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Water

Beers main ingredient is water; in fact water makes up 90% of your beer. The composition of the water used in the beer can impact the final product in numerous ways. The quantity, composition, and proportion of minerals in the water require attention and can have a big effect on a brew.

Malt

Malt is likely the most important and impactful ingredient in a beer recipe. Malts are what determine a large part of the color, smell, taste, and head of the beer. Malt comes in many forms, including: Barely, Wheat, Oats, Rye, Corn, and Rice. Barely is the most commonly used due to its favorable starch to protein ratio that provides the enzymes needed during mashing.

Color: Grains are the one that determines the difference between dark and light beer by defining beer color

Light Colors

Light beer aims for a more delicate, refreshing taste over deep and complex flavors. It’s more likely to use ingredients like fruit or flowers to impact its taste during its processes.

Dark Colors

At its base, you can expect dark beers to have more barley. To achieve that more intense flavor, dark beer can also use more pungent added tastes such as coffee, chocolate, caramel, and nuts. darker beers roast for longer. The longer you roast and the more you prepare the grains, the darker your beer will be.

Hops

Hops have alpha acids, which are the most common bittering compound. They also contain beta acids, which contribute antimicrobial properties to the brew and essential oils that add aroma and flavor. They are the green cone-shaped flowers from the Humulus lupus plant. Little yellow pods called lupulin inside the flowers contain resins and essential oils that brewers boil and add to their mix. Essential oils boil off quickly, so adding the mixture as either hot or cold will make the beer taste different. A “hoppy” beer will be more bitter and have a higher IBU rating.

IBU: International Bitterness Units: Measures the relative bitterness of the beer

Low Bitterness

Beers with a lower IBU measure around 10 to 15. With approximately 35 IBU, a pleasant hop enhancement appears.

High Bitterness

Above 40 IBU, the beer has a strong character with this ingredient. Officially, the IBU index ranges from 0 to 120, theoretically, this would be the highest level of bitterness that human taste buds are able to identify, above which the difference is no longer perceived.

Yeast

Yeast is a living organism, of which there are hundreds of species. Beer brewers usually use isolated or cultivated yeasts, which means that all yeast cells are the same. This allows the brewer to best control the fermentation process.

Types: There are 2 main families of beer

Lager

Lagers are fermented using a bottom fermenting yeast at cool temperatures over a relatively long period of time

Ale

ales are fermented with a top fermenting yeast at much warmer temperatures and can be ready to drink in as little as three weeks.

The Ingredients of Beer

Water

Malt

Hops

Yeast