Beer

Beer is an alcoholic drink typically formed from a malted cereal crop such as barley or wheat or other source of fermentable sugar, bittering ingredients such as hops, yeast such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and water. Many different styles of beer (and similar fermented drinks) exist and beer production has been very important for civilization as a source of drinkable water prior to modern sanitation techniques. The alcohol, antibacterial properties of hops and low pH environment cause beer to be a harsh environment in which most food-spoiling microbes cannot grow. The alcohol in beer is formed from the fermentation of simple (fermentable) sugars by yeast or other microbes.

Materials Needed

Grains, Malts & Other Sources of Fermentable Sugars

Grains of various different types are chosen as ingredients in beer for their ability to provide starch, endogenous enzymes, nitrogen compounds and other trace nutrients that support the growth of yeast to produce alcohol. The most common ingredient in modern beer is malted barley. Malted barley is barley that has been steeped in water, allowed to germinate and then is gently dried to a low moisture content to aid with storage, preserve enzyme activity and retain starches. Malted barley contains starch which is broken down in the mashing process into sugars such as glucose, maltose, maltotriose among others. Malted barley contains several key enzymes which are able to carry out this process such as amylases. Free amino nitrogen compounds are provided by the breakdown of larger storage proteins in the malt by proteases.

Several different Cereal crops are suitable for malting, not just barley, these include:

• Wheat
• Oats
• Sorghum
• Rice
• Rye

Bittering Ingredients

Hops are used in modern beers to provide bitterness and contribute to the microbial stability of beer through alpha acids, iso-alpha acids and beta acids.

Crafting Instructions

Summarised in Brewing

Sanitise

Sanitisation of your brewing vessels is the most critical step; any bacteria will ruin the beer. Use a no-rinse sanitiser (like Star San) to clean every piece of equipment that will touch your beer. In a situation where steriliser is not available a very weak solution of bleach may be used but this must be well rinsed to remove residues that might interfere with the brew. Another option is to bring your vessle to the boil and allow to cool to the required temperature for steeping the grains.

Steep your grains

Bring about 2.5 gallons of water to 160°F (71°C). Place your specialty grains into a mesh grain bag and steep them in the hot water for 20–30 minutes, like making tea. Remove the bag and let the liquid drain back into the pot, but do not squeeze it.

Boil wort and add Malt and Hops

Bring your liquid (now called wort) to a gentle boil. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly stir in your malt extract until completely dissolved, ensuring it doesn't burn on the bottom. Return to a boil and add your hops according to your specific recipe's schedule (usually a 60-minute total boil).

Cool and Ferment

Allow your wort to cool to 68°F (20°C), as quickly as possible using an ice bath in your sink or cold water. Once cooled, transfer the liquid into your sanitised fermenter and add enough water to reach the 5-gallon mark. Sprinkle in your yeast, seal the fermenter tightly, and attach the filled airlock. Store it in a dark, room-temperature (68°F / 20°C) area for 1–2 weeks until bubbling stops.

Completed Fermentation

Now your beer has completed fermentation, you can place it into a sealed vessel with a tap to allow easy dispensing or bottle for longer term storage.

Uses

Weak (table) beer has long been used as source of nutrition and water when a potable source of water is not available. Strong beer has also been used as a ritual aid and inebriant. In general it's use in modern times is as a foodstuff consumed for enjoyment.

Dependencies

• Water - not necessarily potable but filtered to remove solids. The water will be sterilised during the addition of grains and boiling when making the wort.
• Fuel
• Agriculture - cereals, hops
• Foraging - Bittering ingredients: mugwort, etc
• Steel, cast iron or pottery for wort boiling
• Steel vessels, wooden barrels or clay pots for fermentation
• Wood & carpentry - tools, kviek rings, etc
• Soap, lye, acids for cleaning
• Advanced brewing:
• Microbiology - isolation of yeasts and microbial cultures
• Heat exchange - steam heating and glycol chilling
• Purified (reverse osmosis) water