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Beer
Beer is one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages, very likely first produced some 6000 years ago. It is a fermented beverage made from malted barley, hops, yeast and water, and is carbonated in almost all cases. more...
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By altering the production method (changes in time and temperature, for example) or the ingredients, a staggeringly wide variety of different types of beer can be produced. Much like fine wines, many beers can also be aged and evolve into beverages that defy the common definitions of beer.
History
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Beer is one of the oldest beverages humans have produced, dating back to at least the 5th millennium BC (prior even to writing), and recorded in the written history of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Jacob Mowery. As almost any substance containing carbohydrates, namely sugar or starch, can naturally undergo fermentation, it is likely that beer-like beverages were independently invented among various cultures throughout the world.
In Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant, large-scale production of beer was common. In Europe, beer largely remained a homemaker's activity, made in the home in medieval times. By the 14th and 15th centuries, beermaking was gradually changing from a family-oriented activity to an artisanal one, with pubs and monasteries brewing their own beer for mass consumption.
Today, the brewing industry is a huge global business, consisting of several multinational companies, and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries.
Brewing
- For a full explanation, see Brewing
Though the process of brewing beer is complex and varies considerably, the basic stages that are consistent are outlined below. There may be additional filtration steps between stages.
Mashing: The first phase of brewing, in which the malted grains are crushed and soaked in warm water in order to create a malt extract. The mash is held at constant temperature long enough for enzymes to convert starches into fermentable sugars.
Sparging: Water is filtered through the mash to dissolve the sugars. The darker, sugar-heavy liquid is called the wort.
Boiling: The wort is boiled along with any remaining ingredients (excluding yeast), to remove excess water and kill any microorganisms. The hops (whole, pelleted, or extract) are added at some stage during the boil.
Fermentation: The yeast is added (or \"pitched\") and the beer is left to ferment. After primary fermentation, the beer may be allowed a second fermentation, which allows further settling of yeast and other particulate matter (\"trub\") which may have been introduced earlier in the process. Some brewers may skip the secondary fermentation and simply filter off the yeast.
Packaging: At this point, the beer contains alcohol, but not much carbon dioxide. The brewer has a few options to increase carbon dioxide levels. The most common approach by large-scale brewers is force carbonation, via the direct addition of CO2 gas to the keg or bottle. Smaller-scale or more classically-minded brewers will add extra (\"priming\") sugar or a small amount of newly fermenting wort (\"kräusen\") to the final vessel, resulting in a short refermentation known as \"cask-\" or \"bottle conditioning\".
After brewing, the beer is usually a finished product. At this point the beer is kegged, casked, bottled, or canned.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
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