Portal:Beer/Sandbox

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The Beer Portal

Introduction

P:Beer

Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Beer is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The fermentation of the starch sugars in the wort produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation.

Some of the earliest writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating it, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, a recipe for it.

Beer is distributed in bottles and cans and is also commonly available on draught, particularly in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Beer forms part of the culture of many nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as activities like pub crawling, pub quizzes, and pub games. (Full article...)

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Image 1
A glass of real ale from an English pub

Ale is a type of beer, brewed using a warm fermentation method. In mediaeval England, the term referred to a drink brewed without hops.

As with most beers, ale typically has a bittering agent to balance the malt and act as a preservative. Ale was originally bittered with gruit, a mixture of herbs or spices boiled in the wort before fermentation, before hops replaced gruit as the bittering agent. (Full article...)
Image 2
A beer assortment sold in Bali, Indonesia; Carlsberg, Bali Hai, Bintang and Anker Beer.

Beer in Asia began when beer was produced in Sumer, Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq) circa 6000 years ago. It was introduced by Europeans in the 19th century, with modern breweries established in British India, the Dutch East Indies (today Indonesia), China, and Japan. Asia's first modern brewery was established in 1830 in India entirely using European brewing technology.

Today, beer brewing is a growing industry in Asia. China has been the world's largest beer producer since 2001. Asia is the largest beer-producing region in the world since 2009. In 2013, Asian top beer producing countries were China (46.5 million kiloliters), Japan (5.5 million kiloliters), Vietnam (3.1 million kiloliters), Thailand (2.3 million kiloliters), South Korea (2 million kiloliters) and India (1.9 million kiloliters). (Full article...)
Image 3
A dark amber American-brewed pale ale

Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared in England around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Different brewing practices and hop quantities have resulted in a range of tastes and strengths within the pale ale family. (Full article...)
Image 4

Kölsch served in the traditional 200-millilitre (6.8 US fl oz) Stange glass

Kölsch (German pronunciation: [kœlʃ]) is a style of beer originating in Cologne (Köln), Germany. It has an original gravity between 11 and 14 degrees Plato (specific gravity of 1.044 to 1.056). In appearance, it is bright and clear with a straw-yellow hue.

Since 1997, the term "Kölsch" has had a protected geographical indication (PGI) within the European Union, indicating a beer that is made within 50km (31mi) of the city of Cologne and brewed according to the Kölsch Konvention as defined by the members of the Cologne Brewery Association (Kölner Brauerei-Verband). Kölsch is one of the most strictly defined beer styles in Germany: according to the Konvention, it is a pale, highly attenuated, hoppy, bright (i.e. filtered and not cloudy) top-fermenting beer, and must be brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot. (Full article...)
Image 5
Bottles of beers from several Canadian-based breweries placed on a table being used to play beer pong

Beer was introduced to Canada by European settlers in the seventeenth century. The first commercial brewery was La Brasseries du Roy started by New France Intendant Jean Talon, in Québec City in 1668. Many commercial brewers thrived until prohibition in Canada. The provincial and federal governments' attempt to eliminate "intoxicating" beverages led to the closing of nearly three quarters of breweries between 1878 and 1928. It was only in the second half of the twentieth century that a significant number of new breweries opened up. The Canadian beer industry now plays an important role in Canadian identity, although globalization of the brewing industry has seen the major players in Canada acquired by or merged with foreign companies, notably its three largest beer producers: Labatt, Molson and Sleeman. The result is that Moosehead, with an estimated 3.8 percent share of the domestic market in 2016, has become the largest fully Canadian-owned brewer.

Beer sales have been sluggish overall in volume and in growth in industry revenue as other beverages have increased in popularity. Growth in revenue for beer makers averaged 1.3 per cent per year during 2011-2016; the estimated annual growth over the subsequent five years is only 0.4 percent per annum. Nonetheless, the number of licensed breweries in Canada increased from 310 in 2010 to 640 in 2015. Many of these are small operations since there were only 30 large (making over 7.5 million litres per year) breweries in 2015. (Full article...)
Image 6

Liefman's oud bruin

Oud Bruin (Old Brown), also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of beer originating from the Flemish region of Belgium. The Dutch name refers to the long aging process, up to a year. It undergoes a secondary fermentation, which takes several weeks to a month, and is followed by bottle aging for several more months. The extended aging allows residual yeast and bacteria to develop a sour flavor characteristic for this style. Usually, cultured yeast and bacteria are used, as stainless steel equipment does not harbor wild organisms as wood does. (Full article...)
Image 7
A bag of wheat, often used as an adjunct

In brewing, adjuncts are unmalted grains (such as barley, wheat, maize, rice, rye, and oats) or grain products used in brewing beer which supplement the main mash ingredient (such as malted barley). This is often done with the intention of cutting costs, but sometimes also to create an additional feature, such as better foam retention, flavours or nutritional value or additives. Both solid and liquid adjuncts are commonly used. (Full article...)
Image 8
Wooden firkin from Bass Brewery, Burton upon Trent

The Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW), founded in 1963, is the oldest consumer-based group interested in stimulating the brewing of, increasing the awareness of, and encouraging the drinking of traditional cask ale. The Society also supports and encourages the use of wooden casks for beer dispense. (Full article...)
Image 9

Barley wines range in colour from translucent deep amber, to cloudy mahogany (left), to near opaque black (right).

Barley wine (often stylised barleywine) is a strong ale from 6–12% alcohol by volume. (Full article...)
Image 10
Founders Curmudgeon old ale

Old ale is a form of strong ale. The term is commonly applied to dark, malty beers in England, generally above 5% ABV, and also to dark ales of any strength in Australia. It is sometimes associated with stock ale or, archaically, keeping ale, in which the beer is held at the brewery. In modern times, the line has blurred between Old Ale and Barley wine. (Full article...)
Image 11
Pilsner Urquell, the world's first pale lager and ancestor of today's Pilsners

Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (German: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewery. (Full article...)
Image 12
Hop flower in a hop yard in the Hallertau, Germany

Hops are the flowers (also called seed cones or strobiles) of the hop plant Humulus lupulus, a member of the Cannabaceae family of flowering plants. They are used primarily as a bittering, flavouring, and stability agent in beer, to which, in addition to bitterness, they impart floral, fruity, or citrus flavours and aromas. Hops are also used for various purposes in other beverages and herbal medicine. The hops plants have separate female and male plants, and only female plants are used for commercial production. The hop plant is a vigorous, climbing, herbaceous perennial, usually trained to grow up strings in a field called a hopfield, hop garden (in the South of England), or hop yard (in the West Country and United States) when grown commercially. Many different varieties of hops are grown by farmers around the world, with different types used for particular styles of beer.

The first documented use of hops in beer is from the 9th century, though Hildegard of Bingen, 300 years later, is often cited as the earliest documented source. Before this period, brewers used a "gruit", composed of a wide variety of bitter herbs and flowers, including dandelion, burdock root, marigold, horehound (the old German name for horehound, Berghopfen, means "mountain hops"), ground ivy, and heather. Early documents include mention of a hop garden in the will of Charlemagne's father, Pepin the Short. (Full article...)
$Image 13 Ice beer is a beer that has undergone some degree of freezing during production. These beers generally have a higher alcohol content, and lower price relative to it. The process of "icing" beer involves lowering the temperature until ice crystals form. Since ethanol has a much lower freezing point (-114 °C; -173.2 °F) than water (0 °C; 32 °F), when the ice is removed the alcohol concentration of the beer increases. The process is known as fractional freezing or freeze distillation. (Full article...)$

Image 13
Ice beer is a beer that has undergone some degree of freezing during production. These beers generally have a higher alcohol content, and lower price relative to it.

The process of "icing" beer involves lowering the temperature until ice crystals form. Since ethanol has a much lower freezing point (-114 °C; -173.2 °F) than water (0 °C; 32 °F), when the ice is removed the alcohol concentration of the beer increases. The process is known as fractional freezing or freeze distillation. (Full article...)
Image 14
A beer sommelier tapping a barrel for a taste at Nebraska Brewing Company

A beer sommelier, also known as a cicerone in the United States, is a trained professional, working in the hospitality and alcoholic beverage industry, who specializes in the service and knowledge of beer, similar to a traditional wine sommelier. The knowledge required for certification includes an understanding of styles, brewing, ingredients, history of beer and brewing, glassware, beer service, draught systems, beer tasting, and food pairings. The profession is relatively new but growing. (Full article...)
Image 15
Bergenhus microbrewery, Bergen, Norway

Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer, than larger "macro" breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.

The microbrewery movement began in both the United States and United Kingdom in the 1970s, although traditional artisanal brewing existed in Europe for centuries and subsequently spread to other countries. As the movement grew, and some breweries expanded their production and distribution, the more encompassing concept of craft brewing emerged. A brewpub is a pub that brews its own beer for sale on the premises. (Full article...)

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Lucky Buddha Beer bottle, showing distinctive shape

Lucky Buddha Beer (Chinese: 乐开啤酒) is a beer brewed and bottled at the Qiandao Lake, China. It was introduced in July 2010, and is made from malt, hops, rice and water from this region delivering an Asian style lager. The flavor is an earthy malt with citrus features with notes of lemon, grapefruit, wheat, honey that combines together for a crisp taste. (Full article...)

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Peter Austin, (18 July 1921 – 1 January 2014) was a British brewer. He founded Ringwood Brewery and was a co-founder and first chairman of the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA). He built some 140 new breweries in the UK and 16 other countries. (Full article...)

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... that a beer named after the barley variety Golden Promise was not brewed using the variety?
... that Abeer Odeh was the first woman to serve as Minister of National Economy in Palestine?
... that brewer Sophie de Ronde is allergic to most beer?
... that at the 1965 World Pentathlon Championships, Herbert Polzhuber was said to have drunk ten beers and a bottle of cognac before firing his pistol at the ground and passing out?
... that the patu clubs on the New Zealand threepence were compared to bottles of ginger beer?
... that 100 beerhouses were licensed in Brighton (population 40,000) in the first week after the Beerhouse Act 1830 was enacted?

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General images

The following are images from various beer- and brewing-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A 16th-century brewery (from Brewing)
Image 2Bill Urquhart at Litchborough Brewery (from Craft beer)
Image 3Spontaneous fermentation at Timmermans in Belgium (from Brewing)
Image 4Brew kettles at Brasserie La Choulette in France (from Brewing)
Image 5Great Leap Brewing operates a chain of brewpubs in China (from Craft beer)
Image 6Gambrinus – king of beer (from History of beer)
Image 7Steamworks Brewing, Vancouver (from Craft beer)
Image 8Cask ales with gravity dispense at a beer festival (from Brewing)
Image 9The Caledonian Brewery, founded in 1869, Edinburgh, Scotland (from History of beer)
Image 10Conditioning tanks at Anchor Brewing Company (from Brewing)
Image 11Dogo Beer from Minakuchi-shuzō microbrewery in Matsuyama, Japan (from Craft beer)
Image 12A hydrometer measures beer's specific gravity (from History of beer)
Image 13Diatomaceous earth, used to create a filtration bed (from Brewing)
Image 14Craft brewing at Allagash in Portland, Maine (from Craft beer)
Image 15Bottling beer in a modern facility, 1945, Australia (from History of beer)
Image 16The Alulu beer receipt records a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BC from the Sumerian city of Umma in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq). (from Brewing)
Image 17A can of Juicy Ass IPA from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, Ontario, Canada (from Craft beer)
Image 18A selection of French craft beers (from Craft beer)
Image 19Bergenhus microbrewery, Bergen, Norway (from Craft beer)
Image 20A funerary model of a bakery and brewery, from the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, c. 2009–1998 BCE (from History of beer)
Image 21Yeast ring used by Swedish homebrewers in the 19th century to preserve the yeast between brewing sessions. (from History of beer)
Image 22World beer consumption per capita (from History of beer)
Image 23Lauter tun (from Brewing)
Image 24Spent grain, a brewing by-product (from Brewing)
Image 25Smoked beer from the Schlenkerla brewpub in Bamberg, Germany (from Craft beer)
Image 26Mexican craft beer from Tequixquiac in Zumpango Region (from Craft beer)
Image 27Malted barley before kilning or roasting (from Brewing)
Image 28Irish Craft Beer Festival, 2015 (from Craft beer)
Image 29Hop cone grown in a hop field, Hallertau, Germany (from Brewing)
Image 30Zoigl beers from the communal brewhouses of Oberpfalz in Germany (from Craft beer)
Image 31Põhjala Brewery, Estonia (from Craft beer)
Image 32Traditional fermenting building (center) and modern fermenting building (left) in Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Czech Republic) (from History of beer)
Image 33Casks of real ale from British microbreweries at a beer festival (from Craft beer)
Image 34Robohop, a session IPA from Cervisiam in Oslo, Norway (from Craft beer)
Image 35A growler of beer from Flounder Brewing, a nanobrewery in New Jersey, US (from Craft beer)
Image 36Microbreweries, regional breweries, and brew pubs per capita (from Craft beer)
Image 37A mash tun at the Bass Museum in Burton-upon-Trent (from Brewing)
Image 38Open vessels showing fermentation taking place (from Brewing)
Image 39A 16th-century brewery (from History of beer)
Image 40D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the US, established in 1829. It is also the largest craft brewer, and the 6th largest brewing company overall. (from Craft beer)
Image 41A replica of ancient Egyptian beer, brewed from emmer wheat by the Courage brewery in 1996 (from History of beer)
Image 42Rock mortars in Raqefet Cave, used to make beer during the Stone Age. (from History of beer)
Image 43Philistine pottery beer jug (from History of beer)
Image 44Alulu beer receipt recording a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BCE, from the Sumerian city of Umma in ancient Iraq. (from History of beer)
Image 45A beer sommelier tapping a barrel for a taste at Nebraska Brewing Company (from Craft beer)
Image 46Castaña, a smoked beer with chestnuts from Cerex in Extremadura, Spain (from Craft beer)
Image 47Modern closed fermentation vessels (from Brewing)
Image 48Pasteur Street Brewing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (from Craft beer)
Image 49A yard of ale at Jolly Brewery, Taiwan (from Craft beer)