Home Brew
Feb 16,2008
Beer making began in ancient times. Barley, one of
the staple grains of the time, when wetted allowed to germinate and then dried
would produce a sweeter less perishable product. This is called malted
barley. Flours, breads, and porridges
were made to taste better using the malted barley. At some point someone had to
allow the flour, bread, or porridge to be left out in the rain. The dissolved
sugars and starches were fair game for yeast in the air, and soon the yeasts
began to ferment the malt soup. Then somebody tasted it…. and caught a buzz.
However the process the first beer was brewed.
Human activity has an influence on beer styles. Bock
beer is a strong beer that gained favor with royalty and was transported great
distances for their pleasure. Its high alcohol content prevented the beer from
spoiling. The India Pale Ale was a style produced for the British troops while
they occupied India for the same reasons. High alcohol and hop content
preserved it for long transports, which was different from the low-alcohol
content beers brewed for local consumption. Economic factors and ingredient
shortages have also influenced the different styles of beers. Wartime
priorities were giving to feeding troops, a shortage of grains resulted in a
shortage of beer and more diluted products were produced. Taxation in certain
countries has also influenced the product. Guinness Stout is a prime example.
The more alcohol in a beer, the more it is taxed. In Ireland the G-stout
although good, does not exceed 3 percent. The G-Stout made for export is taxed
at a lower rate and therefore has a higher content. I’ve heard that Guinness is
a lot more popular around the world than it is in Ireland. America’s typical
beer is a light colored, light bodied pilsner-lager beer. Before prohibition
beers brewed in America were variations of what was being brewed around the
world. Most of the microbreweries didn’t survive prohibition, larger breweries
surfaced after 1933. They scraped the richer styles of beer in search of
product that would appeal more to women. WWII brought on more depletion of
resources to fuel the war machine, and there were more women drinkers left at
home. Our climate and the agricultural abundance of corn and rice have made Bud
the King of Beers here. Mass marketing has limited the choices here in the US
and has had a definite influence on the American style of beer.
Ingredients
Four essential ingredients for used to make beer.
1.
Water
2.
Fermentable
sugars (traditionally malted barley)
3.
Hops
4.
Yeast
Malted Barley, is barley steeped in water under
controlled conditions until it begins to sprout. The germinated barley is then
dried and is known as malted barley. Malting develops sugars, soluble starches
and other characteristics needed for brewing.
Hops, a green cone-line flower that grows on vines,
have been used to brew beer for over 200 years. It provides the bitterness to
balance the sweetness. Hops also inhibits spoilage and enhances head retention.
Yeast converts the bittersweet “tea” to beer.
Water is self-explanatory. Good water makes good
beer. Gypsum is being added to the water for hardness, but chlorine is out.
The malted barley we are using today is a malt
extract. It has been cooked up and the water has been evaporated out to leave
us the thick syrup we’ll be using. This is also available in dry malt where all
the water has been evaporated leaving a powder. It is also available pre-hopped
so all you do is boil it off and add the yeast.
We are going to be brewing Irish Chocolate Stout.
Although there are brews that include chocolate or cocoa products, our brew
gets it’s name from other ingredients and we will not be using chocolate. The
grains we are using have been roasted for longer periods of time giving a dark
color and stronger flavor.
Malts we are using:
English 2-row pale malt- Fully modified British
malt, easily converted by a single temperature mash. Preferred by many brewers
for authentic English ales. This malt has undergone higher kilning than
Domestic 2 Row.
Crystal malt- Dark Crystal will lend a complex sharp
caramel flavor and aroma to beers. Used in smaller quantities this malt will
add color and slight sweetness to beers, while heavier concentrations are well
suited to strong beers.
Chocolate malt- Being the least roasted of the black
malts, Chocolate malt will add a dark color and pleasant roast flavor. Small
quantities lend a nutty flavor and deep, ruby red color while higher amounts
lend a black color and smooth, roasted flavor.
Black patent malt- The darkest of all malts, use
sparingly to add deep color and roast-charcoal flavor. Use no more than 1 to
3%. Best used in trace amounts only, for color.
Hops we are using:
Fuggle- Pleasant bittering and a slightly fruity
flavor & aroma make this one of the worlds most popular and versatile Ale
hops. These are what we are using for the bittering hops..
Willamette- Nice bittering with a light, fruity flavor &
aroma. An extremely versatile hop. A triploid hybrid of English Fuggle. These
are what we are using for the finishing hops.
Irish Moss - A marine algae, Chrondus crispus, that is used
during wort boiling to enhance the hot break. Also known as carrageen. This is
for final clarity of the finished beer.
Procedure
Number one concern when brewing is sanitation. Minimizing contact with air is needed to insure a quality brew. Natural yeast in the air, water contaminates, and un-sanitized equipment can lend nasty flavors to the brew and we will be trying to eliminate this from the mix. I use an oxy cleaner during the process. We will be using bottled water to avoid chlorine. I will try to explain each step of the process as we go along. We will be using a two-stage fermentation process to give the beer clarity. At the end of the day, we will put the wort in the fermenter, fold in the yeast and close the container. I will explain what happens next at that time. Let’s get started.
The wort is what the mixture is called throughout the cooking process. Once the fermentation has begun through the bottling process we’ll call it beer.