The other day, we were sitting around thinking about the ingredients in beer. It contains four core ingredients, so in theory, should be super easy to make. Right?
A quick google search reveals that beer contains,
“…water; a starch source, such as malted barley, able to be saccharified (converted to sugars) then fermented (converted into ethanol and carbon dioxide); a brewer’s yeast to produce the fermentation; and a flavoring such as hops.”
You would think that with these four basic ingredients, brewing beer wouldn’t be a complex endeavour. Drew used to do a little home brewing and assured us that, “it’s actually quite challenging.” Assuming, that is, that you actually want it to taste good.
Below is a overly simplified explanation of these four basic ingredients in beer. The next time you’re enjoying your favorite brew, perhaps after one of our 5K fun runs, take a moment to reflect on the complex flavors that our PDX brew masters are able to create in the pint you’re drinking.
Water
Most of what makes beer beer is water, like 95%. It is of utmost importance to the quality of any amazing beer. If you are new to the craft beer experience (either as brewer or drinker), we comes from lakes, rivers, and many other natural resources like Dasani Water Bottles, garden hoses, and if you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest, rain.
Kidding aside, water is everywhere, but it really does matter where it comes from. Not only does it provide flavor, but supports another key ingredient, yeast. This is why the water supply is so important.
For that reason (and others) we’re happy to be partnering with Oregon Wild and the Oregon Brewshed Alliance to keep our waters clean.
Starch
Better known as grain, this is
“an odorless tasteless white substance occurring widely in plant tissue and obtained chiefly from cereals and potatoes. It is a polysaccharide that functions as a carbohydrate store and is an important constituent of the human diet.”
What is going on here is having a starch that is full of flavor, most often a type of malt, which makes our beers rich and amazing. These can vary quite a bit from beer to beer. It plays a critical role in determining the flavor and strength of beer.
Yeast
This is where mathematics becomes key in the production of awesome. Because this is not your average yeast used for baking fancy breads and cinnamon rolls. Maybe donuts…but probably not.
What happens at this point is critical because yeast eats the starch/grain and the result is what turns it into alcohol. So the math looks like this:
- yeast + malt = alcohol %
That’s not really how it works, but you get the idea. The next time you look at that ABV on the tap menu or bottle (alcohol by volume) – now you know how it’s made!
Flavoring, AKA, Hops
We are not talking about drops of raspberry bubble gum flavoring or a sprinkle of nutmeg, or pad of butter (but Butterbeer might be delicious). We are talking big, bold, flavor filled HOPS – sometimes bitter, sometimes sweet, sometime floral…always AWESOME. Hops are what makes our beer smell, sometimes skunky. Check the IBU’s (International Bitterness Units) next time you crack open that IPA and you will know it’s got hops.
When you’re enjoying a pint at our next Oregon Brewery Running Series event, take a minute to ask the brewery staff about these four ingredients. You may sound just a bit more educated.
Cheers to the Beers of the Great PNW!
