Common Ingredients in Beer and Why They Are Used

There are millions of people in this country and around the world that love Beer. Certainly, beer is a very popular alcoholic beverage that has gained in popularity over the last few years. Beers differ in taste, flavor, and color. There are the new craft beers that are made by smaller beer distributors too. The craft beers are favored by the younger beer drinkers looking for something more distinctive in their beer. Still, there are those that might wonder what makes a beer? What special ingredient are in the beer that they drink? Here are the common ingredients in beer and why they are used.

Beer Ingredients

The 4 most common ingredients in beer are grains, hops, yeast, and water. Here we break it down for you: Grains are the top ingredient in beer. Indeed, grain is one of the most valuable components in beer making. The most popular grain used is barley. The quality of the barley ultimately affects the quality of the beer. For example, the grain determines the color of the beer, grains add flavor to the beer, grains sweeten the beer, grains help create the amount of foam on the beer, and grains add the fullness and body to the beer. Clearly, without the grain additive, the beer would fall flat on several levels.

Hops is a very important ingredient. This component is responsible for providing just the right amount of bitterness to counteract the sweet flavor that is provided by the grains. Hops also provides that distinctive flavor and aroma that is attributed to beer. Certainly, a beer without hops is essentially not beer. Hops also help to increase the shelf life of a beer. Think of it as a preservative that will prolong the aroma and flavor of your favorite beer.

Yeast is a very familiar product that is used in cooking. Yeast is also a very important ingredient in beer. The yeast is responsible for helping the beer to ferment. Fermentation is the process that turns the ingredients into an alcoholic beverage.

Water is another key ingredient in beer. The quality of the water directly affects the quality of the beer. Some beers are popular specifically because some regions in the country have distinctive water that is used to produce the beer. It is important to note that beer is essentially 90 percent water. Thus, it is easy to see the large impact that water has on the beer characteristics.

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