Monday, September 6, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Thursday, September 2, 2010
MAJOR TYPES OF BEER
Lager
The word lager is derived from the German verb “lagern”, which means: to store. During the late middle ages, before the days of refrigeration, fermentation was a hit-or-miss affair, especially during the hot summer months. To ensure a supply of beer for the summer, brewers in theBavarian Alps stored kegs of spring brew in icy mountain caves. As the beer slowly aged, the yeast settled, creating a drink that was dark but clear and sparkling with a crisper, more delicate flavour. In 1842, lager acquired its familiar golden colour when a brewery in Pilsen , Czechoslovakia
Bock Beer
The other bottom-fermented beer is bock, named for the famous medieval German brewing town ofEinbeck
Ale
Although the term covers a fascinating variety of styles, all ales share certain characteristics. Top-fermentation and the inclusion of more hops in the wort gives these beers a distinctive fruitiness, acidity and a pleasantly-bitter seasoning. All ales typically take less time to brew and age then lagers and have a more assertive, individual personality, though their alcoholic strength may be the same. Ales are best enjoyed at room temperature or slightly warmer.
Porter and Stout
Whether dry or sweet, flavoured with roasted malt barley, oats or certain sugars, stouts and porters are characterized by darkness and depth. Both types of beer are delicious with hearty meat stews and surprisingly good with shellfish. The pairing of oysters and stout has long been acknowledged as one of the world's great gastronomic marriages.
Dry
“Dry” refers to the amount of residual sugar left in a beer following fermentation. This type of beer is fermented for longer than normal brews so that practically all of the residual sugar is converted into alcohol. The result is a beer which consumers describe as having a crisp flavour, clean finish and very little aftertaste.
The word lager is derived from the German verb “lagern”, which means: to store. During the late middle ages, before the days of refrigeration, fermentation was a hit-or-miss affair, especially during the hot summer months. To ensure a supply of beer for the summer, brewers in the
Bock Beer
The other bottom-fermented beer is bock, named for the famous medieval German brewing town of
Ale
Although the term covers a fascinating variety of styles, all ales share certain characteristics. Top-fermentation and the inclusion of more hops in the wort gives these beers a distinctive fruitiness, acidity and a pleasantly-bitter seasoning. All ales typically take less time to brew and age then lagers and have a more assertive, individual personality, though their alcoholic strength may be the same. Ales are best enjoyed at room temperature or slightly warmer.
Porter and Stout
Whether dry or sweet, flavoured with roasted malt barley, oats or certain sugars, stouts and porters are characterized by darkness and depth. Both types of beer are delicious with hearty meat stews and surprisingly good with shellfish. The pairing of oysters and stout has long been acknowledged as one of the world's great gastronomic marriages.
Dry
“Dry” refers to the amount of residual sugar left in a beer following fermentation. This type of beer is fermented for longer than normal brews so that practically all of the residual sugar is converted into alcohol. The result is a beer which consumers describe as having a crisp flavour, clean finish and very little aftertaste.
HOW BEER IS MADE
Brewing is fundamentally a natural process. The art and science of brewing lies in converting natural food materials into a pure, pleasing beverage. Although great strides have been made with the techniques for achieving high-quality production, beer today is still a beverage brewed from natural products in a traditional way. Although the main ingredients of beer have remained constant (water, yeast, malt and hops), it is the precise recipe and timing of the brew that gives one a different taste from another. The production of beer is one of the most closely supervised and controlled manufacturing processes in our society. Apart from brewing company expenditures on research and quality control designed to achieve the highest standards of uniformity and purity in the product, the production of beer is also subject to regular inspection and review by federal and provincial Health Departments. Substances used in the brewing process are approved by Health Canada
1.Water
Pure water is an essential ingredient in good beer and brewers pay scrupulous attention to the source and purification of their brewing water. The water used in brewing is purified to rigidly-set standards. If it does not have the proper calcium or acidic content for maximum activity of the enzymes in the mash, it must be brought up to that standard.
2.Malt
Barley is used to make brewers' malt. At the malting companies, barley is soaked, germinated (sprouted), then dried and/or kilned/roasted to arrest further growth. During the period of controlled growth in the malting plant, specific barley enzymes are released to break down the membranes of the starch cells that make up most of the kernel. But these are internal changes only; apart from a slight change in colour, the external characteristics remain essentially unchanged. When the malt leaves a malting plant, it still looks like barley.
Barley is used to make brewers' malt. At the malting companies, barley is soaked, germinated (sprouted), then dried and/or kilned/roasted to arrest further growth. During the period of controlled growth in the malting plant, specific barley enzymes are released to break down the membranes of the starch cells that make up most of the kernel. But these are internal changes only; apart from a slight change in colour, the external characteristics remain essentially unchanged. When the malt leaves a malting plant, it still looks like barley.
In the brewery, the malt is screened and crushed rather than ground to flour in order to keep the husks as whole as possible. This process not only prevents the extraction of undesirable materials from the husks but also allows them to act as a filter bed for separation of the liquid extract formed during mashing.
3.Mashing
Malt is added to heated, purified water and, through a carefully controlled time and temperature process, the malt enzymes break down the starch to sugar and the complex proteins of the malt to simpler nitrogen compounds. Mashing takes place in a large, round tank called a "mash mixer" or "mash tun" and requires careful temperature control. At this point, depending on the type of beer desired, the malt is supplemented by starch from other cereals such as corn, wheat or rice.
Malt is added to heated, purified water and, through a carefully controlled time and temperature process, the malt enzymes break down the starch to sugar and the complex proteins of the malt to simpler nitrogen compounds. Mashing takes place in a large, round tank called a "mash mixer" or "mash tun" and requires careful temperature control. At this point, depending on the type of beer desired, the malt is supplemented by starch from other cereals such as corn, wheat or rice.
4.Lautering
The mash is transferred to a straining (or lautering) vessel which is usually cylindrical with a slotted false bottom two to five centimetres above the true bottom. The liquid extract drains through the false bottom and is run off to the brew kettle. This extract, a sugar solution, is called "wort" but it is not yet beer. Water is "sparged" (or sprayed) though the grains to wash out as much of the extract as possible. The "spent grains" are removed and sold as cattle feed.
The mash is transferred to a straining (or lautering) vessel which is usually cylindrical with a slotted false bottom two to five centimetres above the true bottom. The liquid extract drains through the false bottom and is run off to the brew kettle. This extract, a sugar solution, is called "wort" but it is not yet beer. Water is "sparged" (or sprayed) though the grains to wash out as much of the extract as possible. The "spent grains" are removed and sold as cattle feed.
5.Boiling and Hopping
The brew kettle, a huge cauldron holding from 70 to 1,000 hectolitres and made of shiny copper or stainless steel, is probably the most striking sight in a brewery. It is fitted with coils or a jacketed bottom for steam heating and is designed to boil the wort under carefully-controlled conditions. Boiling, which usually lasts about two hours, serves to concentrate the wort to a desired specific gravity, to sterilize it and to obtain the desired extract from the hops. The hop resins contribute flavour, aroma and bitterness to the brew. Once the hops have flavoured the brew, they are removed. When applicable, highly-fermentable syrup may be added to the kettle. Undesirable protein substances that have survived the journey from the mash mixer are coagulated, leaving the wort clear.
6. Hop Separation and Cooling
After the beer has taken on the flavour of the hops, the wort then proceeds to the "hot wort tank". It is then cooled, usually in a simple-looking apparatus called a "plate cooler". As the wort and a coolant flow past each other on opposite sides of stainless steel plates, the temperature of the wort drops from boiling to about 10 to 15.5 °C, a drop of more than 65.6 °C, in a few seconds.
After the beer has taken on the flavour of the hops, the wort then proceeds to the "hot wort tank". It is then cooled, usually in a simple-looking apparatus called a "plate cooler". As the wort and a coolant flow past each other on opposite sides of stainless steel plates, the temperature of the wort drops from boiling to about 10 to 15.5 °C, a drop of more than 65.6 °C, in a few seconds.
7. Fermentation
The wort is then moved to the fermenting vessels and yeast, the guarded central mystery of ancient brewer's art, is added. It is the yeast, which is a living, single-cell fungi, that breaks down the sugar in the wort to carbon dioxide and alcohol. It also adds many beer-flavouring components. There are many kinds of yeasts, but those used in making beer belong to the genus saccharomyces. The brewer uses two species of this genus. One yeast type, which rises to the top of the liquid at the completion of the fermentation process, is used in brewing ale and stout. The other, which drops to the bottom of the brewing vessel, is used in brewing lager.
The wort is then moved to the fermenting vessels and yeast, the guarded central mystery of ancient brewer's art, is added. It is the yeast, which is a living, single-cell fungi, that breaks down the sugar in the wort to carbon dioxide and alcohol. It also adds many beer-flavouring components. There are many kinds of yeasts, but those used in making beer belong to the genus saccharomyces. The brewer uses two species of this genus. One yeast type, which rises to the top of the liquid at the completion of the fermentation process, is used in brewing ale and stout. The other, which drops to the bottom of the brewing vessel, is used in brewing lager.
In all modern breweries, elaborate precautions are taken to ensure that the yeast remains pure and unchanged. Through the use of pure yeast culture plants, a particular beer flavour can be maintained year after year. During fermentation, which lasts about seven to 10 days, the yeast may multiply six-fold and in the open-tank fermenters used for brewing ale, a creamy, frothy head may be seen on top of the brew. When the fermentation is complete, the yeast is removed. Now, for the first time ,the liquid is called beer.
8.Cellars
For one to three weeks, the beer is stored cold and then filtered once or twice before it is ready for bottling or "racking" into kegs.
For one to three weeks, the beer is stored cold and then filtered once or twice before it is ready for bottling or "racking" into kegs.
9.Packaging
In the bottle shop of a brewery, returned empty bottles go through washers in which they receive a thorough cleaning. After washing, the bottles are inspected electronically and visually and pass on to the rotary filler. Some of these machines can fill up to 1,200 bottles per minute. A "crowning" machine, integrated with the filler, places caps on the bottles. The filled bottles may then pass through a "tunnel pasteurizer" (often 23 metres from end to end and able to hold 15,000 bottles) where the temperature of the beer is raised about 60 °C. for a sufficient length of time to provide biological stability, then cooled to room temperature.
In the bottle shop of a brewery, returned empty bottles go through washers in which they receive a thorough cleaning. After washing, the bottles are inspected electronically and visually and pass on to the rotary filler. Some of these machines can fill up to 1,200 bottles per minute. A "crowning" machine, integrated with the filler, places caps on the bottles. The filled bottles may then pass through a "tunnel pasteurizer" (often 23 metres from end to end and able to hold 15,000 bottles) where the temperature of the beer is raised about 60 °C. for a sufficient length of time to provide biological stability, then cooled to room temperature.
Emerging from the pasteurizer, the bottles are inspected, labelled, placed in boxes, stacked on pallets and carried by lift truck to the warehousing areas to await shipment. Also in the bottle shop may be the canning lines, where beer is packaged in cans for shipment. Packaged beer may be heat-pasteurized or micro-filtered, providing a shelf-life of up to six months when properly stored. Draught beer, since it is normally sold and consumed within a few weeks, may not go through this process. The draught beer is placed in sterilized kegs ready for shipment.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
COMPOUND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
Distilled beverages with added flavorings and relatively high
sugar content are generally referred to as compound beverages.
Liquer A liqueur is a sweet alcoholic beverage, often flavored
with fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, roots, plants,
barks, and sometimes cream. The word liqueur
comes from the Latin word liquifacere which means
"to dissolve." This refers to the dissolving of the
flavorings used to make the liqueur. Liqueurs are not
usually aged for long periods, but may have resting
periods during their production to allow flavors to
blend. There are many categories of liqueurs
including: fruit liqueur, cream liqueur, coffee liqueur,
chocolate liqueur, schnapps liqueur, brandy liqueur,
anise liqueur, nut-flavoured liqueur, and herbal
liqueur, depending upon the flavouring agents used.
Gin Gin is a spirit flavoured with juniper berries. Distilled
gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit which has
been flavoured with juniper berries. Compound gin is
made by flavouring neutral grain spirit with juniper
berries without redistilling and can be considered
flavoured vodka.The most common style of gin,
typically used for mixed drinks, is London dry gin.
sugar content are generally referred to as compound beverages.
Liquer A liqueur is a sweet alcoholic beverage, often flavored
with fruits, herbs, spices, flowers, seeds, roots, plants,
barks, and sometimes cream. The word liqueur
comes from the Latin word liquifacere which means
"to dissolve." This refers to the dissolving of the
flavorings used to make the liqueur. Liqueurs are not
usually aged for long periods, but may have resting
periods during their production to allow flavors to
blend. There are many categories of liqueurs
including: fruit liqueur, cream liqueur, coffee liqueur,
chocolate liqueur, schnapps liqueur, brandy liqueur,
anise liqueur, nut-flavoured liqueur, and herbal
liqueur, depending upon the flavouring agents used.
Gin Gin is a spirit flavoured with juniper berries. Distilled
gin is made by redistilling white grain spirit which has
been flavoured with juniper berries. Compound gin is
made by flavouring neutral grain spirit with juniper
berries without redistilling and can be considered
flavoured vodka.The most common style of gin,
typically used for mixed drinks, is London dry gin.
DISTILLED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
A distilled beverage is a consumable liquid containing ethyl
alcohol (ethanol) purified / enriched by distillation from a fermented
feed stock such as fruits, vegetables, or cereal grains. The word
spirits generally refers to distilled beverages low in sugars and
containing at least 35% alcohol by volume. Popular spirits include
Absinthe, baijiu, brandy, grappa, rum, tequila, vodka, whisky, sake
and traditional German schnapps. Short description of these are
presented below.
Whiskey refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that
are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in
wooden casks (generally oak). Different grains are
used for different varieties, including: barley, malted
barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn).
Brandy is a general term for distilled wine, usually containing
40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine,
this spirit can also be made from grape, pomace, or
fermented fruit juice. It is normally consumed as an
after-dinner drink. Brandy made from wine is generally
coloured with caramel to imitate the effect of long
aging in wooden casks; pomace and fruit brandies are
generally drunk unaged, and are not usually coloured.
Rum Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane byproducts
such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a
process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate,
a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other
barrels. Rum is produced in a variety of styles. Light
rums are commonly used in cocktails, while golden
and dark rums are appropriate for use in cooking as
well as cocktails. Premium brands of rum are also
available that are made to be consumed neat or on
the rocks.
Vodka Vodka is one of the world's most popular distilled
beverages. It is a clear liquid containing water and
ethanol purified by distillation from a fermented
substance such as potatoes, grain or sugar beet
molasses, and an insignificant amount of other
substances: impurities and possibly flavourings.
Except for various types of flavourings, vodka is a
colourless liquid. Vodka usually has an alcohol
content of 35% to 50% by volume. Vodka is a Russian
delight.
Saké It is a Japnese wine made from rice and is very
strong.
alcohol (ethanol) purified / enriched by distillation from a fermented
feed stock such as fruits, vegetables, or cereal grains. The word
spirits generally refers to distilled beverages low in sugars and
containing at least 35% alcohol by volume. Popular spirits include
Absinthe, baijiu, brandy, grappa, rum, tequila, vodka, whisky, sake
and traditional German schnapps. Short description of these are
presented below.
Whiskey refers to a broad category of alcoholic beverages that
are distilled from fermented grain mash and aged in
wooden casks (generally oak). Different grains are
used for different varieties, including: barley, malted
barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and maize (corn).
Brandy is a general term for distilled wine, usually containing
40–60% ethyl alcohol by volume. In addition to wine,
this spirit can also be made from grape, pomace, or
fermented fruit juice. It is normally consumed as an
after-dinner drink. Brandy made from wine is generally
coloured with caramel to imitate the effect of long
aging in wooden casks; pomace and fruit brandies are
generally drunk unaged, and are not usually coloured.
Rum Rum is a distilled beverage made from sugarcane byproducts
such as molasses and sugarcane juice by a
process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate,
a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak and other
barrels. Rum is produced in a variety of styles. Light
rums are commonly used in cocktails, while golden
and dark rums are appropriate for use in cooking as
well as cocktails. Premium brands of rum are also
available that are made to be consumed neat or on
the rocks.
Vodka Vodka is one of the world's most popular distilled
beverages. It is a clear liquid containing water and
ethanol purified by distillation from a fermented
substance such as potatoes, grain or sugar beet
molasses, and an insignificant amount of other
substances: impurities and possibly flavourings.
Except for various types of flavourings, vodka is a
colourless liquid. Vodka usually has an alcohol
content of 35% to 50% by volume. Vodka is a Russian
delight.
Saké It is a Japnese wine made from rice and is very
strong.
FERMENTED ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
In fermentation process, certain yeasts decompose sugars, in
the feed stock in the absence of oxygen, to form alcohol and carbon
dioxide; method for production of ethanol, wine, and beer. Lowalcohol-
content drinks are produced by fermentation of sugar or
starch-containing products, and high-alcohol ones are produced by
distillation of these low alcohol products.
Beer Beer is alcoholic beverage made by brewing of
fermenting cereals mash, especially malted barley,
usually with the addition of hops as a flavoring agent
(bitter taste) and as a stabilizer. A great many beers
are brewed across the globe. Local traditions will give
beers different names, giving the impression of a
multitude of different styles. However, the basics of
brewing beer are shared across national and cultural
boundaries. Ale and Lager are two main types of
Beer. These are clear and sparklng. Another beer is
stout which is stronger and coloured.
Wine Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced through the
partial or total fermentation of grapes. Other fruits and
plants, such as berries, apples, cherries, dandelions,
elder-berries, palm, honey and rice can also be
fermented. Some popular type of wine are Table
wine, Sangria, Sparkling wine, Champagne, Fortified
wine, Port, Sherry, Vermouth etc.
the feed stock in the absence of oxygen, to form alcohol and carbon
dioxide; method for production of ethanol, wine, and beer. Lowalcohol-
content drinks are produced by fermentation of sugar or
starch-containing products, and high-alcohol ones are produced by
distillation of these low alcohol products.
Beer Beer is alcoholic beverage made by brewing of
fermenting cereals mash, especially malted barley,
usually with the addition of hops as a flavoring agent
(bitter taste) and as a stabilizer. A great many beers
are brewed across the globe. Local traditions will give
beers different names, giving the impression of a
multitude of different styles. However, the basics of
brewing beer are shared across national and cultural
boundaries. Ale and Lager are two main types of
Beer. These are clear and sparklng. Another beer is
stout which is stronger and coloured.
Wine Wine is an alcoholic beverage produced through the
partial or total fermentation of grapes. Other fruits and
plants, such as berries, apples, cherries, dandelions,
elder-berries, palm, honey and rice can also be
fermented. Some popular type of wine are Table
wine, Sangria, Sparkling wine, Champagne, Fortified
wine, Port, Sherry, Vermouth etc.
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