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Thursday, July 15, 2010

Beer kegs - what they are and what they do

A keg is a cylindrical container, usually constructed of aluminium, steel or wood. It is commonly used to store, transport, and serve draught beer. Other alcoholic or non-alcoholic drinks, carbonated or non-carbonated, may be housed in a keg as well. Such liquids are generally kept under pressure.

Malting cereal grains for beer production

Malting is a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate by soaking in water and are then quickly halted from germinating further by drying/heating with hot air. Malting is a combination of two processes: the sprouting process and the kiln-drying process. These latter terms are often preferred when referring to the field of brewing for batches of beer or other beverages as they provide more specific information.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Beer Brewing - this is how it's made

Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains) in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BC, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Beer - just what is it?

Beer, according to Wikipedia, is the world's most widely consumed and probably oldest alcoholic beverage, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlors, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer.

The basics of brewing beer are shared across national and cultural boundaries. Beers are commonly categorized into two main types - the globally popular pale lagers, and the regionally distinct ales, which are further categorized into other varieties such as pale ale, stout and brown ale.