Brewing Beer Done Right The purpose of this paper is to provide insight and knowledge on the process of brewing

beer. A person that is interested in brewing beer in their own home will find this paper as an informative guide to brewing brewing beer. Brewing is the process in which beer is produced by steeping a starch in water followed by fermentation with yeast. History of the Brew: The production of beer is not a modern exercise. It has been done since the 6th millennium BC. There is evidence that shows the earliest civilizations, such as Mesopotamia, brewed beer. Today brewing beer has become more sophisticated in the sense that people have created several varieties of beers as well as the establishment of major national breweries throughout the world. Necessary Ingredients for Brewing: For a successful brew, four basic ingredients are required: water, starch, yeast, and hops. Water is a very important ingredient considering that beer is mostly water. The hardness and mineral components of the water affects what type of beer can be crafted. For example, a water source that is hard and contains more concentrated amounts of minerals is well suited for dark heavy beers such as stouts. A water source that isnt hard and contains a low concentration of minerals is better suited for light beers such as pilsners and pale ales. Starch is equally as important as water in that it is the fermentable material in the brewing process. It also gives the brewer the ability, depending on which starch, to control the strength and flavor of the beer. Commonly, malted grains are used as the starch. During the brewing process, which will be described in the following section, grain is malted in order to be transformed into fermentable sugars, which later are converted to alcohol.

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Yeast is the ingredient that metabolizes the fermentable sugars from the malted grains into alcohol. In addition, the yeast also produces carbon dioxide which gives beer its fizzy texture similar to soda. The yeast also contributes to the beers flavor depending on the strain. For example, ale yeast turns the mixture of water and fermentable sugars into an ale style beer, whereas a lager yeast turns the mixture into a lager style beer.

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Hops are female flower clusters from the hop vine Humulus Iupulus. In the brewing process, they are used to flavor and preserve the beer. Hops are generally bitter which help balance the sweetness of the malt. They can provide aroma and flavors that are described as flowery, citrusy, and herbal. Hops have an high acidity which explains why they are a preservative. Acidic substances prevent decomposition of microbial growth and other chemical changes that may cause beer to spoil.

Brewing Process: The brewing process consists of several steps, which include malting, mashing, lautering, boiling, cooling, fermentation, conditioning, bottling/kegging, and enjoying! The first step in the brewing process is malting. Malting is the process of converting barely and grains into malt. First, grains are dried and stored for a period of 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, the grains overcome seed dormancy are ready to be steeped in water for a period of 2 days. This allows the starches to be released. The grains are then germinated. This is down by spreading out the grain on a wood floor for a period of 5 days. Once germination is completed, the grains are transferred to a kiln and dried at high temperatures. After kilning is completed the grains are now referred to as malt.

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Mashing is the first step in the brewing process. It consists of combining the malt and water together. The mixture is heated up in a vessel called a mash turn. The mashing process can be thought of as a steeping process. The process allows for enzymes in the malt to break down the starch that was released in the malting process. The enzymes break the starch down into sugars which can be fermented. The result of mashing creates a syrupy liquid called the wort.

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The next step in the brewing process is lautering. During this step the wort is strained and the liquid is transferred to a large copper kettle. The solid material, which was once the malt is left behind and discarded. After the wort is transferred to the copper kettle is undergoes a boiling process. During boiling, hops or other ingredients such as herbs may be added to add flavor, aroma and bitterness to the beer. The boiling process is a very important process because it is the point where chemical reactions take place. The chemical reactions that take place terminate the enzymatic process and allow proteins in the beer to precipitate, hops to be isomerized, and the wort to become concentrated and sterilized. Basically, the chemical reactions that take place govern the flavor, color, and aroma of the beer. The total amount of time http://www.brokennotebook.com/2007/03/12/beer-brewing/ that wort undergoes boiling is between 1 and 2 hours. Once complete, the wort is once again transported to another vessel. The next vessel is where the cooling process takes place. The wort is run through a heat exchanger or wort chiller to be cooled. Cooling the wort as quickly as possible to a certain temperature is important so that the yeast may be added. Yeast can only grow at certain temperatures; therefore throwing in yeast before the wort is chilled will be useless because it will kill the yeast.
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Once the wort is cooled, it is transported to a fermentation tank where a type is yeast is added. This is the beginning of the fermentation process. After the yeast is added it begins to turn the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The fermentation process takes about 2-3 weeks to be completed.

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When fermentation is complete the beer is transported into a conditioning tank, or second fermentation. During this conditioning process, the beer ages so that the flavor becomes better and unwanted yeasty tastes disappear. Conditioning can take anywhere to a week to several months. After the condition process is completed the beer undergoes a filtering process. During this process the beer is filtered to stabilize flavor and enhance clarity. During the filtering process, the beer may be directly added to bottles or a keg. If the beer is bottled then the bottles must be primed. Priming is the process of adding a small amount of sugar to the inside of the bottles before filling them with beer. This allows any yeast left over from fermentation to react to generate more carbon dioxide which will remain in the bottle.

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If the beer is added directly to a keg, it must be forced carbonated. This is done by rigging a carbon dioxide tank to the keg. The carbon dioxide is released into the keg. As carbon dioxide is added, the pressure inside the keg increases so that it forces the carbon dioxide into the beer. Finally, the process that everyone waits for: drinking the final product. If the beer was bottled it will be ready to drink in a matter of a week or two. This is because it takes time, just like the fermentation process, for the yeast to generate carbon dioxide. Flat beer doesnt taste quite as good as carbonated beer so it is worth the wait. If the beer was kegged, then it will be ready to drink once settled. If you tap the keg directly after force carbonation there will be more foam than liquid that will emerge from the tap.