Beer can be defined as a type of alcoholic drink. It ranks third on the list of popular drinks in the world, just after water and tea. Beer is produced for drinking through a process called ‘brewing’ and packaged for sale in bottles, cans, and draughts and can be bought from stores, online review hub like McFny, malls, pubs, and bars.
Beer is made from four basic ingredients, and they are Barley, Water, Hops, and Yeast. The process will require the sugars extracted from the Barley is fermented by the yeast into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. This mixture is what is referred to as Beer. Besides barley, wheat, maize, and rice can also be used as sources of sugar.
Water is the major ingredient in beer, and it accounts for the greatest percentage of its weight. You can get to see the detail process of making beer from this site. In recent times, Beer is also brewed with hops which give it a bitter taste. It also serves as a natural means of preserving the quality of the beer. Some beers also have different flavors added to them to give a unique taste. These flavors can be got from herbs, fruits or gruit.
For anyone who makes or drinks beer, there may be a need to measure the beer. The measurement of beer can be in different ways. Beer is measured using these factors: bitterness, colors, and strength (alcoholic content.)
- Color: The color of a beer is based on the malt content. This color can be called pale amber, and it is a result of the pale malt content. It could either be the light ones made from a pale lager, or the dark ones made from a lager malt base or the very dark ones whose malt have been roasted.
- Bitterness: The bitterness of a beer can be measured using the IBU which is an acronym for International Bitterness Units.
- Alcoholic Content (Strength): The alcohol content in beers vary in percentages, and most cans or bottles usually indicate the average quantity on the bottle or can. It alcohol in any beer is determined by the sugars and the yeast used for fermentation. You can use a hydrometer to measure the alcohol content in a beer. The following steps would be helpful:
To measure the alcohol by value (AB), you have to subtract the original gravity from the final gravity and divide the result by 7.326
The original gravity is the beer’s density before fermentation and the final gravity is the beer’s density after fermentation has occurred. The original gravity is always more because the beer has more dissolved sugar which the yeast will ferment into alcohol.
You can use a hydrometer to measure the gravity.
- Using a cup, measure out the beer.
- Fill the hydrometer from the top till it gets to about 2inches.
- Place the hydrometer into the liquid and wait for it to stop bouncing.\
- Once it does, locate where the liquid meets the markings of the hydrometer, and identify the gravity reading.
- You can then record the gravity reading which should be a number between 1.000 and 1.160.
People drink beer for several reasons. They include:
- Socializing: Beer is used as a way of bonding with friends. People tend to drink less when they are alone than when they are with others.
- Cost-Effective: Beer is quite cheap, making it more affordable than other alcoholic drinks like vodka, spirits, and whiskey.
- Good Feeling: Beer has a way of making a person feel good. It makes for a certain kind of light-headedness, and people usually use it as a temporary way of escaping from negative life issues.
- Peer Pressure: Beer is also drunk by many as a way of fitting in with the crowd, especially if their friends drink as well. For them, it serves as a way of looking cool.
- Addiction: People also drink beer simply because they are addicted to the taste, and the feeling it gives. They do not have the strength to fight the urge, and so give in.