Beer

Beer is an alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermenting starches from grains like barley, wheat, maize, rice, and oats. The grains are mashed to turn starches into sugars, which then ferment with yeast to create alcohol and carbonation. Beer is one of the oldest and most popular drinks in the world, often flavored with hops for bitterness, flavor, and preservation. It is commonly found in bottles, cans, or served on draught in pubs and bars.

A waitress from a brewery in a dirndl carrying beer mugs.

The beer industry is global, with large companies and many smaller breweries. Most modern beers have about 4% to 6% alcohol by volume. Beer has deep historical roots, with ancient writings like the Code of Hammurabi and "The Hymn to Ninkasi" mentioning its production. It is part of many cultures and traditions, including beer festivals and pub games. However, drinking beer too often or in large amounts can cause health problems.

Etymology

History

Main article: History of beer

Ancient Egyptian painting, 18th dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, c. 1300 BC, showing Syrian mercenary drinking beer through a straw. Egyptian Museum of Berlin

Beer is one of the oldest drinks people have made. Very old pieces of pottery show that people were making beer about 13,000 years ago. They used grains like barley to make it. Long ago, in places like ancient Egypt and Sumer, people drank beer often. Workers building big buildings like pyramids got beer to help them work.

Over time, people in Europe started making beer in their homes. Later, rules were made to keep beer safe to drink. Today, beer is made all over the world in big factories and small shops. It is one of the most popular drinks people enjoy.

Brewing

Main article: Brewing

A 16th-century brewery

The process of making beer is called brewing. It turns grains into a sweet liquid called wort, which is then turned into beer using yeast. The first step is mixing malted barley with hot water in a mash tun. This turns the starches into sugars, and the sweet wort is drained off. The grains are washed to get as much sweet liquid as possible. The wort is then boiled in a kettle, and hops are added for flavor and a bitter taste. The longer the hops boil, the more bitter they become. After boiling, the wort is cooled and yeast is added. The yeast turns the wort into beer over a week or more, creating carbonation.

The main ingredients in beer are water, a starch source like malted barley, a brewer's yeast for fermentation, and hops for flavor. Water makes up most of the beer. The starch source gives the beer its strength and flavor. Malted grain is the most common starch used. Hops are the flowers of a vine and are used to add flavor and a bitter taste to beer. Yeast is the tiny living thing that turns the sugars into alcohol and carbonation, changing the wort into beer. Some beers use other plants for flavor instead of hops.

In recent years, big breweries have bought many smaller ones. Today, there are also small breweries called microbreweries that make a limited amount of beer, often with unique flavors. Some of these are located in places like Franconia, Germany.

Varieties

Top-fermented beers

Cask ale hand pumps with pump clips detailing the beers and their breweries

Top-fermented beers are made with a special kind of yeast that floats on the surface of the beer. This yeast works best in warm temperatures and can give the beer fruity flavors, like apple or banana. In the past, people in England called drinks without hops "ale" and drinks with hops "beer". Some well-known top-fermented beers include pale ale, mild ale, wheat beer, and stout.

Bottom-fermented beers

Lager is a type of beer made with yeast that sinks to the bottom. It is brewed at cool temperatures, which helps give it a clean taste. Pale lagers are very popular around the world, and many are a type called pilsner. The word "lager" comes from a German word meaning "to store", because people used to store these beers in cold cellars to finish the brewing process.

Lambic

Lambic is a special beer from Belgium that uses wild yeasts instead of the usual yeast. This can make the beer taste sour and have unique flavors.

Non-barley beers

People all over the world make drinks like beer from different grains. For example, in Africa, some beers are made from sorghum or millet. In South America, a drink called Chicha is made from corn, and in Brazil, a drink called Cauim is made from a starchy root called manioc. Some places also make drinks from fermented bread, like Sahti in Finland and Kvass in Russia and Ukraine.

Measurement

Beer can be measured by its colour, strength, and bitterness. Most modern beers have an alcohol strength of about 4% to 6%, which is measured as alcohol by volume (ABV). Bitterness in beer is measured using the International Bitterness Units scale.

Beer colours come from the type of malt used. The most common colour is a pale amber, made from pale malts. Pale lager and pale ale are beers made from malt dried with coke, a type of fuel. Darker beers use darker malts or other colourants like caramel. Very dark beers, such as stout, use malts roasted for a longer time.

The strength of beer can vary a lot. Some beers have less than 3% ABV, while others can be much stronger. Most common pale lagers are around 4% to 6% ABV. Some special beers can be much stronger, with alcohol content going up to around 20% or more using special brewing methods.

Serving

Main articles: Draught beer and Cask ale

A selection of cask beers

Draught beer is served from a pressurised keg using a lever-style dispenser and a spout, and it is common in bars around the world. A metal keg is pressurised with carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas, which pushes the beer to the tap or faucet. Some beers may use a mix of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Nitrogen creates small bubbles, giving the beer a thick, creamy top.

Cask-conditioned ales are unfiltered and unpasteurised beers. When a cask arrives in a pub, it is placed on a special frame and allowed to cool before being tapped. After tapping, the beer needs time to settle before it can be served.

A selection of Belgian, Danish, Dutch, German, and Irish beers

Most beers are filtered before being put into bottles and cans. However, some beers keep yeast inside the bottle, either by not filtering them or by adding fresh yeast after filtering.

Many beers are sold in cans, though this varies by country. People can drink directly from the can or pour it into a glass. Cans protect the beer from light and are less likely to leak over time than bottles. Some breweries also use plastic bottles.

The temperature of beer can change how it tastes; warmer temperatures show more flavors, while cooler temperatures feel more refreshing. Most people like pale lager served cold, while stronger beers like barley wine are often served at room temperature.

Beer is drunk from many types of containers, such as glasses, mugs, bottles, or cans. The shape of the glass can change how the beer tastes. The way beer is poured also affects how it looks in the glass, such as the size of the foam on top. Some bars use a beer tower to let groups serve themselves.

Chemistry

Beer includes different kinds of natural compounds such as 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid, vanillic acid, caffeic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid. Some of these compounds are found in plants and come from ingredients like hops used in brewing.

Organic aromatic acids found naturally in beer, such as tryptophan, tyrosine, and phenylalanine, absorb blue light and fluoresce in green under 450 nm laser light.

Barley, often used in brewing, adds other natural compounds to beer. During brewing, yeast creates aromatic alcohols such as tryptophol, tyrosol, and phenylethanol.

Nutrition

Beers have different amounts of nutrients depending on what is used to make them. Ingredients like yeast can add nutrients such as magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, chromium, and B vitamins. Even though beer is sometimes called "liquid bread", it is not a full meal by itself.

Health effects

Drinking alcohol can be harmful to health. It is linked to many early deaths and is the third leading cause of early deaths in the United States. Medical groups do not advise people who do not drink to start drinking alcohol.

Some research has suggested that small amounts of alcohol might help protect the heart, but this is not certain. Drinking alcohol for a long time, especially in large amounts, can lead to serious health problems, including damage to the liver and an increased risk of certain cancers.

Alcohol can affect overall health in many ways. It can shorten a person's life and cause many problems, such as difficulty managing responsibilities, health issues, and social difficulties.

While beer contains some sugars, the process of making beer helps remove harmful substances from the grains used. This makes beer generally safe in terms of pesticide residues. However, drinking too much beer can lead to weight gain, often called a "beer belly," mainly due to overeating and lack of exercise.

Society and culture

Beer has been an important part of human history for a very long time. Ancient writings from around 1750 BC mention laws about beer, and there are even prayers and recipes dedicated to a goddess of beer.

In many places, beer is the most popular drink for adults to enjoy together. People often gather to play games, visit special beer festivals, or take tours of breweries. Some people even enjoy having a small amount of beer while taking a shower! There are also experts called beer sommeliers who help others learn about different kinds of beer and how they taste with food. Beer is enjoyed by people all around the world, from Syria to many African countries. In fact, more beer is sold than any other drink except for one!