How beer is made?

BEER FACTORY

1) Industrial production begins with malting, a process that takes about eight days to obtain malt, which is the basis of beer. Cereal grains such as barley and wheat are placed in a tank, where they are moistened and germinate. They are then roasted so that the starch present in the grain turns into sugar.

two) The malt is ground and added to hot water to prepare the wort, a thick and sweet tea, a step called mashing. After cooking for five hours, the wort goes to another tank, where it receives the other beer ingredients. The main one is hops, a plant that gives the bitter taste and acts as a natural preservative.

– Most of the malt used in Brazil is imported from countries with a cold climate, such as Germany, where barley grows better

3) In the third tank, yeast arrives, which transforms sugar into alcohol. In bottom-fermenting beers, the action takes place at the bottom of the tank, at temperatures of up to 12 oC. In top fermentation, the process takes place on the surface, between 15 and 24 oC. All this takes about five days.

4) After fermentation, the beer is cooled to 0 oC and enters the maturation phase, when the liquid rests. Flavor, body and aroma are defined. The process lasts an average of 21 days, but it varies a lot according to the type of yeast used and the personal touch of the master brewer.

5) After the maturation time, the beer can now be drunk. But the liquid still has solid particles, which are filtered out. This doesn’t change the taste – it just makes the drink clearer and brighter. Some beers, such as wheat beers, do not pass through this filter.

6) In bottling, the beer goes into bottles, cans or kegs. The glass and the amber color of the bottle are important aspects for the drink not to spoil before the deadline, as light causes chemical reactions that leave the liquid with a bad taste. The cans receive the same drink that goes into the bottles. So far, draft beer and beer are the same thing

7) The beer is heated to 60°C and quickly cooled to room temperature, which is called pasteurization. This extends the shelf life of beers to six months (for pilsener types). Draft beer is not pasteurized and has a much shorter term: a maximum of 15 days with the barrel closed.

-Home brewing uses the same industrial ingredients: water, malt, hops and yeast. There are courses to learn how to do

MAKE YOUR WISH

Discover the main types of beer

Lager

They are beers with low fermentation and alcohol content, between 4 and 5%. Pilsener beer is one of the best known variations of lager, especially in Brazil, where 99% of sales are of this type. Its name comes from the Pilsen region in the Czech Republic.

ale

Until the 19th century, top-fermented beers, known today as ale, were the only ones that existed. This type of beer has a more pronounced flavor, with a more bodied and sweet liquid. It is a very popular type in Ireland, Belgium and Germany.

lambic

It is a rare type of beer, made from wheat and without yeast in the wort. It has a spontaneous fermentation, carried out by natural agents found in the air and in the brewery environment, typical of the region where the beer is produced, in Brussels, Belgium

No alcohol

In Brazil, non-alcoholic beer is basically made by stopping fermentation. There are other processes, such as special filters and changes in manufacturing temperature and pressure, but there is always a little bit left. By law, they can contain up to 0.5% alcohol.

-Depending on the ingested volume, non-alcoholic beer can even be detected in the breathalyzer