Many people all over the world like beer. In many countries, the tradition dates back many centuries, making beer a major part of the culture. There are many different kinds of beer, categorized by the way it is brewed and what it is made out of. This makes beer one of the most widely complex beverages in the world. Ironically, though, the process for making the many different kinds of beers is very similar; one only need look inside a beer factory to see this.

MASHING

Inside a beer factory the first thing that needs to be done is mix and mash the grains with malt and water. In modern times, this is done in a stainless steel tank. Depending on the type of beer you are making, the grains could include barley, wheat, and rice (and probably others because of the variety of specialty brands). Everything is milled, mixed, and boiled down and natural enzymes are added to break the starch into sugars, which will ferment and generate the alcohol content. The mixture is then strained which separates the spent grain husks from a clear, sweet amber liquid called wort.

BREWING

Once the mixture is strained, the wort is sent to the brew kettles. Once there, the liquid is brought to a boil where natural hops are added (for lagers). This is the “spice” or “flavor” of the beer. Depending on the recipe and the variety of hops, this step will change the fragrance and flavor of the beer. Before the beer ferments, though, the wort is pumped through another vessel, which receives it and cools it to the necessary temperature for receiving yeast.

FERMENTATION

Up until this point, the process for brewing beer inside a beer factory is exactly the same no matter what you are brewing (give or take the hops that you select for the flavors you are looking for). However, the first (of three) difference(s) between lagers and ales (which are, essentially, the two basic kinds of beers), is which kind of yeast you use. During the fermentation process, the brewer adds yeast at this point.

Lagers are made with “bottom-fermenting” strains of yeast, which sink to the bottom of the tank and ferment there. This provides a clean, crisp flavor because the yeast does not affect the flavor of the grains, malt, and hops. Lagers ferment at colder temperatures and brew for a longer period of time.

Ales are made with “top-fermenting” yeast strains. Typically, the yeast has risen to the top of the tank during the fermentation process. Top-fermenting yeast does affect the flavor of the brew. Ales ferment at warmer temperatures and brew for a short period of time.

STORING / BOTTLING

After the yeast is added and the beer is fermented it is either stored or bottled. Inside a beer factory you will find a large assembly line where the beer is put into bottles (or cans or kegs) and then either stored or further sent to the distribution area where it is shipped out to warehouses, liquor stores, grocery stores, and pubs.

There’s only one thing better than beer and that’s the ability to brew your own. How to make your own beer can be easier than you think. Brewing your own puts you in control, allowing you to add the flavors that you like the most. Whether you choose to make a lager, an ale, or a port, you are the master of the brew and the next time you have a cookout, you’ll be able to wow your friends with your own beer.

Home Brewing Kits

As the fad of how to make your own beer has grown into a hobby, many companies are creating home brewing kits to make it much easier for the home brewer to create their masterpiece. Many of the home kits include a barrel to allow the beer to ferment and bottles and caps for the bottling process. Some kits include the ingredients, which allow you to go through the process a few times before you decide to create variations.

The Process

The process will vary just a little bit depending on whether you are making your own from scratch or using a kit. Your basic ingredients will include:

• Water
• Barley
• Hops
• Yeast

The water and barley are combined in a pot and wort is created. The wort is the sweet liquid that forms as the fermentable sugar leaves the barley and combines with the water. Once this liquid is strained it is then boiled and hops are added. More boiling goes on and then the hops are removed and the liquid is cooled.

How to make your own beer will vary a little depending upon what kind you want to make. The kind of yeast you add to the cooled wort will give you ale or lager. When you add the yeast to the liquid, you’ll start to have real beer. The longer the fermentation goes, the more developed the flavor of the beer will be. After a week of fermentation it will get transferred to another vessel and then another week of fermentation will need to occur. It can ferment for up to four weeks.

Bottling Your Beer

You won’t want to drink the beer right out of the fermentation tank, so once you’ve started the process of how to make your own beer, you’ll need a storage container. The easiest way to do this is buy a case of bottles and pop off plastic lids. These can be purchased at many online stores and come pre-sterilized. You can then toss the beers in the fridge to chill and be able to enjoy the brew. The bottles will also make it easier to share your concoction with your friends.

The Result

The result is a delicious brew that you can enjoy time and time again. You may never buy beer ever again! The key to having a good beer just like you’d buy is adding a little sugar to your bottle so that the yeast will continue to eat the sugar and create some carbonation. It’s shocking how easily you can learn how to make your own beer that you’ll continue to make new variations as you go.

, though the rough concept has been the same. It requires a grain and a fermentation process and different flavors can be added in. Many different fermenting barrels and machinery can also simplify the process.

Choosing the Yeast

A beer company or home brewer will need to select what kind of yeast that they’ll use. The choices are top fermenting and bottom fermenting. Once this decision is made, they will have decided whether they will make ale or lager.

The Basic Process

The process for how beer is made is actually much simpler than one would imagine. You get a bottle of beer in a restaurant and never give it a second thought as you drink it down, however it’s only comprised of four ingredients: water, hops, malted barley, and yeast go into beer and actually 95% of the beer is water. Each beer will be a slight variation but will still only use the 4 ingredients.

A brewer will need to break down the barley with hot water to release all of the fermentable sugar. The product is mashed and formed into a grist or porridge. The result is a sweet liquid called wort. Once the wort is produced, it will be clarified through another process called lautering. The result is a clear liquid that is full of all of the extracted sugar. The wort is then boiled and the hops are added. The hops will vary slightly depending upon the beer and they may be added early into the process or towards the end of the boil. At this point, the wort can be tasted too.

The next step for how beer is made is the addition of the yeast. The hops will be removed and the yeast will be added once the wort is cool. The fermentation process happens fairly rapidly and the foaming will start to die down after the first few days. Depending upon the flavors that are being developed in the beer, the remaining process will take up to four weeks.

Bottling

The bottling process can be more complicated than the actual beer making. Once you’ve discovered how beer is made, the bottling is a whole new experience. If it’s for a large beer company, they will have machines and conveyor belts that move the bottles along a path while the beer is dispensed into each bottle. If it’s a home brewer, they can purchase bottles to bottle up their beer or sanitize and dispense it into several other containers as well.

How beer is made is a simple process, though it can be just like any other recipe. There are variations that will depend upon what kind of ingredients a brewing company adds to make it unique. Once the beer is made and the fermentation process is done, it can then be bottled into glass bottles, cans, or kegs to be shared and enjoyed by many.