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History

The family of drinks commonly referred to as "beer" has been brewed for centuries. Beer is produced by yeast fermentation of malted cereal grains to which hops and water are added. Brewing has evolved from a cottage craft to a modern industry, with major breweries exporting their beers all over the world. On a per capita basis, Germans consume about 150 liters more beer per person per year. The United States is the 14th largest beer drinker in the world, and American breweries produce about 156.900 million barrels of beer per year. One barrel is equivalent to 117 liters.

The true origin of beer can only be assumed, but it is known for sure that the history of beer lies long before our era. Early attempts at brewing occurred around 7000 BC in Mesopotamia. The Egyptians and Greeks also consumed alcoholic beverages in various ways, but the term "beer" did not appear in these early languages. The Babylonians offered recipes for brewing, and there are various references to this intoxicating drink in the Bible. The English word "beer" appears to be related to the Celtic word "beor", which refers to a malt drink made by monks in a North Gaul monastery.

During the Middle Ages, monasteries were the leading producers of beer, and many early brewing techniques were attributed to monks, such as adding hops to improve flavor and preserve beer. The distinction between ale, lager (light beer) and stronger dark beer began to appear in French and Irish writings in the 13th century. It is generally accepted that the modern frothy drink we know today dates back to the 1600s.

Beer brewing was already a thriving industry in Europe when the United States declared its independence in 1776. European immigrants brought their brewing skills to America and established a thriving beer industry. Some technological advances are the yeast separator, such as beer mass production.

Bottled beer was introduced in 1875 by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a city famous for its breweries. Canned beer first hit the market in the 1930s. Today, the American beer market is dominated by a few big names such as Miller and Anheuser Busch, although microbreweries and beer pubs producing their own brands are becoming more popular.

What is beer made from?

It has long been no secret what beer is made from. To prepare this foamy drink, the following components are used:

• corn
• hop
• pure water
• Brewer's yeast

Each ingredient can affect flavor, color, carbonation, alcohol content, and other minor changes in the beer. Grain must be properly cooked, carefully stored and processed to improve quality. Usually barley, corn or rice grains are used.

Hops (scientific name Humulus lupulus) is a form of cultivated perennial hemp, and the beneficial pieces of the vine, the sticky cones, develop from the flowering.

Plenty of clean water is extremely important, not only as an ingredient, but also to keep your brewing equipment clean. In beer, water with a high lime or iron content can interfere with the fermentation process and discolour the final product.

Yeast is a fungus that is a microorganism that lowers the level of sugar in alcohol through fermentation. Some types of brewer's yeast are closely guarded trade secrets.

Outside of the beer itself, the manufacturing process also requires various acids and cleaning chemicals to maintain and sterilize the brewing equipment. The final product also requires packaging, which includes carton for boxes, aluminum for cans, glass for bottles and stainless steel for kegs and other commercial dispensing equipment. Most brewing equipment is stainless steel, with the exception of the brew kettles being copper.

Chemical composition

After processing and interaction of all the above products, we get the following chemical composition at the output, which varies depending on the type of beer:

• Water 90-93%
• Carbohydrates 1.5-4.5%
• Ethyl alcohol 3-7%
• Nitrogen-containing substances 0.2-0.6%

Production

Malt preparation

Fully ripe barley grains should be fully saturated. To do this, they are placed in cold water. The water is changed once a day, and after 45-72 hours the grains are placed in shallow tanks. The grain is aerated and agitated, causing it to germinate, releasing enzymes such as malt diastase. Malt diastase converts the starches in the grain into sugar for fermentation. Once germination is sufficient, usually six days, the grain is roasted to stop the germination process. The exact start and end times of the roast affect the taste and color of the beer. Processed grains in this way are called malt.

Wort preparation

The malt is crushed using iron rollers and transferred to the wort tank. This tank is a large copper or stainless steel vessel that mixes the malt with warm water until it resembles porridge. This mixture is called wort. After mixing with similarly prepared cereal grains, the temperature gradually rises from 38 to 77 degrees Celsius, due to which the enzymes begin to react. Enzymes break down the starch in the grain and turn it into simple sugars. Later, the yeast will turn the sugars into alcohol. After completion, the wort may be motionless and solids may settle at the bottom of the tank.

Wort boil

The liquid contained in the wort is transferred to another tank by filtration. This is achieved by drawing the liquid through the bottom layer of porridge solids. Hot water is added to the top of the container to rinse out any remaining liquid. The solid remains of the grain are dried and sold as animal feed. The filtered wort is moved to the brew vats where it is boiled to sterilize.

This is where carefully prepared hops are added. The addition of hops is important because they contribute to the bitterness of the beer. The copper brew kettles are the most impressive equipment in this process. They can be 2-4 m in diameter and two stories high. The energy used to heat boilers is usually steam. After the boil is complete, the finished wort is filtered again and pumped into the fermentation tanks.

Fermentation

In fermentation tanks, the atmosphere must be carefully controlled to prevent any harmful bacteria from entering the yeast. Yeast is added in strict proportions to the wort and the temperature of the mixture is slowly lowered over a period of time between 10-15°C. In this temperature range, the yeast grows by consuming the sugar in the wort and forming bubbles of carbon dioxide. Wort became beer. The new beer is filtered and transferred back to barrels where the temperature is controlled at 0.5°C for 2-24 weeks. Shorter storage times create pale beers, while European lagers are longer to increase the alcohol content.

Pasteurization

Once brewed, the beer can be pasteurized to kill any remaining yeast and prevent further alcohol production. This is achieved by heating the beer above 57°C. Named after Louis Pasteur, this process is widely known for preserving milk. Interestingly, Pasteur originally developed this process to preserve beer in the 1860s.

Pasteurization, however, is not used in the production of real beers. These beers are also known as "ice beers" because they need to be refrigerated to preserve their flavor and slow down the yeast. Many consider this beer flavor to be the best in both aroma and taste.

Package

Whether packaged in cans, bottles or kegs, the beer is always carefully moved through the labyrinth of pipelines in the bottling area. This is necessary to preserve the natural carbonation. During bottling, additional carbon dioxide from the fermentation kettles is used to enhance the flavor of the beer.

High-speed packaging lines can process thousands of cases of beer a day, and with state-of-the-art computerized inventory control, inventory can be tracked throughout the distribution network. Most of the beer is sourced from local distributors who have purchase contracts with major breweries.

Who doesn't know what beer is? How was it brewed before and how is it brewed today? What ingredients are needed to make it? The standard formulation of this low-alcohol product states that the basis for it is barley. And, to be precise, malt wort based on it. Let's look at how you can brew beer at home, roughly speaking - on your knee.

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A bit of beer history

For Russian people, the word "beer" is directly associated with the word "drink". But in Western languages, almost unchanged, this drink is referred to as "bir". About what word, what people and where such a universally identical perception of the name of beer in different languages ​​​​has occurred, they still argue.

Strange as it may sound, but beer entered the diet of people before bread. In ancient times, cereal plants were grown precisely because of it. And only much later they learned to bake bread from grain and cook porridge.

Interesting homemade beer recipes:

home brewing process

The standard classification of beer is carried out according to four parameters:

• color. The color directly depends on the degree of roasting of the malt. You can get up to 13 shades of this drink, not only in the manufacturing process, but also by mixing different varieties.
• fermentation method. Ways of beer fermentation are divided into top and bottom. In the first case, the process occurs at a temperature of 15-25 degrees, in the second at 4-9. In the old days, all beer was brewed with the help of top fermentation. Bottom (camp) fermentation has already been used in our time.
• Composition of raw materials. Traditionally, beer is brewed with barley malt. But cereals such as wheat, rye, corn, rice can also be used. Exotic beer based on bananas, milk, herbs, vegetables and fruits, despite their name, can hardly be attributed to beer.
• fortresses. The alcohol standard ranges from 3 to 5.5% by volume of ethyl alcohol. Stronger varieties are produced using non-traditional brewing methods.

Schematically, the brewing process looks like this:

1. Cereal grains are germinated, dried and cleaned.
2. Then crushed and soaked in water.
3. The solution is placed in a filter tank, where it is separated into fractions: unhopped wort and grains.
4. Hops and other recipe ingredients are added to the must and boiled for up to two hours, after which it is clarified.
5. At the clarification stage, insoluble particles of cereals and hops are separated, the wort is sent for fermentation.
6. In the process of fermentation for at least a week with the help of yeast, the simple sugars contained in the wort give alcohol and carbon dioxide.
7. Ideally, in order to obtain excellent taste and optimal saturation of the drink with carbon dioxide, the drink should be allowed to ripen (to stand for 1-3 months).
8. The beer is then filtered and pasteurized. Sometimes the ripening process takes place directly in the bottle.

The taste of the resulting drink is directly affected by the amount of sugar in the malt, the hops used, the fermentation temperature and the ripening period.

Brewing beer at home is only difficult due to the lack of malt and hops. If you really want to try it, you can look for the ingredients on the Internet.

Classic recipe for homemade beer with brewer's yeast

• 3 cups hops
• 2.5 kg barley malt
• 10 liters of water
• 25 g brewer's yeast
• 75 g sugar
• ½ tablespoon of table salt

Malt is dissolved in water, infused for a day, poured into another container with the addition of salt, boiled for two hours. Hops are added 20 minutes before the end of the boil. The resulting wort is filtered from undissolved particles, cooled to room temperature. Sugar and brewer's yeast are added, everything is mixed and infused for 10-12 hours. It is bottled. After 12 hours, homemade beer will be drinkable. This is how you get natural beer at home. There are no special requirements for dishes and containers.

Fruit beer without yeast

• A kilogram of ripe or overripe strawberries
• 2-2.5 kg of honey
• water 7 liters
• 2.5 liters of warm water

Water is poured into a vat, honey is added and stirred until it is completely dissolved. Purely washed strawberries are added. The mixture is left for a week in a warm place for fermentation. A starter is obtained, into which 4.5-5 liters of water are added, covered with a lid and left for another five to six weeks, stirring daily.

After the first two weeks, it is advisable to taste the mixture. If there is not enough sweetness, you can also add 0.5-1 kg of honey. When the strawberries are all at the bottom, the fermentation process ends. The resulting wort is filtered and poured into jars, which are placed in a cool place. After a month, sediment will appear at the bottom. Now it is possible to bottling, carefully making sure that the sediment does not get into the finished product.

mulled wine recipe with beer

Any kind of light beer is taken, poured into tall dishes that do not oxidize when heated (enamelled pan, heat-resistant glass containers). Lemon zest or peels, sugar in the amount of 4-5 teaspoons per liter, a little cinnamon and clove inflorescences are added to the beer. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

During the process, foam will rise very strongly., so it is important to take exactly tall dishes. Whilst the mixture is heating, grind the egg yolks with sugar or icing sugar and inject in a very thin stream when the beer begins to boil. You can even turn off the fire. As soon as the drink thickens, it is poured into glasses and served.

What are the benefits and harms of beer?

Benefit:

• With very moderate consumption, the effect of preventing coronary heart disease due to the presence of antioxidants.
• Blocking the effects of aluminum, which affects the occurrence of oncology and Alzheimer's disease.
• Reducing the likelihood of diabetes.
• The presence of soluble fiber, indispensable for the human body.
• Suppression of Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that causes ulcers and stomach cancer.
• The silicon content in beer helps preserve bones.

Harm:

• Beer is a strong diuretic. Due to its excessive use, the body can become dehydrated.
• Beer is, after all, an alcoholic drink. With excessive use, the likelihood of developing alcoholism is much higher than from strong drinks. Taking into account the fact that young people prefer to drink beer, whose body is at greater risk of developing alcoholism than middle-aged and older people, we can conclude that you should not indulge in this drink too much. Bismarck also said: "Beer makes us stupid, lazy and powerless."

How to drink beer correctly?

This question is purely individual. Tasters prefer a temperature around 11-13 degrees so that its aroma and taste can be fully felt. At lower temperatures, the taste of beer changes, the aroma weakens. Some people put a container of beer in the freezer in order to cool it faster. Here there is a danger of the drink turning into a state of ice, which, after defrosting, will not look like beer at all.

In addition to the usual use chilled, you can prepare hot drinks and even beer mulled wine, which also serve as a medicine, for example, for colds and coughs.

What to drink with?

Conventional wisdom: salty foods are the best snack. In fact, pickles, fish or nuts, clog all the aroma and taste of this drink. Unleavened cracker, if you really want to have a snack, ideal.

Tales about beer

1. They get fat from beer. In fact, beer has a lower calorie content (42 kcal/100g) than milk, fruit juices and drinks with added sugar. Beer whets the appetite and more snacks are eaten with it. In addition, it is customary to eat salty foods as a snack. And 1 g of salt retains 80 g of water in the human body.
2. Alcohol is added to beer for strength. In fact, despite the fact that brewer's yeast ends up fermenting at 5.4% ABV, today's technology makes it possible to obtain this drink with an alcohol content of up to 41%. This result is achieved by distillation or freezing technology. Some breweries use champagne yeast.
3. The most useful of the whole variety of varieties is live beer. In fact, marketers so called beer that has not undergone pasteurization. In such a drink, respectively, the shelf life cannot exceed one month. And the composition, strength and content of various substances are the same as those of pasteurized. So the difference here is only in self-hypnosis.
4. So the classic: water, malt and hops. Malt in the production of beer can be used not necessarily barley. It can also be obtained from wheat, rye, rice, corn. An honest brewer will never back down from this golden composition. But lately they have been trying to convince us all the time that modern beer production uses powder concentrates created in Asia. Beer lovers took this information with great negativeness. And although nothing arises from scratch, this information still turned out to be a “duck”. If only simply because such technologies greatly increase the cost of the drink.
5. A good beer should have a lot of foam. Hops are an essential component used in the preparation of beer. It is he who gives the beer that charm and pleasant aroma, as well as bitterness. The stability and density of the foam directly depends on the quality of the raw materials used. But its quantity does not characterize the drink in any way - an experienced bartender can pour the most excellent beer into a glass with almost no foam. It all depends on the strength and direction of the jet of the poured drink.
6. Men who constantly drink beer lose their masculine power. This tale is based on the fact that hop cones contain phytoestrogen, a plant female sex hormone that suppresses testosterone (male sex hormone). In fact, in order for the estrogenic effect to be significant, the content of these substances in the drink should be 500 times more than it is contained in any kind of beer. The intestinal microflora of each person has its own characteristics. Therefore, in some individuals, even small consumption of this drink can have an estrogenic effect. And phytoestrogens are even in bananas and pomegranates.
7. Beer is useful from a medical point of view. Glands (lupulin) and hop inflorescences are used as medicinal raw materials for medical preparations. This plant of the hemp class has a slight sedative effect, therefore it is part of many sedative drugs and dietary supplements. Beer contains organic minerals, amino acids and vitamins needed in everyday life. But their content is very small. In order to fully ensure the daily norm of these substances, you need to drink at least 3-5 liters of beer. As a result, the amount of pure alcohol that enters the body will be equivalent to a drunk bottle of vodka. What's the use? And the fact that beer is a powerful antiseptic is not mentioned at all in the medical literature.

One of them is a popular alcoholic drink. This inexpensive drink with a long history has spread around the globe. It is bought just like that, for no reason, it is widespread among alcohol consumers. Most people have tried the intoxicating product, among them there are many who do not know what beer is made from.

What is Powder Beer

Now, when everyone around refuses everything traditional, old, eternal, rumors about the existence of powdered beer began to circulate. Many people argue that all manufacturers have long abandoned the old methods of brewing and came up with a product based on powder. The propagators of these myths are sure that such a product is a chemical mixture that not only makes the brewing process faster, but even speeds up fermentation.

Such a technology for creating an intoxicating drink exists, but it will not differ in any way from the one made according to tradition. An intoxicating drink is made from ready-made dry concentrate of beer wort. There is no chemistry in this. This mixture (powder or paste) is diluted with water in the desired consistency, at the desired temperature and boiled further according to the previous scheme. If powdered beer is prepared correctly, then even a professional cannot distinguish it from natural beer.

The widespread opinion that only a harmful product made on the basis of powders is on the shelves today is a lie. It is unprofitable for large companies, factories and factories to buy an evaporator and produce a powdered drink. In addition, it is inconvenient, because you need to start the brewing process, interrupt it at one of the stages in order to dry it, and then resume it again.

Using this technology, the drink is produced at home or in bars, private breweries and restaurants. It is not profitable for the latter to buy a finished product, so they cook it themselves with the help of powder. It is no different from a traditional drink, because their composition is identical.

Also, such beer is not more harmful and not more useful than natural beer.

How powdered beer is made

Powdered beer is most commonly brewed at home. This process is much simpler than the traditional way of brewing beer, but it also takes time and patience. In order to brew a delicious homemade intoxicating product, a special mixture is bought and added to hot water (37 ° C). If the concentrate is not hopped, then hops are added to the beer.

From one kilogram of such a mixture, 12 liters of drink are obtained. The finished liquid is cooled. Then special brewer's yeast is added to the resulting liquid and left for 1 week. After 7 days, the top layer of yeast is removed (they can then be reused) and the drink is left in the refrigerator for 4 weeks.

If necessary, you can filter the product, bottle it clean and age for several months. Keep an eye on the drink and after a short period of time you will be able to get homemade beer, which is no different from expensive store-bought beer.

How natural beer is made

How a hoppy drink is made based on the powder is now clear, but few people know the traditional brewing technology. To begin with, malt is made from dried and peeled grains of cereals (barley). After that, the wort is mashed. To do this, the malt is crushed and mixed with water. The starch found in grains is broken down into maltose and soluble elements. It turns out a sweetish congestion. This mixture is then filtered to remove any remaining yeast, resulting in an unhopped wort and grains of fine barley particles.

The next step is heat treatment. For two hours of boiling, the hops dissolve in water and release all negative substances. Then it's up to the whirlpool, in which the remaining hops and malt are separated. It takes half an hour, after which the drink is cooled in a special container for fermentation. For this process to take place, brewer's yeast is added to the mixture. The fermentation process lasts about a month. After the required period of time, the resulting product is pasteurized (heated to 80°C). This process extends the shelf life, but worsens its taste.

How to distinguish powdered beer from natural

Despite the fact that the composition of natural beer and powder beer is practically the same, these two drinks can be distinguished by foam, taste and even smell. Beer foam is the main thing in a drink for experienced ones, it is its hallmark. If the foam is red, unattractive and with a large number of bubbles, then this is a powdery, low-quality beer.

Foam of the traditional white, 4-5 cm high, lasts a long time and has no bubbles. You can put a coin on the natural foam and it will not sink. Also, on a glass of a drunk natural product, there will be a few traces of foam. It is important to note: in the south of England they prefer to drink an intoxicating drink in which there is no foam.

To understand by smell which beer is natural, you need to try to feel every note of the beer aroma, beer in Russia, as in some other countries, has a weak aroma when compared with a natural drink. By inhaling the aroma of natural beer, you can smell the smell of each component, it should be soft and pleasant, not harsh and bitter.

As for taste, there is no debate about how to distinguish natural beer from powder beer. The taste of traditional is richer and brighter than the taste of low-quality powder. Still in natural there is no bitter aftertaste. After drinking a sip of a traditional product, you will feel how all the facets of this drink are revealed, how its taste changes, leaving a pleasant aftertaste in the mouth, like a trail from expensive perfumes.

Remember that beer can not only benefit your body, but also harm it. Therefore, be vigilant when drinking a foamy drink, do not forget that in moderate doses, beer can only bring benefits, enriching the body with vitamins and useful acids. On the other hand, in large quantities, this drink causes and stimulates the development of cancer cells.

About beer, as well as about many other things that surround us, a large number of myths and stereotypes have developed over a long time. Let's try to figure out what is true and what is not.

1. Alcohol is added to beer.

Perhaps the most common myth, especially due to the strong beers popular in Russia, such as “Okhota strong” and “Baltika No. 9″. Indeed, this is not surprising, because the alcohol spirit that knocks you down at the first attempt to sniff beer in a glass immediately leads to such thoughts.
In fact, alcohol in beer, if added, is extremely rare. These cases are an exception to the rule, since the use of alcohol in the production of beer is extremely unprofitable. And, in fact, it is forbidden. Since any additives in beer exceeding 0.5% must be declared on the label.
In addition, yeast can naturally produce up to 13% alcohol, brewers simply don't need to add what yeast gives for free.

2. Beer makes you fat.

There is certainly some truth in this statement, but the cause of fullness is not beer at all, but the food that we eat after it. Beer stimulates the appetite, so after a heavy drink with friends you always want to eat. Excessive high-calorie food leads to fullness.
And then, a lot depends on genetics, look at the Germans, there are few fat ones among them, and by the amount of beer they drink, they will put anyone in the belt.

3. Beer is made from powder.

Not a single brewery, be it a microbrewery or a large brewing holding, would do such things. The beer production process is quite standard and consists of certain stages that require certain equipment.
This myth appeared due to the technology of making beer at home promoted by some firms. They suggest diluting the beer concentrate, fermenting it in plastic containers and consuming it. But the liquid obtained in this way is by no means similar in taste or smell to beer. Therefore, you will never mix up this “product” so that you happen to buy it in a store. Yes, yes, they have already penetrated the shops

4. Beer can be poisonous.

When I am told about beer poisoning, I am reminded of a well-known anecdote. “We sat with the boys, talked well, drank two bottles of vodka, and then I got poisoned with a cookie ...”
What I love about beer is precisely its absolute food safety.
It combines several factors:
a. High alcohol content
b. High acidity - low pH
in. Anthocyanogens in hops - natural antibacterial substances
d. High carbon dioxide content
e. Low sugar content

All these factors individually and together are a powerful antibacterial barrier that prevents the appearance of bacteriological contamination in beer (from which they are poisoned).

The only thing that can spoil beer is the so-called beer spoilage bacteria. There are several types of them, and all of them lead to the fact that beer loses its taste and organoleptic qualities. There is one BUT, which completely eliminates the possibility of poisoning with such beer. It is simply impossible to drink it. Its smell, color and taste will not allow you to take a single sip.

5. Russian beer is worse than imported.

This opinion is heard very often, especially from people who have been abroad at least once.
To be honest, I never understood in Russian people this desire to seem worse to themselves than we really are. Why do we have such a need for self-abasement? After all, not a single German admits that German beer sucks, although, I assure you, among German beer I have met many not the most delicious examples.

This opinion we have developed due to the lack of an established culture of drinking beer in our country. First beer was in short supply, then prohibition, our management did everything possible to protect us from the opportunity to taste good beer.
Then came the first import and our hearts were given to Finnish, Czech and German beer.

And no one can imagine that Russian brewers can be no worse than German or Czech ones, because a lot of time has passed.

Now Russian factories mostly use modern imported equipment, which is no different from the same equipment at European factories. The brewing technology is exactly the same. Our brewers study at the same brewing schools as the Germans.
The raw material used is the same. Yes, of course, now there is a tendency to use domestic malt, but it is produced by imported (Cargill and Souflet) companies and the European quality system.

So really no difference. And we can have great tasting beer and you can find crap abroad.

And finally, I will give just two examples:
The beer that I tasted in Munich at the famous Hofbrauhaus brewery had a very unpleasant defect - diacetyl (the smell of rancid butter). For this defect in my brewery, I would instantly get on the ears. There is a lack of professionalism of the brewer.
Oetinger beer, which is rightfully considered the cheapest beer in Germany (it really costs half as much as any other) is produced in a fully automated production - only three people work per shift, it turned out to be a completely tasteless watery slurry, which cannot be called a beer. A Soviet alcoholic of the 1980s would also dare.

6. Imported beer produced in Russia is worse than original beer in Europe.

This stereotype appeared as soon as our breweries began to brew beer under license. One of the first was Lowenbrau beer, which we brewed at Bochkarev.
Here, the same factors played in many respects as in paragraph 5.

As proof, I would like to cite the following facts:
In the production of Dutch beer Heineken:
Each batch of Heineken was sent to the head office in Holland. There was a blind tasting (that is, it is not visible which beer is being tested).
And on a seven-point scale, all samples were evaluated. Where "7" was taken brewed in Holland. Our beer has been rated 6.8 and 6.7 throughout the year. This is a very high rating.
But in terms of taste, the raw materials that are used naturally play a role. We have different water (much better, I must say), the same malt was used then (now domestic), hops are still used the same as in Holland.
Taste may vary, of course. But this is being monitored and the basic flavor profile will remain the same. And in the production of beer, it is the profile of the beer that determines its “similarity” to the original. And if beer experts think it's similar, then maybe it is?

7. “Live beer” is healthier than regular beer.

The term “live beer” appeared with the light hand of marketers who are able to develop any, even the most ridiculous idea and make it earn money.
That is why a new product under this name appeared on the market.
The main advantage of “live beer” was its health benefits (it was necessary to come up with something).

In fact, real live beer (which can still be found in microbreweries engaged in bottling beer) contains live yeast, which, in fact, makes it “alive”.
Due to this, the beer can be stored longer than usual and becomes stronger during storage (the yeast continues to work, producing alcohol).
But even in such conditions, beer can be stored for no more than a month.
In addition, such live beer is not only not healthy, but, on the contrary, can cause problems for people with a weak stomach.

Large breweries cannot afford to produce beer with a shelf life of 1 month, so all produced beer is necessarily pasteurized, that is, heated to a temperature of 68-72 degrees, after which all yeast cells die.
And therefore, such beer cannot be called “live”.

Although, in fairness, it should be recognized that there is indeed a little more vitamin B in such beer, but in this case it is better for them to wash their hair

8. The more foam, the better.

This is another misconception, apparently inspired by advertising and numerous beer tasting guides. You can also pour bad beer so that there will be more foam than beer.
In fact, for the quality of beer, it is not so much the amount of foam that matters, but its quality and consistency.
The foam should have small bubbles and stick to the rim of the glass as you drink, leaving it in thin rings.
Foam is an indicator of the brewer's professionalism, because good foam and clear beer are completely opposite concepts in the technological sense. After all, it is the substances responsible for good foam that are also involved in the formation of haze in beer.

9. Real beer should consist only of malt, hops and water.

Indeed, five hundred years ago (in 1516), William IV, tired of fighting the lawlessness of German brewers, issued a law regulating the composition of beer.
This was not done in vain, as at that time everything was called beer. A standard was needed and it was made.

Now, following tradition, some (but by no means all) German brewers still brew beer with only three components and proudly put Reinheitsgebot 1516 on the label.
But now, after 500 years of improving the technology of brewing, this is nothing more than a tradition.
And beer brewed with, for example, rice and unmalted barley, I like a lot more. It has a fuller soft taste and rich aroma.

So try, experiment and don't let the brand name or your stereotypes affect your taste.

After all, the best beer is the one you like.

10. The darker - the stronger.

In our country, dark beer is not very popular. I remember the period when there was no dark domestic beer on the shelves at all. Perhaps that is why this myth appeared.
In fact, the strength of beer is determined by yeast, because it is they who produce alcohol during the fermentation process. And the amount of alcohol in the finished product depends on how many sugars there will be at the beginning of fermentation. And the amount of sugars is described by another figure mentioned on the beer etiquette - the extractivity of the beer wort (usually 11-15%, for strong varieties up to 20%).
The color of the beer is determined by the type of malt used. It comes in a variety of colors, from the lightest to almost black. Sometimes natural malt colorings are used to “darken” beer, they are a little more expensive, but much more convenient to use.

11. Beer should be drunk cold.

There are several different opinions on this matter, and each is correct in its own way.
The only thing not to do is put the beer in the freezer. Firstly, there is a big risk of beer freezing, as already at -5 the beer turns into ice and you should not drink it after that, as the taste qualities are lost.
Secondly, drinking ice beer you will never feel its taste, and then drinking beer turns into a banal booze.

It is believed that the optimum temperature for comfortable drinking beer is +12 degrees Celsius. It is at this temperature that you can enjoy the taste of beer and feel its taste and aroma.
Some brewers believe that the temperature should be even higher, but this is due to the search for aromatic defects and is not considered a recommendation for beer lovers.
In general, it is best to take a bottle out of the refrigerator half an hour before drinking beer - it will be just right.

12. Cloudy means unfiltered

Unfortunately, not always. Haze in beer can be caused by both chemical (related to the composition of raw materials) and microbiological (related to production hygiene) factors.
Cloudy beer happens:
1. Filtered in the course of production, but with the deposit which has dropped out in the course of storage. - Marriage of technology - it is better not to drink.
2. Filtered during production, but cloudy due to microbiological contamination. Do not drink in any case (however, you will not succeed)
3. Unfiltered wheat - usually not filtered, normal presentation.
4. Unfiltered live - turbidity due to yeast sediment, normal presentation.

13. The best snack for beer is salted fish

You can talk endlessly about a good and proper snack, someday I will write a separate article about this. All I can say now is that connoisseurs and beer lovers believe that beer should be drunk without snacks or with unleavened cookies in order to feel the taste of the drink itself. If you eat salted fish or nuts, the taste becomes dull.
The best way for a brewer to hide his mistakes is to serve a salty and flavorful snack.

14. Beer is good for the kidneys.

Everyone knows that beer is an excellent diuretic. And like any diuretic, it is good for the kidneys.
Another thing is that there is no benefit for the liver at all.