Beer

History of Beer

Beer is the oldest alcoholic beverage. Several historical artifacts can attest to this. Egyptians, Mesopotamians and Sumerians are known to consume beer in as early as 6000 BCE. It spread through Europe in 3000 BCE by Germanic and Celtic tribes on a domestic or local scale. These beers may not be considered as beer today since a distinct ingredient, Hops, was only recorded as an ingredient in 822 CE by a Carolinginian abbot. Monasteries were also the first breweries to produce beer for commercial purposes and wide distribution. Monasteries definitely play an important role on the development of beer.

Come the Industrial Revolution, this all changed. The production of beer shifted from an “artisan” production to an industrial production. This can be seen in the beers that will be discussed below as most of their histories point to the Industrial Revolution as their beginnings.

It was from this that we come to know beer today. “More than 133 billion liters (35 billion gallons) are sold per year (the equivalent of a cube 510 metres on a side), producing total global revenues of $294.5 billion (£147.7 billion) in 2006.” In fact, it is credited to be the one of the most popular beverages in the world; third only to water and tea.

Important Ingredients

Water –Beer is mostly made up of water. Different minerals in water in different locations provide suitable environments for manufacturing different types of beer. Examples would be Dublin, Ireland’s hard water which is best for making stout, and Pilzen, Czech Republic’s soft water which is best for pale lager.

Barley –Barley is a cereal from the grass family. Malted barley provides for the starch which is the fermentable material in beer. It provides most of the flavors of beer. Different ways of malting barley provides for the different flavors of beer. This provides for the sweetness of beer.

Hops –While Barley provides for the sweetness, Hops provides for the bitterness and aroma of beer. It also acts as an antiseptic and preservative of beer. It can add to “head retention” as well.

Yeast –Yeast is responsible for the fermentation of wort (unfermented beer) to beer. It provides for the alcohol content. Before yeast was isolated as the active ingredient for fermentations, worts were exposed to open air for them to ferment with the use of airborne yeast. It also provides the carbonic acid of beer.

The Process of Brewing

Brewing is the process of making beer. The process involves the extraction of starch into a liquid form called wort and ferment wort using yeast to produce what is called beer:

1. Mashing is the process of mixing malted barley with hot water to extract the starch in a liquid form called wort. This involves filtration to separate the extract solution from the insoluble used grain.
2. Boiling is the process of heating the wort in order to isolate the sugars as the water is evaporated. Hops are added to the wort to provide bitterness and aroma to the wort. The longer wort is boiled with hops, the more bitter the beer produced.
   
3. The hopped wort is then cooled to prepare for fermentation.
4. The cooled hopped wort is then transferred to the fermenter where yeast is added. In some cases, when the beer can be fermented a second time in another vessel.
5. The fermented wort or beer is then packaged to kegs, bottles or aluminum cans, ready to be consumed.
   

Different Styles of Beer

Beer can be divided into two main divisions: the ale and the lager. It can be further divided into different parts under each main division.

Ale – Ales are brewed with top-fermenting yeasts and are usually fermented at a higher temperature than Lagers. They are considered to have a more full bodied taste and are bitterer than Lagers. There is also a significant different in the color—they are known to have a darker more amber color than Lager. It is also fermented faster than Lager beer.

• Pale Ale
• Light Ale
• Red Ale
• Brown Ale
• Dark Ale/Porter/Stout
  

Lager – Lagers are brewed with bottom-fermenting yeasts and are fermented at a lower temperature than Ales. It is also the more popular of the two main divisions. It takes longer to ferment, usually stored several months for fermentation. Lager is considered to have a light taste and color. It has a more mild taste compared to the imposing taste of Ales. Lager is what most Filipinos consume and what San Miguel Brewery most commonly manufactures.

• Pale Lager/Pilsener
• Weissbier
• Bock
  

There are other hybrid beers and other special ones. They cannot be classified under the two main and common divisions of ale and lager. Some examples would be champagne beer, fruit beer, lambic beer, and even herb beer.