What is Beer?

Question 1

What is the basic definition of beer shared among all styles?

Answer 1

A fermented alcoholic beverage typically made using malt (malted grains), water, and yeast, and often flavored with hops.

Question 2

What is the basic formula for the production of alcohol?

Answer 2

Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + Carbon Dioxide (and aromas)

Question 3

For fermentation purposes, in what form is the sugar usually prepared?

Answer 3

As a sugary liquid into which yeast can be added.

Question 4

What is the metric of measure for alcohol content in a liquid base?

Answer 4

Alcohol By Volume

(ABV)

Measured as a percentage of the total volume.

Question 5

How much of the liquid (in percentage) is the alcohol of a 5% beer?

Answer 5

5% ABV

Alcohol By Volume

or 5% of the liquid is alcohol

Question 6

What is the % alcohol for a low ABV beer?

Answer 6

4% ABV and below

Question 7

What is the % alcohol for a medium ABV beer?

Answer 7

4.1- 5.9% ABV

Question 8

What is the % alcohol for a high ABV beer?

Answer 8

6 - 9% ABV

Question 9

What is the % alcohol for a very high ABV beer?

Answer 9

9% and above

Question 10

What are the four main ingredients used to make beer?

Answer 10

1. Malt
2. Water
3. Hops
4. Yeast

Question 11

What is malt?

Answer 11

Short for malted grains, or grains that have gone through a malting process.

Malt provides the sugar for fermentation, and adds color and aroma.

Question 12

Grains do not naturally contain easily fermentable sugars. What do they contain?

Answer 12

Starch, which then has to be converted to fermentable sugars by the malting process.

Starch is too large for yeast to consume.

Question 13

What is a catalyst?

Answer 13

Substances that speed up reactions.

In beer, these are known as enzymes.

Question 14

What do enzymes do in the brewing process?

Answer 14

They break up starches into shorter-chained sugar molecules that yeast can consume.

This is called the starch conversion.

Question 15

Where do enzymes come from in the brewing process?

Answer 15

Malt

Question 16

Where in the brewing process is starch converted to sugar?

Answer 16

When the milled malt is mixed with hot water, the enzymes in the malt convert the starch to sugars and form a sugary liquid.

When cooled, yeast can be added and fermentation can begin.

Question 17

In terms of volume, what ingredient makes up the largest percentage of a beer?

Answer 17

Water

Question 18

Why were hops initially used in the brewing process?

Answer 18

For their antibacterial properties, which helped to preserve the beer.

Question 19

Today, what is often the main purpose of hops in beer?

Answer 19

To add bitterness and aromas.

Question 20

What microorganism is critical to beer production?

Answer 20

Yeast