ALE AND BEER

This blogger is a teetotaller who has not touched alcohol in life. The following line from Shakespeare in the play Twelfth Night to study the ales and beers.

"Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?"

This has an implied meaning that those who are virtuous shun ale and cakes. In India brewing ale or beer at home is prohibited. In the West, home beer brewing has spanned to writing recipes.

Do people have time to brew ale or beer at home, in this era of modernity, stress and lack of leisure?

Difficult to reply.
Beer making home kits are also available on the net.

SOME NIGGETS ABOUT ALES AND BEERS

What are the similarities between ALE and BEER?
1. Both are fermented alcoholic drinks.
2. Both are made from malt.
3. Both have low alcohol.

What is the distinction between ALE and BEER?

1. Ale is sweeter. Beers are bitter.
2. Ales do not contain hops. Beers contain hops.
3. Ales use Cerevisieae strain of yeast. Beers use
yeasts Saccharomyces strain of yeast.
4. Ales have more alcohol content.

What is the function of yeast?

Digests sugars in the malt. Releases alcohol and CO2.

What are hops?

Dried ripe flowers of hop plant (Humulus lupulus). The female flowers are green in color. Purpose is to prevent excess fermentation and spoiling of the liquor.

What are gruits?

Gruits are added flavours. They add bitterness. Gruits were used prior to hops.

What is "wort"?

Sugar solution separated from malt.

What are important stages in beer-making?

1. Malt : Sprouting barley/wheat grains. (To
make the grains to ready convert starch into
sugar.)
2. Drying.
3. Roasting in a kiln.(Purpose: stop further
germination).
4. Grinding into fine powder
5. Sachcharification (convert starch to sugar
and separating grain powder and the sugar)

Mixing with water and boiling. (To convert
starch into sugars).
Sugar water is filtered by sparging
(sprinkling hot water) and rinsing. The idea is
to obtain as much sugar water as possible.
(Wort).
6. Fermentation. Adding yeast. Sugar is reduced
to alcohol and CO2.
7. Adding hops and boiling. To stop further
fermentation. To get bitterness and flavour.

Where more detailed information can be obtained?

There are hundreds of thousands of websites.

DISCLAIMER
While every effort is made to furnish correct information, no responsibility can be accepted.