Brewing

Brewing, process of making beer from cereal grains, usually barley. Brewing is a major industry in the United States, with a total annual production of about 125 million barrels. In the first step of brewing, malting, cleaned barley is soaked in water 2–3 days, allowed to germinate, and dried in a kiln. The malt is stored for several weeks while the malt flavor develops and various enzymes are produced. In the next stage, mashing, the ground malt is mixed with water, maintained at a warm temperature, and stirred constantly. During this process the enzymes break down the insoluble starch into soluble carbohydrates. The liquor containing these substances is filtered out (the remaining solid mash is used as animal feed) and boiled to stop enzyme activity and sterilize the brew. Hops are added at this stage to impart their characteristic flavor. Yeast is then added for about 8 days of fermentation.

See also: Beer; Fermentation.