Chapter 2 – Beer

Definition of Beer

Beer is brewed and fermented alcoholic beverage, made usually from malted barley
and flavoured with hops.

other cereals like wheat, maize, and rice can be utilized in production of Beer
depending upon its country of production. Beer contains between 4 – 7 percent of
alcohol by volume.

Ingredients used in making of beer are as follows –

● Water
● Barely
● Yeast
● Hops
● Sugar
● Finings

Understanding role of each ingredient -

Water –

Out of all the ingredients water makes up 90% .

● It determines the flavour of the wort, which is the liquid which contains sugars
and is extracted from the mash in the brewing process.
● pH of the water also impacts the bitterness of the beer.
● Any contaminants or chlorine in the water can result in off tasting beer.
● Many breweries have their own springs or wells for water.
● It is termed as liquor in brewery.

Barley

● It is the preferred cereal to make Beer.

● Easy to malt for brewing.
● Chosen barley should have high starch & low protein with
little flavor.
Yeast

● Yeast is a living organism.

● During fermentation process, the yeast converts the sugar into alcohol and
releases carbon dioxide.
● Co2 determines the amount of the fizz & foam formation in the beer.
● It is also known as Brewer’s yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisae (also called
top fermenting yeast) and Saccharomyces carlbergenises (also called bottom
fermenting yeast)

Hops

● The hop is a climbing vine.

o Belongs to nettle family
o Hops are the female flower clusters, known as Humulus Lupulus.
● It is cone – like blossoms contain a bitter dust called lupalin which has tannins
and resins.
● The tannins helps clarify, stabilize, and preserve the beer
● The resins and oils are the principal sources of aroma and dryness.
● The characteristic bitterness is contributed by hops.
● Hops also remove the sediments from the wort in the hop back stage.
● It also improves shelf life of beer.
Sugar: - Specially graded and refined sugar is used that aids in fermentation
process and also give sweetness to beer. The yeast act on sugar therefore breaking
it up into alcohol and carbon di oxide.

Finings – these are brightening agent added to clear and brighten the
beer.Isinglass is commonly used as fining agent obtained from air bladders of
various fish specially sturgeon. It attracts all the sediments to the bottom of the cask
,making the beer clear and bright.

Production / Manufacturing of Beer

Malting

● It is the first step in production.

● In malting, the starch is converted to soluble sugar.
● Barley is soaked in water for about three days.
● Then it is spread on malting floor which causes germination or sprouting.
● Moisture, warmth, and oxygen are necessary for the growth of shoot
and rootlets.
● Insoluble sugars are converted to soluble sugar by enzyme diastase.
● The germinated cereal is called as green malt.
● Green malt is then dried and roasted in a kiln to stop further
germination.
● The temperature and the length of time the cereal is heated decide
the colour and taste of the beer.
● Pale malts are used for light ales and dark malts for dark beer and
stout.

Mashing and Brewing

● Crushed malt is called grist.

● Hot water is added to the grist in mash tun
● Mash is then mixed & cooked for 1-6 hrs, during which malt enzyme
converts starch in maltose.
● Temperature – 65 degree Celsius
● During the brewing process much of the sugar and colour is extracted .
● The sweet liquid is known as wort .
● The liquid contained in the mash is transferred into another tank called a
lauter tun.

● The solid remains of the grain are dried and sold by the brewery as animal
feed.
● Wort=Liquid which has natural sugar.

▪ Wort is placed in huge copper or stainless steel kettles, where dried hops
and sugar are added.
▪ The amount of sugar and hops added depend on the style of beer under
production.
▪ Wort is boiled for 1-2 hours, which makes the wort bitter.
▪ After brewing is complete, the finished wort is filtered again and pumped to
the fermentation tanks.
Cooling and Pitching

▪ The wort is then cooled down to 15 degree Celsius and transferred

to fermenting vats.
▪ The wort should not be at 30 degree Celsius and above.
▪ Yeast remains active between 5 degree and 30 degree Celsius.

Fermentation-

▪ There are two types of fermentation

▪ Top Fermentation
▪ Bottom Fermentation
▪ Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast is used for top fermentation
▪ Saccharomyces carlsbergensis is used for bottom fermentation
 Top Fermentation / ALE Bottom Fermentation / LAGER

Type of Yeast- Type of Yeast-

Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Saccharomyces Carlsbergensis

Has a tendency to multiply & float on the top. Has a tendency to multiply & settle at the bottom.

Fast & Vigorous process at a high temp (15 - Slow process, yeast works slowly at a low temp (5
25 degree Celsius). – 9 degree Celsius).

Produced in few days’ .Produces heavy foam Fermentation starts at the bottom by producing the
at top because the yeast rises to the surface. Co2 bubbles that emerge at the top of the beer.

Then it is filtered, bottled & packaged for The above process helps to have a smooth & flavor
immediate consumption. ,mellow beer

Ale, Porter, Stouts Lager

Maturing (Aging)

▪ After the fermentation, the ale is racked into storage tank and stored for 3-
21 days.
▪ The lager is racked into storage tank and matured for 10-24 weeks at a
temperature range of 1-3 degree Celsius.
▪ Lagering helps the beer to mature.
▪ During the maturation, the yeast settles, harsh flavours mellows, and
the beer gets its natural texture and carbonation.

Pasteurizing

▪ After aging, the beer can be pasteurized to kill the remaining yeast and
prevent further alcohol production.
▪ This is accomplished by heating the beer above 135°F (57°C).

Brightening or Clarifying

▪ In this step, the beers are then brightened with the addition of finings.
▪ It is done to remove tannins, dead yeast cells, and other products.
Carbonation or conditioning

▪ Natural process of conditioning will give gas to produce the head.

▪ Addition of Co2 to make beer fizzy. If no co2 is the beer is found the beer
is called as Flat.
▪ Carbonation can be achieved by injecting the co2 in the neutral containers

Casking & Packaging

▪ The beers are packed into sterilized casks, kegs, bottles, and cans.
▪ The beer is then cooled, labelled, packed and distributed for sales.
▪ Cans are coated with Lacquer (kind of a sealing wax) to avoid any reaction
of brew with the metal can.
 Styles of Beers
ALE BEER: - Ale is generic term for top fermented beer. Ale are fermented at higher
temperature & takes less time to mature. More pronounced hop flavour, heavy body
& in most cases high in alcoholic content.

The various styles are as follow:-

● Pale Ale - Whether American or English, the “pale” was clipped on long
ago to distinguish it from the dark colour of Porters. American and English
styles differ, but generally they are gold or copper colored and dry with crisp
hop flavour. Brand names :- Martin’ Pale Ale, Courage’s Strong Pale Ale etc.
(U.K.)

● India Pale Ale (IPA) - Pale ale with intense hop flavour and aroma and
slightly higher alcohol content. Brand names: - Bass, Charington’s, Goose IPA.

● Brown Ale –These distinctively northern English style ales have a strong,
malty centre and can be nutty, sweet and very lightly hopped. They are
medium bodied and the name matches the colour of the ale. Alcohol content
(6-12%). by volume. Brands– Provisie (Belgium), Samuel Smith (U.K)

● Stout (Guinness and Murphy’s are dry Irish stouts) – Thick, black opaque
and rich. Stouts draw their flavour and colour from roasted barley. They often
taste of malt and caramel, with little to no hop aroma or flavour.

● Porter – Very similar to stout but made from unroasted barley. Sweet and
dark brown in colour with hints of chocolate and a sometimes-sharp
bitterness.

WHEAT BEER - Also called “White beer”. Popular in Germany, Germans take their
beer very seriously, so much that it is required by law to use top-fermenting yeast in
wheat beer. It must be made from at least 50% wheat malt. Wheat proteins
contribute to a hazy, or cloudy appearance and are commonly unfiltered, leaving
yeast sediment in the bottle. They are light coloured, full flavoured and the unique
yeast strains produce flavours like banana, clove and vanilla.

LAGER BEER - Lager yeast sinks to the bottom of the vessel and ferments at a
colder temperature than ale yeast, slowing the process down. At a colder
temperature, bottom-fermenting yeast produces fewer “esters” (flavour compounds,
basically). This creates a mild, crisp and clean tasting beer. Lager is the German
word meaning “to store”. Lagering softens flavours and texture.
Different Styles of Lager Beer

● Amber/Red Lager – More malt and darker than their lighter lager relatives,
usually amber to copper colored. Flavour profiles vary considerably between
breweries. Nine times out of ten when a beer label says no more than “Lager”
it is an amber. Brand names - Yuengling, Killian’s, Brooklyn Lager.

● Pilsner – Conceived in Czechoslovakia, easily the world’s most popular beer

style. Pilsners are pale, straw colored and crisp with medium body and more
hops than traditional lager, but typically smooth and clean. Brand names -
Beck’s, Labatt Blue, Warsteiner, Pilsner Urquell.

● Bock – Of German origin, brewed in the fall to be enjoyed in the winter or

spring. A stronger lager with heavy malt, medium to full bodied, lightly hopped
and dark amber to brown in colour. Brand name - Sam Adams Winter Lager.

● Doppelbock – “double” bock is stronger and darker than bock, sweeter with
more malt and a little higher in alcohol content.

● Oktoberfest – Indicates the Vienna style of “Marzen” beer, the German word
for “March”. These are brewed in the spring and stored to serve in autumn.
They have a toasted quality with a sweet tinge, robust malt flavours, and a
deep amber hue.

DRAUGHT BEER - Draught beer, also spelt draft, is beer served from
a cask or keg rather than from a bottle or can. Draught beer served from a
pressurised keg is also known as keg beer.

CRAFT BEER - A beer made in a traditional or non-mechanized way by a small

brewery. Colorado defines 'craft beer' as beer made by a brewer that is small,
independent, and traditional. They are also known as Freshly Brewed beers.
Microbreweries produced freshly brewed beers. Examples of breweries –
Independence Brewery, Pune, Effingut
FLAVOURED BEERS - Flavoured beers obtain flavours from different ingredients
apart from hops. Flavours can be from spices and fruits. Examples – Coffee,
Chocolate, Bubble-gum, Cloves

STORAGE OF BEER

1. Beer must be stored in well ventilated cellar at the temp 13-15 (degree Celsius )
2. The cask shouls be kept in the rack ( stillions) and 24 hrs of resting is required
before use.
3. Spile control should be done carefully to ensure the quality of the beer and
control the pressure inside the cask.
4. Tapping should be carried out 24 hrs before it is required.
5. Avoid High fluctuations in the beer storage temperature as it will spoil the beer.
6. Bottled beer should be stored in clean conditions and should not be exposed to
extreme temeperature.
7. Beer left in the pipe at the end of the day should be drawn off and filtered in the
cask.

Other Brewed and Fermented Beverages

Cider - Cider is an alcoholic drink obtained by fermenting the juice of cider apples. It is also
legally permitted to make cider from the mixture of apple juice and pear juice.
Proportion – 75% Apple juice and 25% Pear juice. Countries popular – United
Kingdom & France. Alcoholic strength – 1.2% to 8.5 %

Types of cider –

1. Draught Cider

2. Keg Cider

3. Bottled Cider

Perry - Perry is an alcoholic drink obtained by fermenting the juice of pear.

Proportion – 75% Pear juice and 25% Apple juice. Perry is carbonated either by
tank method or direct impregnation method. Alcoholic Strength – 2% - 8.5

Sake - It is brewed and fermented drink made from rice in Japan. It is served warmed and
so a special flask is used to serve it called ‘Tokkuri’. It is served in small cup called
‘Sakazuki’. The alcoholic strength is around 17% ABV.
Mead - Mead is an alcoholic beverage created by fermenting honey with water,
sometimes with various fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges
from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%