Beer from barley

Beer is the result of using grain and water to make an alcoholic beverage. Styles vary depending on the type of grain used, the level of toasting of the grain and the type of yeast used.

While other grain can be utilized in the process, barley has special properties that make it a necessary ingredient.

The barley plant belongs to the Gramineae, the family of grasses. Barley is cultivated mostly for animal feed and a key ingredient in beer.

Barley bread and beer made from fermented barley were everyday nourishment for ancient Egyptian slaves who built the pyramids.

In its raw form, barley has no real fermentable material, and has to go through a special process called malting to become the sugar source for beer.

In the making of beer, whole unrefined barley is soaked until it sprouts. During soaking, proteins within the bran convert to enzymes that change starches to sugars.

Enzymatic changes inside the grain create a starch reservoir as an energy source for the plant during the period of its early development.

Next the barley is dried to prevent further sprouting and is lightly cooked, the resulting malt is crushed and combined with warm water, and the conversions of starch to sugar begin.

The enzymes hydrolyze the polysaccharides and break them down into simple sugars such as glucose and maltose. This process is called mashing.

Addition of yeast to malt leads to fermentation, which results in alcohol. In beer production, hops are added to the barley malt.
Beer from barley