A simple breakdown of the home brewing process:
1) Malting - grains (usually barley) are harvested and processed to prepare for mashing.
2) Mashing - the grains are steeped to break down and
release sugars. The sweet liquid that is drained from the mash is
called wort.
3) Boiling - the wort is now boiled for 60-90 minutes. During this times hops and other spices are added.
4) Fermentaion - the wort is cooled and place in a vessel.
Active yeast is added to the mixture, then it is seal with a valve
called an airlock. The yeast ferments the sugars in the wort, creating
CO2 and alcohol. The liquid is now flat, uncarbonated beer.
5) Storage + Carbonation - the beer is now bottled. A bit
of extra sugar is added to reactivate the yeast right before bottling.
It produces additional CO2. This gas has nowhere to go, so it slowly
disolves into the liquid, thus carbonating the beer.
|
|
|
