Brewing Ingredients - Basic

Question 1

What are the 4 essential ingredients in beer?

Answer 1

Grains, hops, yeast, water

Question 2

What grain is normally used?

Answer 2

Barley. Of all the cereal grains, barley has the most maltose (the type of sugar the yeast likes to eat).

Question 3

How is grain prepared before brewing?

Answer 3

Barley is usual malted and cracked before being brewed into beer.
First the barley is sprouted. Then it is heated to make the maltose sugars more accessible. Maltose is the sugar that makes malted milk balls and malted milk shakes taste “malted.”
The barley is then cracked so you can extract the maltose. It should have a course texture and not be like flour.

Question 4

Hops

Answer 4

Beer wasn’t always brewed with hops but it was discovered that they are a natural preservative. They are a dried flower cluster and their oils and resins add bitterness, flavor and aroma to the beer. Hops can go stale. Once you open a vacuum packed container use within 3 months and store in the fridge.
Hops are sold in pellets (look like rabbit food), plugs (like pellets but larger) and whole-leaf form.

Question 5

How do you know how bitter hops are?

Answer 5

Alpha acids are what make hops bitter. When you purchase them there will be an alpha acid percentage. The higher the percentage the more bitter the hop. Varieties of hops can vary in bitterness from year to year and farm to farm. A low alpha acid range is 0-6%, 6-9% is medium, and above 9% is high.

Question 6

Yeast

Answer 6

Yeast was originally something that was not added but rather floated into the open tanks. Gradually brewers learned to control the yeast and collected it from the last batch of beer and threw it in the next batch.
The two main styles of yeast are ales and lagers.
Yeast can be bought in dried or liquid form and should be stored in the fridge (although it can survive unopened on store shelves at moderate temperatures).

Question 7

Ale yeast

Answer 7

Ale yeast works at warmer temperatures (65-75), ferments quickly and leaves a fruity taste. It hovers at the top and creates a layer of foam.

Question 8

Lager yeast

Answer 8

Lager yeast needs cool temperatures (46-54), takes months to finish converting sugars. It sits at the bottom and creates crisp, dry beers.

Question 9

Types of malts

Answer 9

During the malting process, grains are heated to various degrees to bring out the different flavors. The more grains are roasted, the less sugar they have to convert to alcohol.
Most beer recipes include a combination of grains.
The lightest, least roasted grains (base malts) are used to add body and alcohol. More roasted grains (specialty malts) add flavor and color.

Question 10

Kilned malts

Answer 10

Lightest of the specialties and provide notes of bread and nuts.

Question 11

Caramel malts

Answer 11

Add colors ranging from honey to mahogany and leave a residual toffee-like sweetness.

Question 12

Roasted malts

Answer 12

Roasted malts give beer a chocolate or coffee flavor and a deep, dark hue.

Question 13

How do yeasts affect beers?

Answer 13

Each strain of yeast imparts its own particular characteristics, including flavor and aroma. Belgian ale yeasts work at higher alcohol levels and leave spicy notes, American ale yeasts produce fruity flavors. German ale yeasts ferment dry and crisp. English ale yeasts allow the malty flavors from the grain to shine.

Question 14

Water

Answer 14

Good tasting water should be used. If you filter your water for drinking, filter it for brewing. Do not use distilled water because the yeast needs the oxygen that has been stripped out.