HOW TO MAKE BEER
To make beer you need four main ingredients: water, malt, hops, and yeast. A beer is only ever as good as the quality of its ingredients.
Water: water plays a key role and it can make up over 95% of the finished product poured into your pint. Water’s quality affects the brewing process and product. There’s the obvious impact of the flavor of the water used in the brewing process, but the chemistry of the water can alter the process itself: magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate, sodium, sulphate, chloride.
Malt: the preferred grain for beer is barley. When the barley is harvested, it has to go through the malting process to start germination. The germination process is stopped with heat. They’ll roast the barley, now called malt, to varying degrees. The length of the roast will help determine the color of the beer and the backbone of the beer’s flavor.
Hops: it’s a climbing plant whose dried flowers are used in brewing to give a bitter taste. Hops are necessary for the stabilization of beer foam and for their antibacterial activity.
Yeast: it’s the last to be added but without yeast, there is no beer. Fermentation (bottom or high fermentation) is an essential stage in the brewing process. It involves adding yeasts to the cooled malt.
HOW TO DRINK BEER
Drinking beer out of a bottle is very trendy, especially among young people, but choosing the right glassware can make a noticeable difference in your drinking experience (mugs, pints, flutes, goblets, weizen glasses)
Mug: it’s used for many types of light beers. Mugs have generally a handle on the side. It’s recommended drink the beer in one shot, because mugs don’t keep the beer flavour long enough.
Pint: it’s a typical glass used in pubs. The pints should be filled with beer, easy foam, to the top.
Flute: it’s used for strong beers with a lot of foam. The long stem allows you enjoy the beer without your hand coming in contact with the bowl and warming the beer.
Goblet: it’s used to enhance aromatic beers, the glass is large because you can warm the cup with your hands and swirl to release the aroma.
Weizen glasses: they are designed for and primarily used for wheat beers (Weizenbier). The curved lip at the top of the glass helps trap and encourage a thick foam head, allowing for you to appreciate the full aroma and flavor that comes along with wheat beers.
FALSE BEER MYTHS DEBUNKED
Beer makes you fat: that is not true. You should count beer in your counting calories.
Beer is really bad for you: beer contains a potent antioxidant that inhibits cancer-causing enzymes and the phytoestrogen may help reduce hot flushes, low libido and other symptoms associated with menopause. Beer can raise good cholesterol too.
Beer needs to be served ice cold: beer should be served around about 7 to 10 degrees centigrade or you can bring it out half an hour before drinking.
Beer foam is evil: the perfect beer should have about a finger and a half of foam at the top. The beer foam helps trap flavors and aroma from escaping out the top of the glass.
