The Beer

The Beer

Beer is an old alcoholic drink, developed by the towns of the Empire from Mesopotamia and by the Egyptians, as the result of fermentation of the cereals germinated in water, in the presence of some yeast.
Even though there’s wheet, millet and rice beer in the market, the most popular is the one obtained from fermented barley.
Once soaked in water, the barley can be germinated so that the starch turns into diluible sugar. Once this process is achieved, it should dry and more or less toast, depending if you want to get a light, golden or dark beer.
To achieve that bitter taste that characterizes beer, hop hops should be added or, more specificly, its flower, a cone of golden petals that contains resin and aromatic oils.
To achieve the mix of both flavors, hop hops is added during the beer’s boiling process, in copper tubs, while the sugar is also added. Without the presence of hop hops, the boiling mass or Wort could be used for the destillation of whisky.
If beer has too much carbonic gas, either natural or added, it is called "Lager". The "Stout" is dark and dense, a bit sweet, characteristic of Ireland and England. The "Bock" is dense and it has some yeast scent. The light beer is a kind of English beer, soft, sweetened and with intense taste of hop hops.
Since 1945 the beer industry has achieved great development; between 1945 and 1965 it doubled its worldwide production. The raise of production and consumption has been notable in countries like Japan, Russia, Mexico and Spain.

TYPES OF BEER
There’s lots of types of beer. Depending on the way of fermentation, we can distinguish three categories: low fermentation, high fermentation and spontaneous fermentation. There is also other special types of beer of which I will expand more about at the end.
Low Fermentation
They’re generally light beers (lagers) with some golden dark tones, marked taste of hop hops and refreshments. Made with clear malt because of the decoction method. For these beers a type of yeast that acts at low temperature is used (from 6 to 10ºC) and after 8 to 10 days they’re set at the bottom of the cask.
It’s the normal beer of most extended consumption, also in Spain. The ones called “special” beers refer to a higher content of hop hops or alcohol, though without being “Pills” type. The 75% of Belgian beers are of low fermentation.
Almost all lagers are of low fermentation: Pils, Bock, Export, Especial...

High fermentation
Generally elaborated with darker malts because of the brewing method. In this case the yeast starts to act (between 14 to 20ºC) fermenting a maximum of 5 days.
Recognized in general because of their dark tone, typical examples are Abbeys, Traps, Ales, Reserves, Weizenbier beers….

it can be said that there is as many types as brands, the region of Belgium having some of the most prestigious.
- Traps: Elaborated from really old recipes by the Trap monks or of the Cister. Only six beer abbeys have a right to such origin denomination, because they’re elaborated right on the monastery. Five of them are in Belgium and three of them in Valonia, like Chimay, Orval and Rochefort.
- Abbey: it’s used for beers which origin, often though not always, have something to do with an abbey, even if they’re not elaborated in a monastery but industrially. In Valonia protrude Val Dieu Abbey; Saint Benoit and Triple Moine; Floreffe Abbey and Des Rocs Abbey.
- Clear: Dim beers elaborated with wheat and very refreshing, like the Blanche de Bruxelles.
- Saison: Season beers greatly extended in Volonia, of amber color, there’s numerous breweries with this specialty. "Cuvées" are also elaborated special for Christmas.
- Craft: Its colors and scents are exceptional, and they come from the adition of spices, fruits or strange ingredients like honey, Saracen wheat… or unknown. Beers like Blaugies, the Binchoise, the Brasserie Fantome, Achouffe, the Caracole, etc. are some examples of the crafty beers.

On this section, we will slowly add more and more information about our beloved beer.