Wednesday 16 February 2011

Ingredients for Making Beer

Ingredients for making beer are usually referred to as fermentable ingredients. Beer is primarily made up of Malted Barley, Hops, Water and Yeast. In this section I am going to explain some of the different varieties of primary ingredient available along with other beneficial additions to the basic recipes.


The ingredients used not only have effects on the flavour of the beer but also the colour of your final brew. When purchasing ingredients from your home brew shop you will notice an EBC rating on the packets. EBC stands for European Brewing Convention and the number corresponds to the colour created by that particular ingredient. The lower the number, the paler the colour.

These colour indications should be used as a rough guide as there are other factors in brewing than can have an effect on the intensity of colouring.

Malted Barley

Malted Barley is the primary ingredient to most ales and beers. It must be crushed before adding to the mash tun. The King of the Malted Barley family is Marris Otter although Pearl Malt is becoming popular with many commercial breweries.

Pale Malt is the most commonly used barley. It offers a pale golden colour through being lightly kilned by the maltster. Colour: 5 EBC

Extra Pale Malt is an even lighter version of standard Pale Malt and is becoming commonly used in light refreshing 'Summer Ales'. Colour: 2.5-3 EBC

Amber Malt is made from Mild Ale Malt, a barley with a higher nitrogen content allowing it to be kilned longer without it loosing it's fermentable properties. It has a refreshingly dry taste and a dark golden colour. Colour: 40-80 EBC

Chocolate Malt as the name suggests is a very dark malt that gives beer a dry full flavour and a dark colour and is used in many of the darker ales such as Porters and Stouts. Chocolate Malt is not just limited to being used in the mash tun but can also be added to the boiler if using the Malt Extract method of brewing.Colour: 900-1200 EBC


Mild Ale Malt is made from a barley with a higher nitrogen content allowing it to be kilned longer and develop a much darker colour than Pale Malt. Mild ale malt can be used in both the mash tun and also be added to the boiler if you are using the Malt Extract method of brewing. Colour: 7 EBC

Crystal Malt is a widely used malt in brewing and comes in several different colours, Standard, Light and Dark. The process of making crystal malt which includes wetting high-nitrogen barley and letting it soak in an enclosed vessel and then drying at high temperatures converting starches into sugars, imparts many nutty yet dry flavours. It also aids head retention of your finished brew and is also said to increase the shelf-life of the beer. Colour: Standard 150-170 EBC; Light 50-70 EBC; Dark 200-400 EBC.

CaraMalt is a sweeter, lighter version of Crystal Malt with all the benefits of head retention and body of crystal malt.

Roasted Barley is unmalted barley. The barley is roasted to a dark almost black colour and is used mainly in stouts. It has a dry burnt flavour and imparts a thick creamy head. It can be used in both the mash tun and the boiler. Colour: 1000-1400 EBC

Other Malts

Wheat Malt is primarily used in Wheat Beers giving a unique taste and body to the beer however more and more commercial brewers are using it in conjunction with traditional ingredients to produce some very palatable brews. A small addition can aid head retention in normal ales. Colour: 4 EBC

Rye Malt gives off a distinctive nutty, dry flavour to the brew and can be added to most types of beer as required. It is sold as Crystal Rye and Roasted Rye. It is a relatively new ingredient that has become commercially available to the home brewer and is worth experimenting with. Colour: 100-120 EBC; Roasted Rye Malt 800 EBC.


Cereals

These are usually made up of unmalted grains and are used for subtle flavourings, body and head retention of the beer. They add very little to the overall colouring of the beer. They are often referred to as Cereal Adjuncts.

Flaked Barley has a grainy flavour and is used a lot in stouts. It can be used sparingly in other, lighter beers but you need to be careful about not using too much as it can create a haze.

Flaked Maize imparts a subtle corn flavour to the beer and can aid clearing of the beer.

Flaked Rice adds very little flavour to the beer but does add body and aids clearing.

Torrefied Wheat is used mainly for head retention and is great for European style lagers.


Malt Extract and Dried Malt Extract

Malt Extract and Dried Malt Extract are processed malts that are created to eliminate the Mashing stage of home brewing thus saving time for the home brewer. There are many types available from your home brew shop although the use of extracts does limit the recipes available to the brewer.


Hops

Hops are a major flavouring ingredient to beer and give individual beers their particular individuality. There are many hops available to the home brewer today, many being imported from other countries. Hops add to the bitterness of the brew and also the distinctive aroma of a beer. Certain hops are used for the bitterness qualities and others are used for there aromatic qualities. Bittering hops are usually added at the start of the boil where as aroma hops are added in the last few minutes of the boil.

For a more detailed description on using hops click here.


Sugars

Sugars are essential in the creation of alcohol. Many All Grain recipes do not require any added sugars as the sugar need is extracted from the malts. However if using certain beer kits or if a recipe requires additional sugar - which is the best ?

Spray Malt is used generally as a replacement to sugar and imparts malt flavours and body to your brew. Spray Malt is often combined with dextrose or glucose and sold as a Beer Enhancer.

Glucose is a better alternative to household sugar and gives the beer a crisper taste. Ideal especially for lagers.

Lactose Sugar is an additive derived from milk and is non-fermentable. It can be used to sweeten beer and is often used in the production of wine.

Yeast

Once again there are many varieties of yeast available to the home brewer. Many home brewers through personal experience have developed a preference to the type of yeast they use and the method of pitching the yeast. Yeast comes in liquid or dried forms, some of the liquid forms include a separate yeast nutrient to enable the yeast to work fast once added to the wort. Yeasts can also be divided into two groups - top working yeasts and bottom working yeasts. Bottom working yeasts may need 'rousing' every 24hrs to keep the fermentation process working. Bottom Working yeasts are commonly used in lagers.

Beer Finings

Finings are aids to clarify the beer quickly. The majority of finings are added before bottling or barreling however 'copper' finings are added during the boiling stage to extract the unwanted proteins from the wort. The use of finings at the bottling stage is not always necessary as over time the beer should clear naturally however the use of finings can help contain any sediment in the bottle making it easy to pour.

Irish Moss is used in the boiler in small quantites (100mg per Litre) towards the end of the designated boil time. It is derived from seaweed (chondrus crispus) and assists in the coagulation of proteins that may create a haze in the finished beer.

Whirfloc and Protofloc are tablet forms of finings, again used in the boiler instead of Irish Moss. Again these 'tablets' are derived from seaweed.

Isinglass is made from the swim bladders of fish, in particular the sturgeon. The main problem with isinglass is it's poor shelf life and storage requirements. Isinglass is added to the wort before bottling or can be added to the barrel.

Gelatine Finings are easier to use and store than isinglass. It is added to the wort before bottling or barreling and has the benefit of not just clearing the beer but also compacting any sediment well at the bottom of the bottles/barrels.



Other Ingredients

Although the main structure of this site focuses on producing standard ales and beers it can be said that there are many other ingredients that can be added or substituted to create a good beer. Coriander beers have become popular, Honey Beers, Ginger Beers and Nettle Beers are all drinks that you may have come across. Once you have learnt the basics of brewing the room for experimentation is huge.

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