Beer is a wonderfully delightful and satisfying beverage! But what makes it so?
They may not sound exciting alone but water, malted barley (or another starch source), hops and brewerâ??s yeast combined are simply delicious.
How is the beer made?
The process involves the extraction of sugar from starch in malted barley. Brought to a boil with water and flavorings, this unusual process becomes wort.
After cooling, the brewed yeast and wort are mixed to begin fermentation which will eventually become the final product dispensed into kegs and bottles.
What are its contents?
Alcohol content can vary based on the beer crafters process and preference. Ranging from less than 3% alcohol by volume to nearly 30% , alcohol is actually the byproduct of sugars that have metabolized during the process of fermentation.
Interestingly, there is not fat or cholesterol and with low carbohydrate content (13g), a trace of sodium (at 25 mg) and traces of many other minerals and vitamins such as B, B2 and B6, it sounds healthy too!
What are its varieties?
The two main types, determined by the brewing temperatures are ales and lagers. Lagers are typically brewed at lower temperatures causing different behavior in the yeast than when making ales with higher temperatures.
Not surprisingly, beer is a very popular alcoholic drink world wide, third only to water and tea.