It is likely that beer has been around for more than 6000 years.  How it was first discovered is a matter of speculation but most likely it happened by accident.

Beer is made up of a few very basic ingredients; water, barley, hops, and yeast.  The barley used in beer is malted, which means the barley kernel is moistened and allowed to germinate.  After germination it is dried or baked to stop any further seed growth.  This malting process makes the barley surrender it sugars more easily to hungry yeast cells.  As these yeast cells feed, a couple of major by-products are produced, alcohol and carbon dioxide.  Hops are added in the mix to add aroma, flavor, and bitterness.  Making beer at home is a simple process and the home brewer can produce better beer than most of what is sold by the major American breweries.

Today's home brewer can produce beer in one of several ways:  1) Malt extract along with steeped grains and hops are boiled to come up with a fermentable mixture called wort.  2) Malt extract and mashed grain along with hops are boiled to produce fermentable wort.  3)  Malted grain is mashed and the runoff is mixed with hops and boiled to produce fermentable wort.  In all three methods the hot wort is cooled, oxygenated and yeast is added.  Yeast cells eat the fermentable wort and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol.  The first method, extract brewing, is simple and quick, the second method, known as mini-mashing, is only slightly more complicated, the last method, all-grain brewing, is certainly more time consuming but provides the home brewer with a wider array of crafted beer.   Most all home brewers start out doing extract brewing and then graduate into the more complicated all-grain brewing.

Misc. Brew Links

Microbrew Links

      

This link is the gateway to some of my other Interests

Pathway to a presentation of our recent cruise to the British Isles

(Click on "Loop All" and be sure to turn up your speakers!)