“The Best Beer – Let’s Toast To Tasting Greatness!”.
When many of us think of beer, it’s hard to truly understand the vastness of craft beer production and the way styles, tastes, and ingredients can vary. It can be enjoyed by everyone, no matter where you come from. Beer has been around for centuries and has been used to celebrate, tell stories, and to justsit back and unwind. So why not take a closer look at beer and explore what makes it so refreshingly transcendent?
At its core, beer is made from a combination of grains, water, hops, and yeast. The most common grains used to make beer are barley, wheat, and oats. Additions like herbs, spices, fruits, and other grains can be used to enhance the beer’s flavor. The type of grain or combination of grains used will give the beer its base flavor, as well as body and flavor.
Water is another important component of beer production, as it makes up upwards of ninety-five percent of a beer’s ingredients. Different types of water are necessary depending on the style of beer you’re making. Water that is low in minerals is great for light beers like lagers while more mineral-rich waters are ideal for more robust beers like stouts.
Hops provide bitterness, aroma, and flavor in a beer. Hops are added during the brewing process either as dried cones or as a more concentrated liquid form. Different types of hops can also create a variety of flavor characteristics in a beer, such as citrus and floral notes.
Yeast is the element of beer production that makes it so unique. Yeast is responsible for fermentation, a process in which sugars from the grain are converted into alcohol. Different types of yeast can give a beer a variety of flavors, from fruity esters to zesty spiciness.
There are countless styles of beer, each with its own unique qualities. In general, beers fall into two categories- lagers or ales. Lagers are bottom-fermenting and tend to be light and crisp, while ales are top-fermenting and often have a more complex flavor. That said, there are subcategories and variations of each that have evolved in recent years.
No matter your beer of choice, all good brewers strive to create the best-tasting beer possible. Brewing isn’t just about following the recipe, it’s also about understanding the processes and ingredients involved to make sure that each batch is as enjoyable as the last. At the end of the day, beer is all about the taste and experience it provides. So next time you’re looking to raise a glass, remember— let’s toast to tasting greatness with the best beer!