What is Beer made of?

How long do you think beer has been around ? A couple of hundred years maybe ? Well, that's most certainly not the correct answer. Beer is believed to be around since 9000 B.C and the oldest written records of beer were found in Iran and date back to 3500 B.C.
Beer is made by fermenting water, barley, yeast and hops. The different types of beer that's available across the world are basically determined by the yeast that was used during fermentation. Let's have a closer look at the different elements that make up a "pint".
Water is the main ingredient in beer. In the early stages, the pureness of the water was critical as it was the main factor that affected the outcome when brewing beer. But with the purification technology that is available today, the quality of the water is no longer a problem.
Malt barley is a vital ingredient in beer brewing since the barley carries the greatest quantity of fermentable sugar. A lot of modern breweries have started using powdered or instant barley malt now because it ferments a lot more quicker and therefore the beer brewing process becomes speedier. The barley malt powder also includes additional minerals that are helpful for the yeast to grow.
Yeast is a critical substance in the beer production and it is impossible to make beer without yeast. Yeast is a living thing with a single cell and it takes in any sugar it comes in to contact and ejects two chemicals that are very well known to everyone as alcohol and carbon dioxide.
There are few various forms of yeast that are being used in the production of beer. But lager and ale are the two yeast strains that are most frequently used. The combination of water, yeast and barley alone would be almost too sweet to the tummy,that's why hops are being added to this mix.
Hops are actually flowers that a climbing vine plant bare, these vine plants can be found in several different regions across the world. The specialty of Hops is the bitterness of the flower. Hops are used in making beer because, adding bitterness to the mix of of water, yeast and barley assists to balance out the sweetness and also Hops acts as a natural preservative. When you add a lot of these bitter hops to the beer mixture it's taste becomes a very bitterly, this type of brew is popular especially in England and has been given the most suitable name "bitter".
Many people out there prefer to start brewing their own beer at home. There are abundance of resources available in the form of home brewing kits for them to learn the process and get started with. Home brewing kits are fantastic but pay attention to the instructions and read them carefully. Understanding the instructions properly is a must. By taking your time to clearly understand the instructions on the home brewing kits you can ensure the beer will gain top quality. And the other important fact you should remember is, make sure you always use fresh water when home brewing