Question

What is the role of malting in beer production?

What are the starch degrading enzymes? Where do they come from?

What is wort?   

Where is the flavor developed in beer?

What happens during kilning?

What is the role of sugars and carbohydrates

How is protein a problem in beer quality?

What enzymes are important in brewing?

What is cold filtration?

What is Ale?

What are the starting materials for beer production?

What is a beer adjunct? And what is its role?

What exactly is hops? Is it essential to brewing beer?

Answer 1

1. Malting is a process that turns barley and other grains into a brewing ingredient. Different grains can be used and there is even a range of types of barley.Malted grains are able to provide the fermentable sugars that give the amber drop the sweet flavour typically at the forefront of every sip.Through the malting process, the insoluble fibre present in the beer's main ingredients is able to be turned to soluble starch. This reduces the complex proteins found in the mix and generates the nutrients to promote yeast development and enzyme production.

2.Raw starch degrading enzymes (RSDE) refer to enzymes that can directly degrade raw starch granules below the gelatinization temperature of starch. These promising enzymes can significantly reduce energy and simplify the process in starch industry. RSDE are ubiquitous and produced by plants, animals, and microorganisms. However, microbial sources are the most preferred one for large-scale production.

3.Wort is “beer starter” — comprised of malt extract (from grain mash) and water. That’s it. Generally, brewers will take it to the next level with their preferred flavorings and different kinds of hops. Then you bring the whole business to a steady boil for an hour until the hot break point, when the proteins in the wort gather visibly and you can be sure they won’t add any off-flavors to your brew. You can try a nifty little ingredient called whirlfloc to help further clarify the beer at this point. The wort cools before adding the yeast that ferments the liquid into beer (cooling is important for not killing the yeast; you need it). Bottom Line: if the wort is good, the finished product will be too.

4.Primary fermentation is the process by which most of the sugar is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas, and a vast array of flavor compounds — some of which are undesirable — are formed.Flavor development is the process in which mature beer flavors develop and green beer flavors — such as diacetyl, acetaldehyde and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) — are reduced.

5.In the first stage of kilning, a high flow of dry air at 50 °C (120 °F) for lager malt and 65 °C (150 °F) for ale malt is maintained through a bed of green malt. This lowers the moisture content from 45 to 25 percent. A second stage of drying removes more firmly bound water, the temperature rising to 70–75 °C (160–170 °F) and the moisture content falling to 12 percent. In the final curing stage, the temperature is raised to 75–90 °C (170–195 °F) for lager and 90–105 °C (195–220 °F) for ale. The finished malt is then cooled and screened to remove rootlets.

6.The primary function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body, especially the brain and the nervous system. An enzyme called amylase helps break down carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar), which gives your body energy.Sugar performs a variety of functions in food products, in addition to providing a sweet taste and flavour. Sugar is used as a preservative, in products such as jams and jellies, and acts to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Sugar is used in baked goods, like cakes, to hold moisture and prevent the staleness that occurs when these foods dry out.

7. Malting barley with a high protein content results in lower extracts for the brewer. It also slows down water uptake during steeping, potentially affecting final malt quality. A very low protein level, on the other hand, results in a lack of enzymes necessary to modify the barley kernel and to break down the starch during brewing. Each brewer defines the malt protein level that’s best for them based on their process, their yeast and the type of beer they’re making.

8.The malting process develops enzymes that reduce starches and proteins during malting and mashing, which helps create better clarity, head retention and body.Two primary enzymes are important:alpha- and beta-amylase.Alpha-amylase breaks down large, complex, insoluble starch molecules into smaller, soluble molecules for the beta-amylase. It is stable in hot, watery mashes and will convert starch to soluble sugars in a temperature range from 145°F to 158°F.Beta-amylase is the other mash enzyme capable of breaking down starches and creating soluble sugars. After the alpha-amylase enzymes create smaller soluble molecules, the beta-amylase enzymes create most of the fermentable sugars by breaking down starch to create maltose, glucose and maltose.

9. Cold Filtration is used for a filtering process in which the beer is chilled so the protein molecules clump together and so are easier to filter out. Breweries tend to differentiate cold filtered beers from those that have been heat pasteurised.

10. There are two basic types of beer: ales and lagers. Ales came first, and are considered one of the oldest beverage humans have produced. Ale is a type of beer defined by the type of yeast strain it uses.Ale is brewed using warm fermentation. The yeast gathers on the top of the fermentation tank during the brewing process, which is relatively short. This process allows for more flavor and sweetness.

11. Beer is made from just 4 main ingredients. By varying these ingredients, brewers develop the uniqueness in their beers. These are: Water, Malt, Hopes, Yeast ( Ale Yeast or Lager Yeast ).

12.The standard definition of adjunct is "something joined or added to another thing but not essentially a part of it." The role of adjuncts, which have been used in beer since it was first brewed, is to enhance one or another characteristic that the four essential contribute to beer. Some increase the original amount of sugar in the wort. Other adjuncts are used to add a unique flavor or aroma to beer. Certain adjuncts are even used to alter the way that beer ferments. Many styles of beer rely on adjuncts.

13. Hops are one of the basic ingredients in beer brewing - the others being grain, yeast, and water. Hops contain an essential oil with a very bitter flavor. This bitterness counters the sweetness from the malt to create a more balanced beer, and it also acts as a preservative. Beer makers can play with the ratio of sweet maltiness to bitterness in the final beer by adjusting the type of hops used in the brewing, when they're added to the wort, and how long they're boiled.