Beer Basics 101: What is Beer?

Tonight I'm starting yet another series of posts entitled "Beer Basics 101." While my Beer Geekery 101 posts are written about the finer points of truly appreciating great beer, the Beer Basics 101 series will seek to answer some nuts and bolts questions, clear up confusion, and dispel commonly held myths. I hope this distinction makes sense and proves useful.

For this entry, I thought I'd start with some very fundamental topics that a lot of non-beer geek folks might find themselves at a loss to answer. First, what is beer? Beer, quite simply, is any beverage that is brewed, not distilled like hard liquor, and then fermented to low or moderate alcoholic strength wherein the fermentable sugars are derived from cereal grains. Make sense? What my best attempt at a broad technical definition means is that you make beer by steeping partially germinated cereal grains (partially germinated cereal grains are called "malts") in water and then exposing the resulting "tea" (known in the beer world as wort) to yeast that feeds upon the maltose sugars available in the malts (that's why you have to partially germinate them - to make the inner sugars available for yeast consumption). The process of yeast consuming sugars and converting them into byproducts, in the case of beer, alcohol and carbonation, is called fermentation. Between steeping the malt and pitching the yeast, most modern beers receive a hop addition, though this wasn't always the case as we look back in history. After the yeast is introduced, fermentation begins and the soon-to-be-beer is laid down for a period of weeks or months to allow fermentation to complete. The time necessary to complete fermentation varies by style and, more importantly, the particular strain of yeast being used. I mentioned that beer is derived from cereal grains. Cereal grains can refer to any number of different crops, though barley is the overwhelming choice worldwide today not only because of its abundance and ability to grow well in a variety of climates, but also because its physical structure and durability lend itself well to the brewing process. Aside from barley, a whole slew of grains may be used. They include but are not limited to: wheat, oats, rye, corn, rice, sorghum, millet, and spelt.

I think I'm going to keep my Beer Basics 101 posts short and sweet. I'd prefer they be a fast, easily digestible read so that educating yourself is quick and simple. I left a lot unsaid, even about the basics of what beer is, so my next post will focus on varieties of yeast and the difference between an ale and a lager. I'll then probably post about hop varieties so that these three short and snappy reads will give you an understanding of what's in your glass next time you crack one open. Cheers!