Beer Ingredients Flashcards
Why is barley the preferred cereal for brewing?
-Large proportion of starch relative to other components
-High diastatic power (contains enzymes to break down sugars)
-Barley husks form a useful filter bed
-Good proportion of dextrins and proteins for establishing body and creating a desirable head
What are the major barley types and what are their major differences when it comes to brewing characteristics?
2 row and 6 row. 6 row has more husk material and higher diastatic power
Describe the malting process
1) Barley is harvested and dried to 15% water by weight
2) Dried barley is steeped in water for up to 2 days until 45% water by weight leading to germination
3) malt is laid out for 4-6 days to sprout until “fully modified”
4) Green malt is kilned. This halts germination, dries the malt, adds color, flavor, aroma via maillard process
What is the difference between base and specialty malts
-Base malts are kilned, not roasted or stewed
-Base malts are lighter
-Base malts contain sufficient enzymes to convert all of their starch into fermentable sugars
How do you convert between Degrees Lovibond (L), SRM, and EBC?
L = SRM = EBC/2
What process variations are used to create different malt types?
-Kilning: Applying heat while providing ventilation. Malster can control time, temperature, ventilation/moisture. This is used to create kilned base and specialty malts
-Stewing: heating very wet malt without ventilation to activate enzymes in kernel, followed by a drying. This is used to create crystal and caramel malts
-Roasting: heating dry malt in a drum or barrel. This is used to create chocolate and black malts
Describe the base malts (flavor, color, example if applicable)
Pilsner: 1.5-2 L. Used in pale lagers and continental european ales
Pale: 2-3 L. Used for American and English ales. Example is Maris Otter.
Vienna: 3.5-5 L. Used to make lightly amber beers such as vienna lager. Bread crust aroma.
Munich: 5-10 L. Deep amber beer such as marzen. Caramel or toast aroma.
Describe some kilned specialty malts
Victory: 30 L. Nutty, fresh baked bread crust flavor and light amber color. Made by Briess. Used in nut brown ale (high), as well as doppelbocks, milds, scotch ales, some blonds (lower)
Biscuit: 25-30 L. Toasty and nutty. Used in brown ales (high), as well as amber ales and lagers (lower)
Describe stewed specialty malts
Crystal/caramel malts can be 10-100 L. Lighter malts are sweet, nutty, and light caramel. Darker are deep caramel and dark fruity. Caramelized dextrins cannot be fermented, so these malts lend body and head retention to the beer
Describe some Roasted specialty malts
Chocolate: 200-450 L. Typically provides roast coffee and a burnt character to beer, but can give a bittersweet chocolate. Used in porters, stouts and other dark beers. When de-husked, the flavor is less burnt
Black patent malt: 500 + L. Highly roasty, burnt, coffee flavor. Mildly astringent and dry. Small amounts used in roasty porters and stouts
What effect do oats have on a beer?
Proteins increase head size and retention. Oats add richer, creamy, denser mouthfeel. Can add a cookie flavor to beer.
What effect does wheat have on a beer?
Proteins increase head size and retention. Provides creaminess to the mouthfeel, lightens body, adds a touch of acidity. Generally adds a sweet bready flavor.
What effect does rye have on beer?
Proteins create a richer mouthfeel and better head retention. Adds a spicy flavor.
What effect does rice/corn have on beer?
Lightens the beer’s mouthfeel due to a lack of proteins and dextrins.
What changes to the brewing process are required to use rice/corn?
These grains must be cooked in a moist environment to gelatinize their starches before mashing. Many brewers will use 6-row barley for their increased diastatic power as rice and corn lack sufficient enzymes to process their sugars.
What styles use rice/corn?
American lager and American light lager: up to 40%
Cream ale: up to 20%
International pale, amber, dark lager: sometimes
English bitters, british golden, English IPA, scottish ales: sometimes
Describe the anatomy of the hop plant
-Hops are perennials meaning their rhizomes (roots) survive the winter
-Every year, the rhizome sprouts bines that climb
-Female hop plants make catkins (hop cones)
-The stem of a cone is called a strig
-Bracteoles branch out from the strig (visible part of catkin)
-Lupulin glands in each bracteole are located close to the strig. They produce yellow lupulin which contains hop resins
Where are hops primarily cultivated and why?
between 35 and 55 degrees latitude in both hemispheres. This is because they need a certain day length to trigger cone production
-Australia, New Zealand, US, Germany, England Japan
What is the process of harvesting hops?
Hops must be harvested, dried, and baled.
-Harvested in the fall via a bottom and top cutter tractor before loading onto a truck
-Bines are machine separated from cones
-Cones are dried to 10% moisture content unless being used for wet hopping. Generally this uses a kiln.
-Hops are baled in 200 lb bricks and cooled
Describe the structure and layout of a hop field
-Tend to be located in rich flood plains next to rivers
-Planted in a grid pattern 6-8 ft apart
-Trained to grow up poles/across twine. Climbing on supports allows for energy savings (and more cone growth)
-Growers only grow female plants
Which regions in Continental Europe grow hops?
-Germany: 2nd largest producer. 3/4 noble hops (Spalt, Tettnanger, Hallertau).
-Czechia: 4th largest producer. 1/4 noble hops (Zatec or Saaz)
-Slovenia: 5th largest producer. Styrian hops
-Belgium: Minor grower
-Poland: Minor grower. Lublin hops
-France: Minor grower
What are the characteristics of German hops?
low bitterness, high aroma. Floral and spicy
What are the characteristics of Czech hops?
Grassy
What are the characteristics of English hops?
Earthy and grassy
Which regions in the US grow hops?
-Yakima Valley, WA (75% of US total)
-Oregon
-Idaho
What are the characteristics of US hops?
-Citrusy and grapefruity: Cascade, Centennial, Colombus
-Piney and woody: Chinook, Northern brewer
-Resinous and dank: Nugget, Liberty
-Tropical, catty, onion/garlic: Citra, Amarillo, Simcoe
What are the characteristics of Australian and New Zealand hops?
Tropical fruit.
-Varieties: Galaxy, Vic secret, topaz, helga, enigma
-New Zealand hops do not have the same pest issues as elsewhere so they can grow organically
What are the two major types of hops and how do they differ?
Bittering and Aroma hops.
Bittering: Used for bittering power rather than flavor/aroma. High alpha acid content. Used early in a boil to isomerize more alpha acids. Ex: Summit, Zeus
Aroma: Used for flavor and aroma. High aromatic oil content. Used near end of the boil or in dry hopping to avoid boiling off essential oils. Ex: East Kent Goldings, Fuggles, noble hops
Dual Use: Simcoe
In what different forms can hop products be added to a brew?
1) Whole hops: Can include wet hops, or hot plugs (hops compressed into discs)
2) Pellet hops: Ground and compressed hops. More efficient than whole hops due to removal of vegetal matter. and easier access to alpha acids
3) Hop extracts: Extracts of resinous acids and oils. IsoHop is pre-isomerized extracts containing only alpha acids.
4) Hydro-isomerized alpha acid extracts: Chemically stabilized extracts that are light resistant
Describe the effects on flavor, aroma, and bitterness when adding hops at different times during a boil
-Bittering: Hops should be added before the final 30 minutes of boil to allow for more time to isomerize
-Flavor: Hops added between 30-15 minutes before end of boil
-Aroma: Hops added during final 15 minutes or after boil
-During whirlpool: hops added during whirlpool will not contribute as much to bitterness as this occurs after boil and temperature is lower
-Dry hopping: Adding hops after fermentation has largely completed is primarily for aroma
-Biotransformation: Dry hopping before fermentation completes allows yeast to act on hops increasing aroma.
What are the two major species of brewers’ yeast and what are their fermentation temperatures?
Saccharomyces Cervesiae (Ale yeast): 65 F +
Saccharomyces Pastorianus/Carlsbergensis (Lager yeast): 38-58 F
Describe some specialized Ale yeast
- Phenolic Acid Decarboxylase Positive (PAD+): Yeast bred to produce specific phenols
-Weizen yeast: Used to make Bavarian Weissbier. PAD+ that produce a lot of 4VG and isoamyl acetate (clove and banana)
-Saison yeast: PAD+. Low ester, high phenol. Black pepper
-Kveik: Norwegian farmhouse yeast
What are the major concerns of wild yeast infecting a brew?
-Brett related off flavors
-Undesired phenols from wild Sacch yeast
-S. Cerevisiae var. diastaticus produce glucoamylase which can break down longer chain starches which can result in continuing fermentation and related excesses
What are the most common non-Saccharomyces bacteria that infect beer? What are their associated off-flavors?
Brettanomyces: Barnyard, horse blanket phenols
Pediococcus: Buttery diacety, tart lactic acid
Lactobacillus: Tart lactic acid
Acetobacter: Vinegary acetic acid
All can be used intentionally in mixed fermentation beers
What percent by weight of beer is water?
90%
What effect does chlorinated water have on beer? How can this be prevented?
Mashing grains with chlorinated water results in generation of chlorophenols. These have a medicinal or plastic phenol off-flavor.
This should be prevented by filtering water with a charcoal filter or reverse osmosis
What is the water cycle?
Water evaporates and returns to the earth as rain. It runs off into a lake or ocean, moves through the ground as groundwater and picks up ions.
What impact do sulfates and chlorides in beer have on beer?
High sulfate water: drier, crisper beer. Accentuates hops
High chloride water: rounder, fuller beer. Accentuates malts
Describe the water of Munich/Dublin and its effect
High in limestone (calcium carbonate). Slightly alkaline.
Calcium carbonate can make hops taste bitter, harsh, and astringent. Brewers used acidic dark malts to neutralize the water resulting in the growth of the dark beers in these regions
Describe the water of Burton-on-Trent and its effect
High in Gypsum (calcium sulfate). Can give a plaster aroma. Brewers used this water to brew IPAs to accentuate its crisp, dry bitterness
Describe the water of Pilsen and its effect
Very soft with few minerals. Allowed for brewing of Czech Premium Pale Lager with its highly bitter, but soft round taste
What are Candi sugars?
Sugars that have been broken down into simple, fully fermentable fructose and glucose. Can be cooked in which case they are not fully fermentable
What are the major sources of fermentable and non-fermentable sugars?
Fermentable: Corn sugar, dextrose, glucose, Candi sugar, honey, molasses, agave
Non-Fermentable: Lactose
What is the purpose of adding non-fermentable sugar to beer?
Adds body and sweetness to the beer
Which beer styles commonly use herbs and spices?
Witbier: Coriander, bitter orange peel, grains of paradise
Saison: Sometimes has spices added to supplement spicy phenols
Holiday beers: Frequently spiced with juniper, cinnamon, ginger, anise, nutmeg, other mulling spices
Other spices: Chili peppers, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, tea
What is the historical precedent for adding spices to beer?
In medieval Europe, gruit was a mix of herbs and spices that was controlled and sold by local authorities to control and tax brewing
