is top-fermenting and prefers warmer temperatures and thus shorter fermentations. Fruity and rich-flavored beers.
Saccharomyces pastorianus, formerly Saccharomyces carlsbergensis (lagers) is bottom-fermenting and prefers cooler temperatures and thus longer fermentations. Beers are more delicate, cleaner.
After the wort is fermented into beer where is this transferred and for what purpose?
Transferred to conditioning tanks or casks, and often pasteurized prior to bottling.
Which styles of beer are unpasteurized? Which are unfiltered?
Cask ales sold as draught beers are unpasteurized
bottle-conditioned beers are unfiltered and undergo partial fermentation in the bottle
What are the two preferred yeast strains used in the production of the Belgian specialty Lambic beers? How are they fermented and are the yeasts cultured? For how long are these beers typically aged?
Brettanomyces bruxellensis
Brettanomyces lambicus
Fermented in open-top containers with native wild yeasts
Typically aged often up to three years in cask.
Describe the general expression of a lambic.
Almost vinous in character, distinctively sour
How are Geuze beers created?
Geuze lambics are produced by mixing one-year-old lambics with beers that have been aged for two to three years.
The blend is then refermented with aged hops, giving the beer its sparkle.
Are Geuze lambics and uncarbonated pure lambics readily accessible outside Belgium?
No, difficult to find.
How are fruit lambics produced? What are two examples of this? What are two top producers of these?
Produced by refermenting lambics with added fruits, such as Morello cherries for Kriek styles or raspberries for Framboise.
Cantillon and Lindemans are two excellent producers.
