How real ale is brewed – a simple guide
By: JimOldfield
March 26th, 2013
Brewing beer relies on the action of yeast on sugar. When yeast feeds on sugar, the result is two main by-products: carbon dioxide and… alcohol.
To begin the process, the starch in malt is converted into sugar by mashing the malt in hot water – at around 70C for an hour or so.
The resultant brown liquid is drained, or lautered, and hot water is then sprayed into the remaining malt to extract the remaining sugar. This is sparging.
The sweet liquor thus obtained is the wort – and this is then boiled for as long as two hours to kill off any bacteria and rid the brew of unwanted flavours.
The classic bitterness of the beer comes from hopping – the addition of hops, which may take place at different stages during the boil, according to the recipe being used. Hops added at the start of the brew will add bitterness, while those put in at the end will add to the hoppy aroma and character of the ale.
After boiling, the beer is rapidly cooled to 20C, using a heat exchanger – as faster cooling, improves the nature of the wort and lessens the chance of an unwanted infection.
The mixture is then pumped into the fermentation vessel, the yeast is added and fermentation then takes place over several days, after which the resultant beer is transferred to casks or bottles.
It all sounds so simple – but the devil’s in the detail, and the skill’s in the recipe… as any failed homebrew vinegar-maker will tell you!
