There is nothing like enjoying a home-made beer. At Betwixt beer we know that proud feeling, what you need and how you do it. From the same passion as you, we once started brewing beer ourselves. By learning, experimenting, tasting and trying, we have come to the most beautiful beer brews. Now we help you to brew your own masterpiece. Feel free to embark on an adventure with us and other homebrewers. Choose your requirements such as ingredients, brewing materials and start brewing beer yourself! We also have the necessary beer brewing equipment for you, such as brewing kettles. Also read our beer recipes.
Index
What is beer?
Beer is a natural product that is made from water, grain, hops and yeast. The brewing of beer is based on an old and simple principle, which can be described briefly, but requires practical skill in practice. In short, the brewing process extracts natural sugars from “malted” grains using hot water.
The process of brewing beer described in detail:
Malts determine the beer’s taste
The first step in the brewing process is called malting, which determines the taste of the beer. To make brewing barley suitable for brewing beer, it is first malted. This means that the barley first soaks in water. When the grain has completely filled up, it has the opportunity to germinate in warm rooms. The grain then forms enzymes (a certain type of protein) that are able to convert the starch present into sugars. These sugars cause alcohol and carbon dioxide to form later in the process, with the addition of yeast. Once the barley has germinated, the cereal grains are dried at high temperature to stop the germination process. The result is called malt. The higher the drying temperature, the darker the malt. The color of the malt also determines the color of the beer. Moreover, the malt has an important influence on the final taste of the beer.
Mashing
The brewer grinds the malt and mixes it with warm water. In the “batter” that is created in this way, the enzymes in the malt become active again and the starch present further breaks down into sugars. Those sugars dissolve in the water. When all starch has been converted, the brewer filters the liquid on the chaff of the barley. The clear liquid that is created in this way is called “wort”. The solid particles that are left behind are called trot or bundle. After mashing, the wort and trot are separated by filtration. The sugars in the wort are later converted to alcohol during fermentation.
Cook
The wort goes into the brewing kettle and is brought to the boil. The hops are added during cooking to give the beer its distinctive aroma. After cooking, it is important to cool the beer as soon as possible before fermentation.
Yeasts
There are two different ways to ferment beer. When the fermentation takes place at room temperature, the yeast rises slowly. The yeast floats on the beer like a blanket. This method is called “high fermentation” or “top fermentation.” When the temperature is kept low, the yeast drops. This is also called “bottom fermentation” or “low fermentation.” Our famous beer is a fermented beer. During the fermentation process the yeast converts the sugars present into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Mature
When the brewing process is complete, the beer must mature for a few days to weeks before it is ready to drink. Please Enjoy!