The Science of Brewing and Impact of Ingredients

Science may be the last thing that comes to your mind when you are appreciating an ice cold beer on a hot day, but it is always good to know what you are enjoying is made of.

The science behind brewing is all about the type, flavors, and how alcoholic the beer is. To know about the brewing process, we have to first look into the main ingredients that are utilized in making the beer.

The main ingredients for brewing are,

1. Malted grains
2. Water
3. Yeast
4. Hops

These four ingredients are everything you will need to make a beer. The ratio, combination, and process may vary on the brewer. And that is what makes every beer taste unique.

If you are curious about hops, they are the flowers of the famous hops plant. Hops are used in your brew to construct the flavor profile.

All of the ingredients mentioned above are mixed according to a ratio determined by the brewer and boiled for a specific amount of time. Once the boiling ends, it is then filtered very carefully and sent to fermentation. And this is where the magic happens.

Impact of the ingredients on the brewing process

The mineral contents of the water source can make a big difference in the outcome of the brewing. The yeast metabolizes the sugar in your brew depending on the hardness of the mineral.

For a toastier and caramel like taste, the grains are roasted more than usual before the fermentation process. Darker roasted grains result in a darker beer due to the increased number of the degraded glucose molecules.

Hops on the other hand are the main driver behind the flavor of the modern beer we enjoy. Without hops, there will be less surface tension that allows bubbles to be trapped on top of the beer. It will also reduce the bitter taste.

Yeast is the main element to make your beer alcoholic and carbonated in the fermentation process. During the fermentation, the yeast makes the glucose in the brew become alcohol and carbon dioxide.

The other factors that can control the alcohol content on your brew are,

• Mineral content
• Temperature
• Aeration
• Length of the fermentation process

The brewers closely inspect and control all these variables and many other complex processes to get the best flavor that they want out of the beer.

So, the next time you enjoy a cold one, you can be proud to know the process behind making it.

Beer and food pairing

Here is a list of some of the best beer and food pairing that you can enjoy. You can also play around with the pairing to find the one that suits you the most.

Wheat beer and scotch egg

The scotch egg is a boiled egg, wrapped around with minced pork meat and deep-fried to perfection. The flavor it offers is beautifully meaty, rich, and a mouthful. And the best pairing for any egg dishes, especially a scotch egg is the German Hefeweizen or wheat beer.

Photo By honestbrew

One of our favorites is the Wu gang chops the tree. It is brewed with bay leaf, giving it a refreshing flavor with every sip. It is light and offers just enough flavor to stand up to the big flavor of the egg.

And the natural sweet wheat beer flavor works exceptionally to compliment the rich flavor of the pork.

Ale and spicy buffalo wings or steaks

Ale has a relatively fruity and bitter flavor profile that is bold and rich. And to stand up to the strong spices of buffalo wings or steaks, they are the perfect beer.

The fruity and deep flavor works beautifully to cut down the overpowering spice and creates a perfect combination of moth cleansing palate.

Smoked beer and duck breast

Photo By Kegerator

Duck has a very meaty flavor that is closer to red meat than bird meat. And to complement the meaty flavor of the duck you need a meat beer. The meatiest beer around is the smoked beer style Rauchbier.

Smoked beer is really rich in smoky flavor and almost tastes like liquid bacon. When you pair a strong beer like the smoked beer, you want to take a sip every time and have a bite of the duck.

Lager beer and olives

Olive is one of the most common bar snacks and the most difficult to pair. It is because olives are at the same time salty, bitter, tangy and not to mention oily. And to compliment all those you will need something fresh and clean like the lager beer.

Lager is something easy to drink offering a clean and crisp flavor. And it works well with olives because they are extremely different and compliments each other perfectly.

Here are some delicious foods you can have with beer.