86-589: Warsteiner ( German pronunciation: [ˈvaːɐ̯ʃtaɪnɐ, ˈvaʁ-] ) beer is brewed in the Arnsberg Forest Nature Park outside of Warstein , North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Warsteiner has been owned by the Cramer family since 1753. Warsteiner is Germany's largest privately owned brewery; its best selling beer is Warsteiner Premium Verum. Warsteiner ranks fifth among Germany's best selling breweries . According to Inc Magazine, "In 1753,
172-611: A diocese were not allowed to sell beer brewed without the local gruit, and imports were similarly restricted. The gruit licensing system also exerted control over brewers within a city, as the holder of a Grutgerechtigkeit could calculate how much beer each brewer could make based on how much gruit was sold to them. Outside the area where the gruit monopoly applied, other countries and regions produced ales containing spices, but they were not called gruit. For instance, some traditional types of unhopped beer such as sahti in Finland , which
258-421: A beer tap at its base. Beer contains the phenolic acids 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid , vanillic acid , caffeic acid , syringic acid , p -coumaric acid , ferulic acid , and sinapic acid . Alkaline hydrolysis experiments show that most of the phenolic acids are present as bound forms and only a small portion can be detected as free compounds. Hops , and beer made with it, contain 8-prenylnaringenin which
344-628: A beer with the consistency of gruel, used by the semi-nomadic Natufians for ritual feasting, at the Raqefet Cave in the Carmel Mountains near Haifa in northern Israel . There is evidence that beer was produced at Göbekli Tepe during the Pre-Pottery Neolithic (around 8500 BC to 5500 BC ). The earliest clear chemical evidence of beer produced from barley dates to about 3500–3100 BC , from
430-416: A daily ration of four to five litres of beer, which served as both nutrition and refreshment and was crucial to the pyramids' construction. Some of the earliest Sumerian writings contain references to beer; examples include a prayer to the goddess Ninkasi , known as "The Hymn to Ninkasi", which served as both a prayer and a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people, and
516-539: A degree that brewers of pale ale add gypsum in a process known as Burtonisation . The starch source provides the fermentable material and determines the strength and flavour of the beer. The most common starch source used in beer is malted grain. Grain is malted by soaking it in water, allowing it to begin germination , and then drying the partially germinated grain in a kiln. Malting produces enzymes that convert starches into fermentable sugars. Different roasting times and temperatures produce different colours of malt from
602-431: A dense head and a creamy mouthfeel . In the 1980s, Guinness introduced the beer widget , a nitrogen-pressurised ball inside a can which creates a moderately dense, tight head. This approximates the effect of serving from a keg, at least for a British-style beer which does not have a specially large head. Cask-conditioned ales (or cask ales) are unfiltered and unpasteurised beers. These beers are termed " real ale " by
688-735: A devastating fire left Warstein in ruins and ashes - the business of the Cramers fell victim to the flames. At the same time, they rebuilt their house as a guest accommodation and became through the establishment of the St. Pancras Church the centre of the town. The headquarters of the Warsteiner Brewery, the Domschänke, still stands today in the historic core of Warstein. Breweries in the Rhine valley were bombed during World War II , and
774-481: A document from that year refers to a hop garden in the area paying a tithe to the monastery. It claims to be the oldest working brewery in the world. Top-fermented beers are most commonly produced with Saccharomyces cerevisiae , a top-fermenting yeast which clumps and rises to the surface, typically between 15 and 25 °C (59 and 77 °F). At these temperatures, yeast produces significant amounts of esters and other secondary flavour and aroma products, and
860-534: A medical context, alcoholism is said to exist when two or more of the following conditions are present: a person drinks large amounts over a long time period, has difficulty cutting down, acquiring and drinking alcohol takes up a great deal of time, alcohol is strongly desired, usage results in not fulfilling responsibilities, usage results in social problems, usage results in health problems, usage results in risky situations, withdrawal occurs when stopping, and alcohol tolerance has occurred with use. Alcoholism reduces
946-555: A natural preservative and stabilising agent . Other flavouring agents, such as gruit , herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation. Beer is distributed in bottles and cans, and is commonly available on draught in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries . The strength of modern beer
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#17327795717481032-408: A non-profit UK beer organisation, has set a temperature standard range of 12°–14 °C (53°–57 °F) for cask ales to be served. Beer is consumed out of a variety of vessels, such as a glass, a beer stein , a mug, a pewter tankard , a beer bottle or a can; or at music festivals and some bars and nightclubs, from a plastic cup. The shape of the glass from which beer is consumed can influence
1118-527: A person's life expectancy by around ten years and alcohol use is the third leading cause of early death in the United States. No professional medical association recommends that people who are nondrinkers should start drinking alcoholic beverages. In the United States, a total of 3.3 million deaths per year (5.9% of all deaths) are believed to be due to alcohol. Gruit Gruit (pronounced / ˈ ɡ r aɪ t / ; alternately grut or gruyt )
1204-623: A popular semi-fermented rice/millet drink in the eastern Himalayas . The Andes in South America has Chicha , made from germinated maize (corn); while the indigenous peoples in Brazil have Cauim , a traditional drink made since pre-Columbian times by chewing manioc so that an enzyme ( amylase ) present in human saliva can break down the starch into fermentable sugars; this is similar to Masato in Peru . Beers made from bread , among
1290-643: A practical aspect as well; it is a plentiful resource in northern latitudes such as Finland and Alaska, while in Alaska hops must be imported from the lower 48 United States. Gruit is a combination of herbs, commonly including: Gruit recipes varied somewhat; each gruit producer included different herbs to produce unique flavors and effects. Other adjunct herbs include marsh rosemary , laurel berries , laserwort , juniper berries , ginger , caraway seed, aniseed , nutmeg , cinnamon , mint , resin , and occasionally hops in variable proportions (although gruit today
1376-442: A seal less prone to leaking over time than bottles. Cans were initially viewed as a technological breakthrough for maintaining the quality of a beer, then became commonly associated with less expensive, mass-produced beers, even though the quality of storage in cans is much like bottles. Plastic ( PET ) bottles are used by some breweries. The temperature of a beer has an influence on a drinker's experience; warmer temperatures reveal
1462-539: A secondary carbohydrate source, such as maize (corn), rice, wheat, or sugar, often termed an adjunct , especially when used alongside malted barley. Less widely used starch sources include millet , sorghum , and cassava root in Africa; potato in Brazil; and agave in Mexico. Water is the main ingredient, accounting for 93% of beer's weight. The level of dissolved bicarbonate influences beer's finished taste. Due to
1548-472: A single group of nondrinkers, which hides the health benefits of lifelong abstention from ethanol. The long-term health effects of continuous, moderate or heavy alcohol consumption include the risk of developing alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease . Alcoholism , also known as "alcohol use disorder", is a broad term for any drinking of alcohol that results in problems. It was previously divided into two types: alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence . In
1634-404: A source of bitterness, flavour, and aroma. The longer the hops are boiled, the more bitterness they contribute, but the less hop flavour and aroma remain. The wort is cooled and the yeast is added. The wort is then fermented, often for a week or longer. The yeast settles, leaving the beer clear. During fermentation, most of the carbon dioxide is allowed to escape through a trap . The carbonation
1720-411: A store or a bar, rather than buying pre-bottled beer, can reduce the environmental impact of beer consumption. Most beers are cleared of yeast by filtering when packaged in bottles and cans. However, bottle conditioned beers retain some yeast—either by being unfiltered, or by being filtered and then reseeded with fresh yeast. Many beers are sold in cans, though there is considerable variation in
1806-538: A strong, sweet drink rather like mead or cider . Whatever the case, the meaning of bēor expanded to cover the meaning of ale . When hopped ale from Europe was imported into Britain in the late Middle Ages, it was described as 'beer' to differentiate it from the British unhopped ale, later acquiring a broader meaning. Beer is one of the world's oldest prepared alcoholic drinks. The earliest archaeological evidence of fermentation consists of 13,000 year-old residues of
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#17327795717481892-517: A year. A brewpub is a type of microbrewery that incorporates a pub or other drinking establishment . The highest density of breweries in the world, most of them microbreweries, exists in Franconia , Germany, especially in the district of Upper Franconia , which has about 200 breweries. The Benedictine Weihenstephan brewery in Bavaria , Germany, can trace its roots to the year 768, as
1978-486: Is a herb mixture used for bittering and flavouring beer , popular before the extensive use of hops . The terms gruit and grut ale may also refer to the beverage produced using gruit. Today, however, gruit is a colloquial term applied to a beer produced with hops, that is seasoned with gruit-like herbs. The word "gruit" stems from an area now in the Netherlands, Belgium, and northwestern Germany. The word refers to
2064-423: Is a potent phytoestrogen . Hop also contains myrcene , humulene , xanthohumol , isoxanthohumol , myrcenol , linalool , tannins, and resin . The alcohol 2M2B is a component of hops brewing. Barley, in the form of malt, brings the condensed tannins prodelphinidins B3 , B9 and C2 into beer. Tryptophol , tyrosol , and phenylethanol are aromatic higher alcohols ( congeners ) produced by yeast during
2150-496: Is a preservative. Yeast is the microorganism responsible for fermenting beer. It metabolises the sugars, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide , and thereby turns wort into beer. In addition, yeast influences the character and flavour. The dominant types of beer yeast are top-fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae and bottom-fermenting Saccharomyces pastorianus . Brettanomyces ferments lambics , and Torulaspora delbrueckii ferments Bavarian weissbier . Before
2236-403: Is brewed with a large proportion of wheat although it often also contains a significant proportion of malted barley . Wheat beers are usually top-fermented . Stout is a dark beer made using roasted barley, and typically brewed with slow fermenting yeast. There are a number of variations including dry stout (such as Guinness ), sweet stout, and Imperial (or Russian) stout. Stout was originally
2322-453: Is brewing. It converts the grain into a sugary liquid called wort and then ferments this into beer in a using yeast . The first step, mixing malted barley with hot water in a mash tun , is " mashing ". The starches are converted to sugars, and the sweet wort is drained off. The grains are washed to extract as much fermentable liquid from the grains as possible. The sweet wort is put into a kettle, or "copper", and boiled. Hops are added as
2408-417: Is determined by the malt. The most common colour is a pale amber produced from using pale malts. Pale lager and pale ale are terms used for beers made from malt dried and roasted with the fuel coke . Coke was first used for roasting malt in 1642, but it was not until around 1703 that the term pale ale was used. In terms of sales volume, most of today's beer is based on the pale lager brewed in 1842 in
2494-413: Is mashed to convert starch in the grain to sugars , which dissolve in water to form wort . Fermentation of the wort by yeast produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea . Most modern beer is brewed with hops , which add bitterness and other flavours and act as
2580-516: Is not a meal in itself. A 2016 systematic review and meta-analysis found that moderate ethanol consumption brought no mortality benefit compared with lifetime abstention from ethanol consumption. Some studies have concluded that drinking small quantities of alcohol (less than one drink in women and two in men, per day) is associated with a decreased risk of heart disease , stroke , diabetes mellitus , and early death. Some of these studies combined former ethanol drinkers and lifelong abstainers into
2666-454: Is often increased either by transferring the beer to a pressure vessel and introducing pressurised carbon dioxide or by transferring it before the fermentation is finished so that carbon dioxide pressure builds up inside the container. The basic ingredients of beer are water; a starch source, usually malted barley ; a brewer's yeast to produce the fermentation; and a flavouring such as hops . A mixture of starch sources may be used, with
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2752-495: Is often sought out specifically for its lack of hops). The 1990s microbrewery movement in North America and Europe renewed interest in unhopped beers, and several have tried reviving ales brewed with gruits, or plants that once were used in it. Commercial examples include: Since 2013, craft brewers with an interest in making gruit flavored ales have banded together to mark 1 February as International Gruit Day. The day
2838-461: Is partially frozen and the ice is repeatedly removed, until the desired strength is reached, a process that may class the product as spirits rather than beer. The German brewery Schorschbräu's Schorschbock , a 31% ABV eisbock, and Hair of the Dog 's Dave , a 29% abv barley wine made in 1994, used the same fractional freezing method. A 60% ABV blend of beer with whiskey was jokingly claimed as
2924-462: Is spiced with juniper sprigs, have survived the advent of hops. Specific gruit recipes were often guarded secrets. In 1420, the town council of Cologne "...directed a knowledgeable woman to teach a certain brewer, and no one else, how to make [gruit]..." Although largely replaced by hops in the 14th and 15th centuries, gruit flavored beer was locally produced in Westphalia until at least
3010-424: Is the sole commercial use of hops . The flower of the hop vine acts as a flavouring and preservative agent in nearly all beer made today. The flowers themselves are often called "hops". The first historical mention of the use of hops in beer dates from 822 AD in monastery rules written by Adalard of Corbie , though widespread cultivation of hops for use in beer began in the thirteenth century. Before then, beer
3096-625: Is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV). Some of the earliest writings mention the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating it, while "The Hymn to Ninkasi ", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, contains a recipe for it. Beer forms part of the culture of many nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals , as well as activities like pub crawling , pub quizzes , and pub games . In early forms of English and in
3182-752: Is usually around 4% to 6%, measured as alcohol by volume (ABV). The perceived bitterness is measured by the International Bitterness Units scale (IBU), defined in co-operation between the American Society of Brewing Chemists and the European Brewery Convention . The international scale was a development of the European Bitterness Units scale, often abbreviated as EBU, and the bitterness values should be identical. Beer colour
3268-470: The CAMRA organisation. When a cask arrives in a pub, it is placed horizontally on a " stillage " frame, designed to hold it steady and at the right angle, and then allowed to cool to cellar temperature (typically between 11–13 °C or 52–55 °F), before being tapped and vented—a tap is driven through a rubber bung at the bottom of one end, and a hard spile is used to open a hole in the uppermost side of
3354-546: The Industrial Revolution was made and sold on a domestic scale, although by the 7th century AD, beer was also being produced and sold by European monasteries . During the Industrial Revolution, the production of beer moved from artisanal to industrial manufacture , while domestic production ceased to be significant by the end of the 19th century. In 1912, brown bottles began to be used by
3440-751: The Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin , in the United States. This innovation has since been accepted worldwide as it prevents light rays from degrading the quality and stability of beer. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers, ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries . As of 2006, more than 133 billion litres (35 billion US gallons) of beer are sold per year, producing global revenues of US$ 294.5 billion. In 2010, China's beer consumption hit 450 billion litres (120 billion US gallons), or nearly twice that of
3526-473: The farmer Antonius Cramer from the town of Warstein, Germany [laid] the foundation for a German beer dynasty." The earliest mention of the brewing company is a tax record from 1753, when Antonius Cramer paid 1 thaler, 19 guilders on beer he brewed and sold himself. His son Johannes Vitus followed in his footsteps and brought the selling of home-brewed beer into his house, in the heart of Warstein. His company benefited from its central location. However, in 1802
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3612-552: The mineral properties of each region 's water, specific areas were originally the sole producers of certain types of beer, each identifiable by regional characteristics. Dublin 's hard water is well-suited to making stout , such as Guinness , while the Plzeň Region 's soft water is ideal for brewing Pilsner , such as Pilsner Urquell . The waters of Burton in England contain gypsum , which benefits making pale ale to such
3698-554: The 17th century. In both the area where gruit existed and outside it, the traditional spices were progressively substituted by hops, in a slow transition across Europe occurring between the 11th century (in the South and East of the Holy Roman Empire ) and late 16th century (Great Britain). In 16th-century Britain, a distinction was made between " ale " (which was unhopped), and the "beer" brought in by Dutch merchants, that
3784-647: The 21st century, larger breweries have repeatedly absorbed smaller breweries. In 2002, South African Breweries bought the North American Miller Brewing Company to found SABMiller , becoming the second-largest brewery after North American Anheuser-Busch . In 2004, the Belgian Interbrew was the third-largest brewery by volume, and the Brazilian AmBev was the fifth-largest. They merged into InBev , becoming
3870-530: The CO 2 emissions from a 6-pack of micro-brew beer is about 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds). The loss of natural habitat potential from the 6-pack of micro-brew beer is estimated to be 2.5 square metres (26 square feet). Downstream emissions from distribution, retail, storage and disposal of waste can be over 45% of a bottled micro-brew beer's CO 2 emissions. Where legal, the use of a refillable jug, reusable bottle or other reusable containers to transport draught beer from
3956-732: The Premium Verum and then having the alcohol extracted. The beer contains 80 calories per 12 oz. bottle. Royal Bavarian is a golden hefeweizen style beer. It is brewed with natural yeast and Bavarian ingredients, and has an alcohol content of 5.5%. Warsteiner has been exporting its beers internationally since the 1980s. Furthermore, Warsteiner founded and acquired shares in other international breweries like Isenbeck brewery in Argentina and breweries in Africa . All North American Warsteiner products are brewed, bottled, kegged and canned at
4042-525: The Scandinavian languages, the usual word for beer was the word whose Modern English form is ale . The modern word beer comes into present-day English from Old English bēor , itself from Common Germanic , it is found throughout the West Germanic and North Germanic dialects (modern Dutch and German bier , Old Norse bjórr ). The earlier etymology of the word is debated:
4128-462: The United States, but only 5 per cent sold were premium beers, compared with 50 per cent in France and Germany. Beer is the most widely consumed of all alcoholic drinks. A widely publicised study in 2018 suggested that sudden decreases in barley production due to extreme drought and heat could in the future cause substantial volatility in the availability and price of beer. The process of making beer
4214-590: The Warstein brewery sustained some damage. All beers are brewed in strict accordance with the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 . Premium Verum, a pilsener style beer, is Warsteiner's flagship beer, and is exported to over 60 countries. The alcohol content is 4.8%. Premium Dunkel is Warsteiner's second most popular beer. Dunkel is a traditional style, dark beer with an alcohol content of 4.8%. Warsteiner's only non-alcoholic beer , brewed exactly like
4300-541: The alcohol content of their beers. Samuel Adams reached 20% ABVwith Millennium , and then surpassed that amount to 25.6% ABV with Utopias . The strongest beer brewed in Britain was Baz's Super Brew by Parish Brewery, a 23% ABVbeer. In September 2011, the Scottish brewery BrewDog produced Ghost Deer, which, at 28%, they claim to be the world's strongest beer produced by fermentation alone. The product claimed to be
4386-566: The ancient advice ("Fill your belly. Day and night make merry") to Gilgamesh , recorded in the Epic of Gilgamesh by the alewife Siduri , may, at least in part, have referred to the consumption of beer. The Ebla tablets , discovered in 1974 in Ebla , Syria , show that beer was produced in the city in 2500 BC. A fermented drink using rice and fruit was made in China around 7000 BC. Unlike sake , mould
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#17327795717484472-422: The beer appear bright and clean, rather than the cloudy appearance of ethnic and older styles such as wheat beers . Clarifying agents include isinglass , from the swimbladders of fish; Irish moss , a seaweed; kappa carrageenan , from the seaweed Kappaphycus cottonii ; Polyclar (artificial); and gelatin . Beer marked "suitable for vegans" is clarified either with seaweed or with artificial agents. In
4558-400: The beers to continue to ferment, and to clear any sediment. Lager yeast is a cool bottom-fermenting yeast ( Saccharomyces pastorianus ). Lager typically undergoes primary fermentation at 7–12 °C (45–54 °F), and then a long secondary fermentation at 0–4 °C (32–39 °F) (the lagering phase). During the secondary stage, the lager clears and mellows. The cooler conditions inhibit
4644-605: The brewery in Warstein, Germany. In some international markets, Warsteiner and Koenig Ludwig beers are license brewed by Mahou-San Miguel Group . In the UK the beer is imported by James Clay & Sons. 51°25′18″N 8°21′16″E / 51.42167°N 8.35444°E / 51.42167; 8.35444 Beer Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley , although wheat , maize (corn), rice , and oats are also used. The grain
4730-412: The brewing process. as secondary products of alcoholic fermentation Beers vary in their nutritional content. The ingredients used to make beer, including the yeast , provide a rich source of nutrients; therefore beer may contain nutrients including magnesium , selenium , potassium , phosphorus , biotin , chromium and B vitamins . Beer is sometimes referred to as "liquid bread ", though beer
4816-623: The cask. The act of stillaging and then venting a beer in this manner typically disturbs all the sediment, so it must be left for a suitable period of hours to days to "drop" (clear) again, as well as to fully condition the beer . At this point the beer is ready to sell, either being pulled through a beer line with a hand pump, or simply being "gravity-fed" directly into the glass. Draught beer's environmental impact can be 68% lower than bottled beer due to packaging differences. A life cycle study of one beer brand, including grain production, brewing, bottling, distribution and waste management, shows that
4902-696: The city of Plzeň in the present-day Czech Republic . The modern pale lager is light in colour due to use of coke for kilning, which gives off heat with little smoke. Dark beers are usually brewed from a pale malt or lager malt base with a small proportion of darker malt added to achieve the desired shade. Other colourants—such as caramel—are also widely used to darken beers. Very dark beers, such as stout , use dark or patent malts that have been roasted longer. Some have roasted unmalted barley. Beer ranges from less than 3% alcohol by volume (abv) to around 14% abv, though this strength can be increased to around 20% by re-pitching with champagne yeast, and to 55% ABVby
4988-449: The container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide ". It is applied to both bottle conditioned and cask conditioned beers. As for the types of top-fermented beers, pale ale predominantly uses pale malt. It is one of the world's major beer styles and includes India pale ale (IPA). Mild ale has a predominantly malty palate. It is usually dark, with an abv of 3% to 3.6%. Wheat beer
5074-426: The development of artificial refrigeration and by the 1870s, was spread in those countries that concentrated on brewing pale lager. Chilling beer makes it more refreshing, though below 15.5 °C (60 °F) the chilling starts to reduce taste awareness and reduces it significantly below 10 °C (50 °F). Beer served unchilled—either cool or at room temperature—reveal more of their flavours. Cask Marque ,
5160-672: The earliest forms of the drink, are Sahti in Finland, Kvass in Russia and Ukraine , and Bouza in Sudan. 4000 years ago fermented bread was used in Mesopotamia. Food waste activists got inspired by these ancient recipes and use leftover bread to replace a third of the malted barley that would otherwise be used for brewing their craft ale. Beer is measured and assessed by colour, by strength and by bitterness. The strength of modern beer
5246-707: The freeze-distilling process. The alcohol content of beer varies by local practice or beer style. The pale lagers that most consumers are familiar with fall in the range of 4–6%, with a typical ABVof 5%. The customary strength of British ales is quite low, with many session beers being around 4% abv. In Belgium, some beers, such as table beer are of such low alcohol content (1%–4%) that they are served instead of soft drinks in some schools. The weakest beers are described as 'alcohol-free' , typically containing 0.05% ABV; this compares to low alcohol beers which may contain 1.2% ABV or less, and conventional beers which average 4.4% ABV. The strength of beers has climbed during
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#17327795717485332-563: The herb mixture originally used to enhance the flavour of beers before the general use of hops. The earliest reference to gruit dates from the late 10th century. During the 11th century, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV awarded monopoly privileges of the production and sale of gruit ( Grutgerechtigkeit , or "grut licence") to different local authorities, and as such imposed a de facto tax on beer. The control of gruit restricted entry to local beer markets — brewers in
5418-418: The largest brewery. In 2007, SABMiller surpassed InBev and Anheuser-Busch when it acquired Royal Grolsch , the brewer of Dutch brand Grolsch. In 2008, when InBev (the second-largest) bought Anheuser-Busch (the third-largest), the new Anheuser-Busch InBev company became again the largest brewer in the world. As of 2020 , according to the market research firm Technavio, AB InBev was the largest brewing company in
5504-532: The later years of the 20th century. Vetter 33, a 10.5% ABV (33 degrees Plato , hence Vetter "33") doppelbock , was listed in the 1994 Guinness Book of World Records as the strongest beer at that time, though Samichlaus , by the Swiss brewer Hürlimann, had also been listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the strongest at 14% |BV. Since then, some brewers have used champagne yeasts to increase
5590-730: The natural production of esters and other byproducts, resulting in a "cleaner"-tasting beer. With improved modern yeast strains, most lager breweries use only short periods of cold storage, typically no more than 2 weeks. Some traditional lagers are still stored for several months. Lambic , a beer of Belgium , is naturally fermented using wild yeasts, rather than cultivated. Many of these are not strains of brewer's yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) and may have significant differences in aroma and sourness. Yeast varieties such as Brettanomyces bruxellensis and Brettanomyces lambicus are common in lambics. In addition, other organisms such as Lactobacillus bacteria produce acids which contribute to
5676-407: The perception of the beer and can define and accent the character of the style. Breweries offer branded glassware intended only for their own beers as a marketing promotion, as this increases sales of their product. The pouring process has an influence on a beer's presentation. The rate of flow from the tap or other serving vessel, tilt of the glass, and position of the pour (in the centre or down
5762-441: The proportion between different countries. In Sweden in 2001, 63.9% of beer was sold in cans. People either drink from the can or pour the beer into a glass. A technology developed by Crown Holdings for the 2010 FIFA World Cup is the 'full aperture' can, so named because the entire lid is removed during the opening process, turning the can into a drinking cup. Cans protect the beer from light (thereby preventing spoilage) and have
5848-875: The range of flavours in a beer but cooler temperatures are more refreshing. Most drinkers prefer pale lager to be served chilled, a low- or medium-strength pale ale to be served cool, while a strong barley wine or imperial stout to be served at room temperature. Beer writer Michael Jackson proposed a five-level scale for serving temperatures: well chilled (7 °C or 45 °F) for "light" beers (pale lagers); chilled (8 °C or 46 °F) for Berliner Weisse and other wheat beers; lightly chilled (9 °C or 48 °F) for all dark lagers, altbier and German wheat beers; cellar temperature (13 °C or 55 °F) for regular British ale , stout and most Belgian specialities ; and room temperature (15.5 °C or 60 °F) for strong dark ales (especially trappist beer ) and barley wine . Drinking chilled beer began with
5934-535: The result is often a beer with slightly "fruity" compounds resembling apple, pear, pineapple, banana , plum, or prune, among others. After the introduction of hops into England from Flanders in the 15th century, "ale" came to mean an unhopped fermented brew, while "beer" meant a brew with an infusion of hops. The term ' real ale ' was coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) in 1973 for "beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in
6020-435: The role of yeast in fermentation was understood, fermentation involved wild or airborne yeasts. A few styles, such as lambics , rely on this method today, but most modern fermentation adds pure yeast cultures . Some brewers add clarifying agents or finings to beer, which typically precipitate (collect as a solid) out along with protein solids, and are found only in trace amounts in the finished product. This process makes
6106-708: The same grain. Darker malts produce darker beers. Nearly all beers use barley malt for most of the starch, as its fibrous hull remains attached to the grain during threshing. After malting, barley is milled, which finally removes the hull, breaking it into large pieces. These pieces remain with the grain during the mash and act as a filter bed during lautering , when sweet wort is separated from insoluble grain material. Other grains, including wheat, rice, oats , and rye , and less frequently, corn and sorghum may be used. Some brewers have produced gluten-free beer , made with sorghum, for those who cannot consume gluten -containing grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Flavouring beer
6192-416: The side) into the glass all influence the result, such as the size and longevity of the head, lacing (the pattern left by the head as it moves down the glass as the beer is drunk), and the release of carbonation . A beer tower or portable beer tap is sometimes used in bars and restaurants to allow a group of customers to serve themselves. The device consists of a tall container with a cooling mechanism and
6278-670: The site of Godin Tepe in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran . Beer is recorded in the written history of ancient Egypt , and archaeologists speculate that beer was instrumental in the formation of civilizations. Approximately 5000 years ago, workers in the city of Uruk (modern day Iraq) were paid by their employers with volumes of beer. During the building of the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt , each worker got
6364-575: The sourness. Around the world, many traditional and ancient starch-based drinks are classed as beer. In Africa, there are ethnic beers made from sorghum or millet , such as Oshikundu in Namibia and Tella in Ethiopia. Kyrgyzstan also has a beer made from millet; it is a low alcohol, somewhat porridge-like drink called "Bozo". Bhutan , Nepal, Tibet and Sikkim also use millet in Chhaang ,
6450-507: The strongest beer by a Dutch brewery in July 2010. Draught (also spelled "draft") beer from a pressurised keg using a lever-style dispenser and a spout is the most common method of dispensing in bars around the world. A metal keg is pressurised with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gas which drives the beer to the dispensing tap or faucet. Some beers may be served with a nitrogen/carbon dioxide mixture. Nitrogen produces fine bubbles, resulting in
6536-411: The strongest beer made is Schorschbräu's 2011 Schorschbock 57 with 57,5% ABV. It was preceded by The End of History , a 55% Belgian ale , made by BrewDog in 2010. The same company had previously made Sink The Bismarck! , a 41% ABV IPA , and Tactical Nuclear Penguin , a 32% ABV Imperial stout . Each of these beers are made using the eisbock method of fractional freezing , in which a strong ale
6622-522: The strongest variety of porter , a dark brown beer popular with the street and river porters of eighteenth century London. Lager is cool-fermented beer. Pale lagers are the most commonly drunk beers in the world. Many are of the " pilsner " type. The name "lager" comes from the German "lagern" for "to store", as brewers in Bavaria stored beer in cool cellars during the warm summer months, allowing
6708-503: The sweetness of the malt; the bitterness of beers is measured on the International Bitterness Units scale . Hops further contribute floral, citrus, and herbal aromas and flavours. They have an antibiotic effect that favours the activity of brewer's yeast over less desirable microorganisms, and aids in " head retention", the length of time that a foamy head created by carbonation will last. The acidity of hops
6794-696: The three main theories are that the word originates in Proto-Germanic * beuzą (putatively from Proto-Indo-European * bʰeusóm ), meaning ' brewer's yeast , beer dregs'; that it is related to the word barley , or that it was somehow borrowed from Latin bibere 'to drink'. Christine Fell , in Leeds Studies in English (1975), suggests that the Old English/Norse word bēor did not originally denote ale or beer, but
6880-471: The world, with Heineken second, CR Snow third, Carlsberg fourth, and Molson Coors fifth. A microbrewery , or craft brewery , produces a limited amount of beer. The maximum amount of beer a brewery can produce and still be classed as a 'microbrewery' varies by region and by authority; in the US, it is 15,000 US beer barrels (1.8 megalitres; 390 thousand imperial gallons; 460 thousand US gallons)
6966-404: Was artificially kept high) and were better at rendering the beer more stable. This preservative effect is thought to have had a large impact on the early movement to switch over, although other plants commonly used in gruit mixes, for example sage , rosemary , or bog myrtle , also have antiseptic properties likely to extend the shelf life of beer. Spruce tips as a local food ingredient have
7052-610: Was different from every brewer. What they did not contain was hops , as that was a later addition, first mentioned in Europe around 822 by a Carolingian Abbot and again in 1067 by abbess Hildegard of Bingen . In 1516, William IV, Duke of Bavaria adopted the Reinheitsgebot (purity law), perhaps the oldest food-quality regulation still in use in the 21st century, according to which the only allowed ingredients of beer are water, hops , and barley- malt . Beer produced before
7138-573: Was flavoured with other plants such as grains of paradise or alehoof . Combinations of aromatic herbs, berries, and even wormwood were combined into aflavouring mixture known as gruit . Some beers today, such as Fraoch' by the Scottish Heather Ales company use plants other than hops for flavouring. and Cervoise Lancelot by the French Brasserie-Lancelot company, Hops contribute a bitterness that balances
7224-470: Was hopped. In more recent centuries, however, the words "beer" and "ale" have been synonymous, as is still largely the case in British English, although recently there has been an increase in the use where "ale" means beer other than lager beer . The main factor for the replacement of spices by hops is that hops were cheaper (especially in the gruit area, where the price of beer flavouring spices
7310-430: Was mainly brewed on a domestic scale. The product that the early Europeans drank might not be recognised as beer by most people today. Alongside the basic starch source, the early European beers may have contained fruits, honey, numerous types of plants, spices, and other substances such as narcotic herbs. This mixture was called gruit, where if some were improperly heated could cause hallucinations. The mixture of gruit
7396-599: Was not used to saccharify the rice (amylolytic fermentation); the rice was probably prepared for fermentation by chewing or malting . During the Vedic period in Ancient India , there are records of the consumption of the beer-like sura . Xenophon noted that during his travels, beer was being produced in Armenia . Beer was spread through Europe by Germanic and Celtic tribes as far back as 3000 BC, and it
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