| If you are contemplating home beer making you are | | | | copper) and brought to a boil for an hour. During the |
| probably curious as to what "brewing" is in the first | | | | boiling the water in the wort evaporates, leaving |
| place? What is the process that starts with all these | | | | behind the sugars and other parts of the wort which |
| different things and ends up as "beer?" I will start at | | | | help a more efficient use of the starch in the beer. |
| the beginning. | | | | Also, boiling also kills any enzymes remaining from the |
| The purpose of brewing beer is to change the | | | | mashing stage. It is during this boiling stage that hops |
| source of starch into a liquid called "wort" (you may | | | | are added to the mix. Hops contribute flavor, aroma, |
| also see it some places as "wert" but don't be | | | | and bitterness and may be added more than once |
| alarmed, it is the same thing). Once the wort has | | | | during the boiling. The adding of hops is something of |
| been created the beer brewing process then alters it | | | | a balancing act as the longer hops are boiled the |
| into the delightful drink we call beer through what is | | | | more bitter the brew becomes but both the flavor |
| known as fermentation which is controlled by yeast. | | | | and aroma are decreased. |
| Now if this all sound very complicated, it really isn't. | | | | After boiling the "hopped wort" is allowed to cool and |
| Just have patience and read on. | | | | get ready for the yeast. Once the hopped work has |
| In the beginning, when the wort is made by mixing | | | | cooled the yeast is added and fermentation can |
| the source of starch (which is usually malted barley) | | | | begin. It is during this fermentation process that the |
| with very hot water in a process known as | | | | wort is transformed into beer. The process is a long |
| "mashing". Here's an interesting factoid: in the brewing | | | | one and will last from a week to several months |
| process, hot water is known as "liquor"! Anyway, the | | | | depending on the type of yeast and the strength of |
| hot water is mixed with crushed malt (known as | | | | the beer desired. This process also produces the |
| "grist") in a vessel known as a "Mash Tun". This part | | | | alcohol in the beer. This time also allows any |
| of the process takes about 2 hours which is the time | | | | particulate matter in the wort to settle and, once the |
| it takes for the starches to be changed into sugars. | | | | fermentation process is done, the yeast also settles |
| Next the wort is drained off the grains. The grains | | | | leaving the beer nice and clear. |
| are then washed in a process called "sparging". This | | | | In some cases fermentation is done in two stages, |
| process lets the brewer to get as much of he | | | | primary and secondary. In the primary stage the |
| fermentable liquid as possible from the grains. | | | | alcohol is formed by the yeast. The beer is then put |
| Understandably, the process of separating the spent | | | | into a new container for a period of secondary |
| grain or the wort and sparge water is called "wort | | | | fermentation. This two step process is used when |
| separation" | | | | the beer requires long storage before packaging or |
| Now that the sweet wort accumulated during | | | | greater clarity. It is rarely, if ever, used in home beer |
| sparging is next put into a kettle (often called a | | | | making. |
| "copper" because they were traditionally made from | | | | |
