|
The brewing process for beer is very complex, incorporating many important factors such as the choice of malts, primary temperatures, maturation periods etc. But let’s face it – you don’t need to know about ‘malalactic fermentation’ to appreciate a fine red burgundy!
All you really need to bear in mind is this… Beer is predominantly made up of water, malted barley, hops and yeast to turn the sugars in the malt into alcohol. Different proportions, degrees of roasting, hop varieties, water type, yeast variations, grain and adjuncts (flavour additions) determine the taste, flavour and appearance of the finished product.
Given all these variables, the possibilities for vastly different, great tasting beers are endless and well worth exploring and InBev has quite a selection that demonstrate this diversity very well.
Different types of beers are created from different brewing processes. For example, Lager is derived from the German word “lagern” which means ‘to store’. Lagers are produced using bottom-fermenting yeasts that result in pale, light flavoured beers which are normally stored at low temperatures to ensure a longer shelf life.
Other beer types use yeasts that ferment at the top of the vessel at warmer temperatures giving much more complex flavours. Carbon dioxide is given off naturally – rather than artificially added as in the bottom fermenting method. This means the beers can be naturally effervescent and not ‘gassy’ as is the case for lagers.
There is one more fermentation method worth mentioning and that is Spontaneous Fermentation. It is a spontaneous combustion without the fire. Wild yeasts, which float around invisibly in the air, fall into the vat of beer and trigger the fermentation process without any human addition of yeast. These beers are known as ‘Lambic’ beers after the specific region of Belgium where this extraordinary process takes place – and they produce some of the world’s greatest beers!
Find out about tasting beer.
|
