Basic procedures in the making of beer
Beer is brewed in a number of different ways, resulting
in a variety of different brews. The manufacture of all of
them has certain basic steps in common:
1. First, grain, usually barley, is "malted," i.e., allowed
to steep in water until it begins to germinate, and starches
in the grain undergo chemical changes that produce
sugars.
2. Then the malted grain is mashed and infused in
gradually heated water, the temperatures of which are
raised in stages to 165° or 175°F. This heating arrests the
germination of the malted grain and results in a liquid
known as wort (sweet wort) which retains the natural
sugars and enzymes generated by infusion.
3. After completion of the infusion process the wort is
transferred to a kettle and to it is added the blossoms of
hops that give beer its characteristic aroma and flavor. This
mixture of wort and hops (hopped wort) is boiled for about
two hours.
4. After this operation is completed the liquid is
cleansed by straining out the hops and sediments, and
filtered into a cask or trough for cooling. At this point
the yeast is added to the wort and fermentation begins.
Beer may be fermented in a variety of ways, but until
relatively recently, the process favored on the Continent
was that of top fermentation, in which the yeast rises to
the top of the fermentation vat and is there skimmed off
when fermentation is complete. Some beers can be drunk
immediately after fermentation is complete. Others, particularly
those made by top fermentation are stored in
casks from two or three weeks to six months. During the
storage period the beer brightens and becomes charged
with carbon dioxide. Beer fermented in this way is stored
in an ambient of 58°-70°F, a condition entirely consonant
with temperatures that could be maintained both in the
Monks' Brew House where fermentation of the beer was
instigated, and in the great cellar used for wine and beer
storage (see I, 292-307).
