BEER 101

H I S T O RY,
THE BREWING PROCESS,
& S E N S O RY
E V A L U AT I O N
 THE HISTORY OF BEER –
A BRIEF, TIMELINE: THE MIDDLE EAST
• 10,000 BCE – Beer “probably” discovered around this time – Nomadic Hunter-Gatherers
accidentally stumble upon beer when their grain gets fermented by warm water
• 3000 BCE – Sumerians DEFINITELY drinking beer; called kas (“what the mouth desires”).
– First Diet Beer – called eb-la (“lessens the waist”)
– Hymn to Ninkasi (Goddess of Beer) – oldest recipe for brewing!
• 2000 BCE – Ancient Egypt – Beer is a big deal; Called hekt - Pyramid
builders paid wages in beer; Medical Documents with
100 recipes containing the word beer
• 1780 BCE – Code of Hammurabi – Babylonia - some
of the earliest written laws – regulate alcohol
consumption

Sumerian Cuneiform depicting beer allocations

(Source: Trustees of the British Museum)
 THE HISTORY OF BEER –
A BRIEF, TIMELINE: EUROPE
• Beer is a NORTHERN European phenomenon – Germany, Flanders/Belgium,
England, Netherlands (still holds mostly true today)
– Southern Europe is all about wine (The OLD world!)
• 8th Century BC – (Present Day Turkey) Phyrgians/King Midas – funeral feast has
evidence of drink containing barley, grapes, honey
– Sounds interesting? Try Midas Touch Beer by Dogfish Head
Rams Head Drinking
• Before 1000 CE – Beer not made with hops, seasoned vessel from Midas’s
with gruit. Mandatory for brewers – early form of tomb
taxation by the church
• 1000 CE – North Germany – Hops first appear in
beers being traded; act as a preservative
Source: Penn Museum Gordian Archive

• 14th century – Beer saves the world – Bubonic Plague

 THE HISTORY OF BEER –
A BRIEF, TIMELINE: EUROPE
• 1516 – Reinheitsgebot enacted in Bavaria
– German Purity Law
– Put into place to:
• Protect drinkers from high prices
• Ban the use of wheat in beer (make more bread)
• Stop producers from adding sub-par or toxic ingredients
– Only ingredients allowed in beer were: Water, Barley, Hops
• Yeast added to this list later
• Eventually updated to include other ingredients
– Still in place! One of the oldest food safety laws in the world
 THE HISTORY OF BEER –
A BRIEF, TIMELINE: EUROPE
• Late 16th Century – Queen Elizabeth I drinks strong ale for
breakfast
– 1593 – Average Briton drinks 17 pints/week; Royal
household drinks 600,000 gallons/year

• 1810 – Oktoberfest established as an

official celebration in Munich
• Held every year; except 24 cancellations (war/disease)
• 1830s – Bavarians truly “develop” lager method of production
• 1876 – French scientist Louis Pasteur “discovers” role of yeast
in the brewing process; later Pasteurization is first used to
stabilize beer (22 years before it was applied to milk!)
Water Barley* THE
Know
This! BREWING
PROCESS:
INGREDIENTS

Hops Yeast
Images source: blacksandbeer.com
THE BREWING PROCESS: INGREDIENTS –
WATER: THE TERROIR OF BEER
• Beer is 90-95% Water

• Minerals in Water bring wanted/unwanted flavor to beer

• Gypsum in Bass Ale;
• Soft Water - Pilsen in Czech Republic

• Today: Water is often filtered to purify before brewing; then

desirable minerals are added

• Water is the reason many brewers get into environmental

advocacy (Additional Reading: Brewer’s for Clean Water)
 THE BREWING PROCESS: INGREDIENTS
MALTED BARLEY
• Barley is the base for almost all beer

• Types of Barley: Two Row or Six Row

• Two Row – almost exclusively used in European
beers; fuller, maltier flavor in finished beer
• Six Row – Native to North America; grainier flavor
in finished beer

• Making Malt:
• Steeping – Soak grain in H2O, then stored in a
cool place where grain sprouts (Germination)
• Kilning – Drying /Roasting Malt to halt sprouting; https://www.thebrewenthusiast.com/malt/

achieve desired color/flavor

 THE BREWING PROCESS: INGREDIENTS
MALTED BARLEY
Main types of malt:
• Base Malts: Lightly kilned – lots of enzymes and
fermentable sugars
• Pale/Light Malt: Kilned longer than Base, but impart
robust malt aroma and flavor to beer
• Caramel Malt: Can range in color from light to deep
brown, and impart mostly color (some flavor) to a beer
• Dark/Roasted Malt: impart rich color and flavor to a
beer (porters/stouts), but little sugar remains for yeast Cotubrewing.com

• Adjuncts: Other unmalted grains or ingredients in a beer to add flavor or features

(or sometimes to cut cost)
• Ex. Oats, Rye, Wheat, Pumpkin, Corn, Rice

• Grain/Malt Bill: List of all grain/adjunct ingredients in a beer recipe

 THE BREWING PROCESS: INGREDIENTS
HOPS
• A climbing vine – a cousin to cannabis; the flowers/cones of the female plant
are the useful part

• What do hops do?

• Add bitterness
• Add flavor
• Add aroma
• Act as a preservative

• Can be added throughout the brewing process:

• During boil – imparts bitterness, flavor, aroma (depending when added)
• During Fermentation – aka “Dry-Hopping” – adds aroma

Image Source: https://ychhops.com/connect/events/conference/american-hop-convention:

 THE BREWING PROCESS: INGREDIENTS
HOPS
• After harvest, hops are processed (kiln dried) by producer before sending to a
brewery:
• Exception: “Wet Hops” which are not processed/dried and used by
brewers immediately after harvest – From bine to brew

• Main types of processed hops:

• Whole cone
• Pellets
• Plugs
• Extract/Liquid

Image Source: https://craftbeeracademy.com/a-beginners-guide-to-hops/

Image Source: https://www.midwestsupplies.com/hopshot
 THE BREWING PROCESS: INGREDIENTS
YEAST
• Brewers make the wort, yeast makes the beer
• The Fermentation Formula persists!
• Yeast + Sugar = Alcohol and CO2
• Ales vs. Lagers – different types of yeast –
more to come!

• Yeast esters provide intentional flavors: Yeast on top of an open fermenter at Anchor Brewery
Source: https://www.anchorbrewing.com/blog/brewing-insights-open-fermentation/

• Banana/Clove/Orange Peel – German/Belgian wheat beers

• Butterscotch (could be considered a defect)
• “Wild” yeasts and bacteria also sometimes used (and avoided!)
• Brettanomyces – wild yeast - earthy effect aka barnyard
• Lactobacillus/Pediococcus – bacteria – create lactic acid – sour beers
THE BREWING PROCESS
Source: Greatbrewers.com
THE BREWING PROCESS

WATCH ME!
Source: SABMiller
 THE BREWING PROCESS
1. Malt the Barley (See previous slide)
2. Mill cracks open barley, exposing
starch inside (called grist)
3. Grist moves into the Mash Tun, where
it is combined with hot water. Converts
starch into sugars – called WORT – a
mix of barley husks and sweet liquid
• Temperature is raised to stop the
conversion process and lock in
the sugar levels. This is called
“mashing out”

4. Wort moves through the Lauter Tun (a perforated vessel) to the wort receiver OR Brew Kettle.
More water added to Lauter Tun– called sparging (gets allllll the fermentable sugars into the
kettle).
• Spent Grain is collected and trucked by local farmers
THE BREWING PROCESS
5. Wort moves to the brew kettle; brought to a
boil. Hops are added at various time frames
to add bitterness and aroma
6. Whirlpool process begins, separating the hop
solids from the hot wort
7. Hot wort goes through the heat exchanger to
rapidly cool the liquid
8. Beer moves into Fermentation Tanks – yeast
is pitched.
9. Fermentation begins. Lagers are fermented
at a colder temperature (40˚-45˚F) and are
BOTTOM FERMENTING. Ales are fermented
at 55˚F+ and are TOP FERMENTING
• Fermentation/Conditioning process can
take 1-6 weeks (or more!)
RE MEMBER:
LAGERS – CO LD T EMPERATURE, B OTTOM F E RMENTING
A LES – WARMER T E MPERATURE, TOP F E RMENTING
REMEMBER:

LAGERS –
COLD TEMPERATURE
BOTTOM FERMENTING

ALES –
WARMER TEMPERATURE
TOP FERMENTING

Source: Buzzfeed – A Beginner’s Guide to Craft Beer

THE BREWING PROCESS
10. Filtration – (Optional) – Strain out
yeast/particulate matter – now called
bright beer; sometimes flash pasteurized
11. Filtered beer is
stored/conditioned/matures in the Bright
Beer Tanks (BBT)
12. Sterile Filtration (optional) – Beer is
filtered again, this time CO2 is added
THE BREWING PROCESS
12 & 13. Beer is Kegged and/or bottled
• Some bottled beer will have Yeast injected into the bottle for a second,
bottle fermentation.
14.Refrigerated Storage/Transport to Wholesalers or Customers

Full Process Start to Finish – Appx. 4-6 Weeks

Source (Click for Link): A Drinker’s Guide to Beer
 SENSORY EVALUATION – SIMILAR TO WINE!
Color

Head
Carbonation
Step 1. Sight
Color Carbonation
• Primarily from style/blend of malts • By-Product from Yeast during fermentation
Clarity Head
• Filtered/Unfiltered; Clear/Hazy • Caused by CO2 – Retention based on proteins in
the beer; beer clean glasses
SENSORY EVALUATION – SIMILAR TO WINE!
Step 2. Aroma
• The Aroma wheel still applies!
• Beer aroma wheel – same
concept, differing aromas

Step 3. Taste
• Is this balanced – Hops to Malt?
• How long is the finish?
LAGERS
REMEMBER: Lagers are cold temperature and bottom fermenting
beers!

Origins: Bavaria
• Legend says that brewers in Bavaria were fermenting in caves or
in hillside cellars; yeast they were using adapted to the cold
(sometime in the 1500’s).
• 1553 Edict by Duke Albrecht says you can only brew between
September and April – means warm fermenting ales cant
survive; favors Lager production
• Pils – In 1838; 36 Casks of Ale DUMPED in public to draw
attention to bad beer. Citizens of Plzen (Bohemia) build new
Lager brewery – hire Bavarian Brewer. Pilsener Lager is Born
 LAGERS
REMEMBER: Lagers are cold temperature and
bottom fermenting beers!

In America:
• 1838 – John Wagner – a Bavarian Immigrant
first brings over Lager yeast
• 1844 – Charles Wolf and Charles Engel start
first large scale commercial Lager brewery in PA
• By 1857 - Lager is outselling Ale in the USA
• Other famous German-American brewers in the
mid 19th century: Best, Pabst, Miller, Anheuser
& Busch
HOORAY BEER!
COMPARING ALES AND LAGERS
GREAT LAKES DORTMUNDER GOLD
• Style: Dortmunder Export Lager
• Style originated in Dortmund, Germany – based on Pils, but
slightly hoppier and stronger for Export. WAS the #1 style post
WWII but not is almost extinct in Germany. In 2008, only 10% of
German beer made was Dortmunder.
– Local Water (Germany – heavy in sulfur – emphasized the
hops)
• Great Lakes Brewery – based in Cleveland, OH – founded 1986
– Their Flagship Lager
– Smooth blend of sweet malt, and dry hop flavors
• ABV: 5.8%

• $8.99 per 6pk, 12oz bottles

 BROOKLYN BREWERY, BROOKLYN LAGER
• Brewed at Brooklyn Brewery & FX Matt in Utica, NY
• Contract brewed in the US and all over the world
• Brooklyn Brewery was founded in 1988 by Steve Hindy (former Middle
East AP Correspondent) and Tom Potter (Banker)
• Brewmaster Garrett Oliver started in 1994, and is one of the most
influential African-Americans ever in the beer industry.

Brooklyn Lager
• Style: American Amber Lager
• ABV: 5.2%
• Dry-Hopped
• From the brewery: Brooklyn Lager is amber-gold in color and
displays a firm malt center supported by a refreshing bitterness
and floral hop aroma. Caramel malts show in the finish.
• $8.99 per 6pk, 12oz bottles
FULL SAIL BREWERY, SESSION DARK LAGER
• Brewed at Full Sail Brewery - Hood River, OR
• Brewery founded in 1987
• Gold Medal, Dark Lager, NY International Beer Festival 2017

Session Dark Lager (formerly known as Session Black Lager)

• Style: Black Lager
• ABV: 5.4%
• First released: 2009

• From the brewery: Session Dark taste is a subtle

pairing of caramel and chocolate malt flavors with
precise hopping to provide an elegant citrus
background to the delicate finish of dark cocoa.

• $7.99 per 6pk, 12oz bottles

BOSTON BEER COMPANY, SAM ‘76
• Jim Koch, founder, brews his first batch of Sam Adams Boston
Lager in his kitchen in 1984
• Brewery names after revolutionary hero and early American
brewer, Samuel Adams
• Three brewery locations: Boston, MA/Cincinnati, OH/Lehigh
Valley, PA

Sam ‘76
• Style: Ale/Lager Hybrid
• ABV: 4.7%
• First released: 2018
• Two active fermentations – one base lager, one base ale (with
respective yeasts). Combine the base beers for a final “tag
team fermentation”; dry-hop the hybrid in late fermentation.
• $8.99 per 6pk, 12oz Cans
 BELL’S BREWERY, AMBER ALE
• Bell’s founded by Larry Bell in 1985 – started as a homebrew
supply company
• Location: Kalamazoo/Galesburg, MI
• Named #1 Brewery in America by Zymurgy Magazine in 2017
• 7th Largest Craft Brewery in the US (2016)

Bell’s Amber Ale

• Style: American Amber
• ABV: 5.8%
• First released: 1987 (first commercial offering from Bell’s)
• From the Brewery: Bell’s Amber Ale features both toasted and
sweet caramel notes from carefully selected malts, balanced with
herbal and citrus hop aromas. Capped by a clean bitterness, it’s
incredibly versatile with food, but very tasty on its own.
• $9.99 per 6pk, 12oz Bottles
 SOUTHERN TIER 2X STOUT
• Location: Lakewoood, NY (operate a satellite brewpub in
Pittsburgh, PA)
• Founded in 2002; In 2016 announced a partnership with Victory
Brewing Co.

Southern Tier 2X Stout

• Style: Double Milk Stout
• ABV: 7.5%
• Milk Stout: Brewed with Lactose; lactose is an unfermentable
sugar, adds sweetness and body to finished beer.
• Aromas of roasted malt, coffee, faint cream
• Taste: Roasted malt, creamy chocolate, dry finish

• $10.99 per 6pk, 12oz Bottles