BEER - EXPLORING THE INGREDIENTS AND FLAVORS

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

Benjamin Franklin

There are four ingredients in beer. Water, barley, hops, and yeast. These four Horsemen of the Brew-pocalypse do all the work. Unlike the biblical horsemen, who bring destruction, these four friends combine to create every beer on earth. A tall order, but they love a challenge.

The Short Lesson Is:

Malted barley is steeped in warm water to release sugars. Think of it as a barley bath. Once the barley is removed, you are left with sugar-water called wort. Spelled with an “O” but pronounced wert with an “E.” Silly English. The wort is then boiled for at least sixty minutes. During the boil, hops join the party to impart bitterness, flavor, and aroma. The wort is then cooled to room temperature and yeast is added, or “pitched.” More like spilled. Yeast proceeds to eat the sugars in the wort and create alcohol. Once the yeast is finished chowing down, you are left with beer.

The last step is drinking! I am sure all this reading has made you thirsty. Why not head to the fridge and crack open a beer while you ponder this amazing process? Below is the shorter, more memorize-able version.

The Super Short Lesson:

Barley + water = wort
Wort + hops = flavor
Yeast + wort = beer
Beer + you =

The T-Shirt Version:

Barley + water + hops + yeast = beer =

Flavors in Beer:

Beer has a bunch of flavor with only those four horsemen. To show off, brewers add other ingredients like fruit, herbs, and spices to impart even more taste. Cooking and pairing food with beer can release key flavors, creating a beautiful marriage. Like Westley and Buttercup, it may take some effort to get these kids together but when you do, magic happens. For example, lagers and pilsners pair nicely with Mexican food and light seafood dishes. Porters go well with smoked or BBQ foods like salmon, and spicy curry dishes work great with Indian Pale Ales (IPAs).

Written by John Lemmon in "Beer Makes Everything Better",Skyhorse Publishing , New York, USA, 2016. excerpts chapter 3. Digitized, adapted and illustrated to be posted by Leopoldo Costa.