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| What is beer made from? | |||
| Nature's Gift ... malted barley, hops, water and yeast - beer simply couldn't be more natural... |
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Barley is the main constituent of beer, as grapes are to wine so barley is to beer. Barley grains are low in fat and protein but rich in starch. In nature this starch would feed the growing barley plant, but in brewing we hijack the starch to make beer. Brewers use specially selected varieties of barley that are particularly suited to being malted and making high quality beer. The maritime climate of the United Kingdom is particularly good for growing malting barley making British malt amongst the best in the world. |
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With over 200 natural flavour compounds arising from its essential oils, the hop packs a mighty punch. There are many different varieties of hops. Brewers use single varieties or blends to produce different flavours. The way hops are used during brewing also affects the flavour of the beer. Hops are added early in the boil for bitterness but adding aroma hops late in the boil ("late hopping") produces a distinctive citrus or spicy hop character. | ||
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High quality water is essential to the brewing process with four to six pints needed to produce every pint of beer. The particular salts naturally dissolved in local water supplies explains why some quite small towns such as Burton On Trent, Alton and Tadcaster could become home to several large breweries. | ||
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Yeast is a microscopic member of the fungus family. The Latin name for brewing yeast is "Saccharomyces cerevisiae" - literally "beer sugar yeast"! Yeast produces a vast array of flavour compounds and much of the subtlety of beer flavour comes from the yeast strain. Brewers use their own specially selected and jealously guarded yeast strains to produce the distinctive flavours of their own beers. | ||
