HISTORY OF BEER
Beer has been a vital part of our lives for 7,000 years. It was discovered by pure accident in Mesopotamia, the old Iraq. Nowadays, it is the 3rd most popular drink in the world, after water and tea. Each year, a total of 20 billion litres of beer is brewed, the equivalent of 8,000 Olympic swimming pools.
5000 BC
BREAD BEER The first beers, brewed using water and leavened bread, were sour to taste
3000BC
BEERAMIDS The slaves of Egypt that built the pyramids were given beer to drink and thereby lived longer
1000 BC
BEER LAW Beer blunderers were drowned in their own vats by the Babylonians
800 BC
BREWING DRESSES Beer was brewed by women and monks, to provide for their own livelihoods
500 BC
VICTORY The Greeks and Romans first encountered beer on the battlefields
900
TAX MAN To avoid the taxes imposed on beer, hops was used in brewing
900 - 1300
HIGH TIMES The consumption of beer was 450 litres per person per year; as a substitute for unsafe water
1300 +
COMMERCE With the arrival of coffee, tea and strong liquor, only the tastiest beers survived
BREWING PROCESS
Beer is crafted using four basic ingredients: barley malt, hops, water and yeast. To create different flavour profiles, brewers can also use additions like wheat, corn, fruit, spices, rice and spices. From raw ingredients to delivery, the production of beer undergoes different steps: malting, brewing, fermenting and filtrating
The INGREDIENTS
barley
This ingredient is responsible for your beer’s colour, taste, aroma and the foam head. Barley produces a bready, toasted, caramel or roasted taste. Most of the time, it is malted before brewing, resulting in a lighter or darker barley malt, depending on the temperature when processed. The starch in barley in transformed into sugar during brewing.
Hops
This green plant is responsible for the bitter taste and the fruity, floral & spicy aroma of a beer. It also works as a conservative and is available as bitter hops and aroma hops. During the boiling, brewers often use a mix of different types of hops. Sometimes, extra hop is added after boiling. This is called dry hopping and results in a more intense hop aroma.
Water
On average, a beer consists of 90% water. The salts, minerals and hardness of the water all have an impact on the beer’s appearance, taste and aroma. Before we can start brewing, the water is filtered and excess iron is removed. Some brewers have their own water source deep in the ground. In total, 3.5 to 7 litres of water are used to produce 1 litre of beer.
Yeast
Yeast is a single cell organism that is very important for the beer’s taste. It gives beer the aromas of banana, rose, apple, aniseed, almonds, cloves and pepper. Yeast transforms malt-sugars into alcohol and carbonation, also called fermentation. Depending on the temperature, we distinguish bottom fermentation (5 to 12°C) and top fermentation (15 to 25°C).
The additions
Wheat
For a more refreshing and sour taste and a lighter mouth feel
Oats
Rye
Corn
Honey
For a sweeter taste and higher alcohol content
Sugar
Fruit
Vegetables
Spices
Rice
beer PRODUCTION
1. Malting
The barley is warmed and moistened causing it to sprout. This process is halted by drying the barley (the warmer the drying, the darker the barley malt).
2. Milling
Our supply of malted barley is stored in large malt silos. In gristmills, this malted barley will be ground into a substance called ‘grist’.
3. Mashing
The grist is mixed with hot brewing water and heated to different temperatures. The starch is converted into fermentable brewing sugars.
4. Lautering
the mash is pumped into the lauter tun, where the solid components (grains) are separated from the soluble components (the wort).
5. Boiling
The wort is boiled for about 60 minutes in the wort copper, while the hops are added. Their bitter and aromatic ingredients are dissolved in the wort.
6. Whirlpooling
The wort from the brew kettle is pumped into the whirlpool. The wort is set into rotation and liberated from the sediment particles.
7. Cooling
Subsequently, the wort has to be cooled quickly. Using a wort cooler, the temperature is brought down to a constant 8 degrees Celsius.
8. Fermenting
The cooled wort is pumped into fermentation tanks and yeast is added, causing the malt sugars to convert into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
10. Filtration
The remaining sediment particles and yeast cells are removed, giving the beer a shiny clarity. The filtered beer is now ready for bottling.
9. Storing
The beer is stored for several weeks at 0°C. During this phase, the secondary fermentation and maturation of the beer takes place.
Beer Styles
Do you know your lager from your ale? And your weissbier from your stout? With over 150 different beer styles in the world, there is a lot to choose from. Explore the most popular varieties we have listed below and learn more about their aroma, taste and bitterness. It will give you the opportunity to discover the similarities and differences.
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