How is Beer Made? Flashcards
Describes the basic brewing process from raw ingredients to finished product.
What are the six key stages in beer production?
- Milling
- Mashing
- Wort Boiling
- Fermentation
- Carbonation
- Packaging
What are milled grains referred to as?
Grist
What is grist?
Milled grains
What is the first step in mashing?
Mixing grist with hot water.
The mixture is now called a mash.
What do enzymes do during the mashing process?
They convert the starch into sugars.
Once the enzymes convert the starch to sugars, this forms a mixture called what?
Besides being called a mash.
A sugary liquid.
At this stage, the mash still contains solids - primarily grain husks.
At the end of the mashing cycle, what happens to the mixture?
The sugary liquid is separated from the undissolved solids.
What is the sugary liquid referred to as when the liquid is separated from the solids?
Wort
Once separated from the sugary liquid, what are the leftover solids referred to as?
Spent grains
What happens to the wort once it has been created?
It is boiled.
Why is the wort boiled? What is the benefit?
- Boiling kills microorganisms.
- Prevents spoilage.
- Helps ensure the beer is safe to drink.
When is the main hop addition done in the brewing process?
During the boil (of the wort).
What happens to the wort once the boil is complete, and why?
It is rapidly cooled, getting it ready for fermentation.
Cooling the wort quickly and moving it to ferment ensures that no spoilage occurs.
What happens to the cooled wort when it goes to fermentation?
Yeast is added.
What does the yeast do during fermentation?
It consumes the sugar and produces alcohol, carbon dioxide and aromas.
