Planet Of Beer

Beer is made by brewing. The essential stages of brewing are mashing, sparging, boiling, fermentation, and packaging. Most of these stages can be accomplished in several different ways, but the purpose of each stage is the same regardless of the method used to achieve it.

Mashing manipulates the temperature of a mixture of water and a starch source (known as mash) in order to convert starches to fermentable sugars. The mash goes through one or more stages of being raised to a desired temperature and left at the temperature for a period of time. During each of these stages, enzymes (alpha and beta amylase primarily) break down the long dextrins that are present in the mash into simpler fermentable sugars, such as glucose. The number of stages required in mashing depends on the starch source used to produce the beer. Most malted barley used today requires only a single stage.

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Once a mutual gathering of list-ticking anoraks and wierdy beardies with a fondness for Morris dancers, the beer festival has seen a sudden rise in mainstream popularity, predominantly due to a renaissance in cider and perry drinking. I’ve compiled a novel selection of widely available European beers that should cater to all tastes.

Newcastle Brown Ale

As accessible a dark ale as was ever brewed, Newcastle Brown has proved popular with both enlightened students and Northern football hooligans, who have discovered that the heavyweight bottle makes a fine bludgeoner.

Hoegaarden

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