Beer Brewing
...many different companies that brew beer, they all follow the same chief steps. The four main ingredients of barley, water, hops and yeast are combined in a fairly long process involving biochemical reactions to produce the drink. There are four basic steps: grain processing, boiling, fermentation, and finally filtering and bottling. Unfortunately, due to the alcoholic content of beer, there are also many ethical, moral and cultural concerns to do with the retail of beer. In addition, there are environmental issues about the disposal of the packaging.
The brewing of beer begins with grain processing of the first ingredient: barley. The grain is soaked in water for several days and then allowed to sprout. When the seed sprouts, enzymes are released which help convert the complex carbohydrates (nutrients/starches within the plant) into simple fermentable sugars. This is a natural process that occurs so that that plant has something to feed on before it can depend on photosynthesis. The trick to the malting is that the germination must be stopped, as the enzymes are present, but before most of the starches have been converted. The next step is kilning, where the grain is dried and roasted. The sprout is killed and the grain is given flavor and color. The intensity of the malt flavor and color is determined by how high the temperature is raised. The malt is then taken to the mill, where steamrollers crush the malted barley and separate the husks from the grain itself. This crushing allows the grain to be better exposed to the boiling water and also helps convert more sugars and kill any bacteria. The last step of grain processing is mashing. A mixture of malts and warm water is placed in the mash tun. This mixture is called the mash and is heated with temperatures that provide favorable conditions for the carbohydrates (long chains of glucose...
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