Have you ever wondered what "malt"
really is, and how you get malt from barley? And what about
hops, and why do we need yeast? Barley, water, hops and yeast
-- brewers combine these four simple ingredients to make
beer.
But it's not just a matter of mixing the right amount of
each ingredient and voila!...you have beer. A complex
series of biochemical reactions must take place to convert
barley to fermentable sugars, and to allow yeast to live and
multiply, converting those sugars to alcohol. Commercial
breweries use sophisticated equipment and processes to control
hundreds of variables so that each batch of beer will taste
the same.
Photo courtesy
Carolina
Brewing Company
Boiling a
wort -- the part of the brewing process where beer gets
much of its flavor and
bitterness
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In this article, we'll learn how events like prohibition
and World War II influenced the taste of the beer we still
drink today. Then we'll take a tour through a regional
brewery, the Carolina
Brewing Company, to learn how they make beer, picking up
some of the amazing technology and terminology of beermaking
along the way!
Here are some interesting links:
