Beer Fermentation and General Flashcards
What is the twofold process of brewing beer?
-The brewer must first derive the wort (a sugar-rich liquid), from malted grain and then the brewer must ferment the wort.
What is the wort?
A sugar-rich liquid made from steeping malted grain in water (malted grain).
Unfermented beer, the sugar-laden liquid obtained from the mash.
What are the main raw ingredients required for making beer?
Water, yeast, hops and a starch source
What are hops?
The dried flower clusters that provide flavor and bitterness to beer
-have both preservative and antiseptic qualities that inhibit bacterial growth
Under the Bavarian Purity Law (1516), what are the three ingredients in beer?
Barley, Hops, Water (yeast was not yet understood to be part of fermentation)
-wheat (a component of the Hefe Weizen and white beer styles) was reserved for the production of bread
What is Reinheitsgebot?
The Bavarian Purity Law
What is the first step in the modern brewing process?
To create the malted barley or malt.
What is the preferred cereal grain of choice for most beers?
Barley
How is the malt made?
Barley is steeped in water for approximately 2 days to promote germination of the grain.
What is amylase?
An enzyme that converts starchy carbohydrates of the grain into fermentable sugars maltose and dextrin.
What is the “green malt”?
Germinated barley before drying
How does the act of drying the malted barley impact the style of beer?
The length and degree of roasting will affect the character of the malt
-highly roasted black malts for porter-style beers
vs
-pale malt dried at low temps and very light in color for pale ales
What is grist?
Ground or cracked malt (in between drying and the mashing).
What is mashing?
The enzyme conversion of starch to sugar
-converting and extracting sugar from the malt
What is the mash?
The cooking procedure central to brewing, during which starch is converted into sugars.
Various enzyme reactions occur between 110 and 166 degrees F.
What process leads to wort?
Mashing: the combination of grist and hot water to extract sugars
What is the wort?
The resulting sweet liquid from the enzymes present in the malt being converting starch from the grains into sugars
How long does the mashing process last?
1-2 hours
What happens after the wort is made?
The wort liquid is drawn off the grains and filtered into the brew kettle, or copper.
What is sparging?
Rinsing the spent mash with fresh water to extract more sugar and flavor - will extract more bitterness as well.
What happens after sparging?
The sparge is combined with the wort in the cooper and hops are added.
The wort is brought to a sustained, rolling boil for at least one hour.
How long is the wort boiled? Why?
At least one hour, to stabilize and sterilize, darken the color, and evaporate excess water.
What is a copper?
A brew kettle: the vessel for boiling the wort
What is added to the copper before boiling?
Hops