Origin of Beer and Its Ingredients With Information on Health Effects

Beer is one of the oldest and most consumedSugar extracted from grains is metabolized by
alcoholic beverage produced by brewing andmicroorganism known as yeast, it is the yeast
fermentation of starches derived from cereals.only who is responsible for fermentation in beer.
Wheat,corn,rice and malted barley are commonlyYeast not only ferment beer but also influence
used for brewing the beer. While brewing beerthe character and flavour of beer. Sugar
sometimes herbs or fruits are also be added toextracted from grains produces carbon dioxide
give flavor and color to beer. Alcoholic beveragesand alcohol which turns wort into beer. Common
which are fermented from non-starch sourcesmethod of categorizing beer is from the yeast
such as grape juice(wine) or mead are notwhich is used in fermentation process. Top
classified as beer.fermented yeast is used to brewed the ales. The
History of beerimportant distinction between ale and lagers is
Beer is recorded in the written history of ancientthat ale is fermented at higher temperature due
Egypt and is one of the oldest beveragesto which ale ferment more quickly then lagers.
approximately dating back to the 6th century B.C.Real Ale is the natural product which is left inside
European monasteries also started making andcontainer after brewing to get mature and then it
selling beer by the end of 7th century A.D. Duringis went through secondary fermentation process
the industrial revolution production of the beerwhich leads to formation of CO2 which in turn
moved from domestic manufacturing to industrialincreases the pressure in flask which forces it out
manufacturing. Beer like beverages wereof container and then it is being poured.
independently invented through out the variousServing
cultures mainly because any substance containingCommon method of serving the draught beer is
carbohydrates like sugar or starch can easilyfrom a pressurised keg used in bars around the
undergo fermentation. During the thirteen centuryworld. The keg is pressurised with carbon dioxide
making the beer and selling beverages from homewhich drives the beer out from the tap of keg.
was a mean of supplementing family income.While bottling the beer mostly beer is filtered to
Ingredientsmake it yeast free. Now a days beer is mostly
The basic ingredients of beer are water, starchsold in cans. It is advisable to preserve the beer in
and yeast. Sometimes secondary starch sourcescans because it protects the beer from light and
are used such as wheat, rice and sugar, thesealso from leakage. Taste of beer also depends on
sources are used as low cost substitute forthe temperature of beer at which it is served,
malted barley.some like chilled beer and some like beer
Water is very important to beer because mineralspreserved at room temperature and also some
in water influence the character of beer madeadd ice to it to make it more chilled.
from it that is the reason beer is composedHealth effects
mostly of water. Water of different regions areIt is said that moderate consumption of alcohol
different in mineral components as a result qualityreduces risk level of cardiac diseases. Beer is also
of beer in one region is different from quality ofreferred as "liquid bread" , beer contains significant
beer in another region. Hence, it is argued thatamount of nutrients because it is said that
minerals of water have influence on quality ofbrewer's yeast is rich source of nutrients. A study
beer.found that beer which has low quantity of alcohol
Fermentable in the beer is provided by the starchmay posses the anti-cancer properties and also
source of the beer and hence, it is the keyreduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. It is
determinant of the character of beer. Malted grainconsider that overeating and lack of proper
is the most common starch source used in beer,exercise is a result of beer belly rather then
malted grain produces enzymes that convertsproduct itself.
starches in grain into fermentable sugar. Colour ofThere is conclusive evidence that heavy
beer will depend upon the colour of malted grains,consumption of alcohol can lead to liver problems
that means darker the grains darker will be theand other health related problems, however
beer. For flavouring and preserving the beermoderate consumption of alcohol or beer has
flower of hop vine is used. Hop is also used toquite a few many benefits as it is full of nutrients
balance the sweetness of malted grains, as itand also beer is mostly composed of water which
contributes to bitterness of beer.is source of many minerals.