Beer

Beer is the general name for alcoholic beverages made by fermenting a starchy material usually cereal (or mixture of cereals) flavoured with hops.

The  unfermented sugar solution is called wort, and is made from steeping or mashing malted grains. Alcoholic beer is made from the fermentation of sugars (fruit juices, honey etc.,) during a processes called brewing.

The brewing process stops after fermentation and does not include further distillation.

Beer is characterised by variations in brewing techniques. Taste and colour vary with geographical location. Each individual brand has its own characteristics.

There are four main types of British beer:

Ales, Lagers, Stouts and Porters.

Real Ale : ( Cask-conditioned beer).
Towards the end of the beer fermentation, beer still contains a small amount of live yeast and fermentable sugar. While it is still fermenting it is racked off into casks and finings are added. Here it undergoes a secondary fermentation. When this stage is complete the finings assist the yeast settles to the bottom of the cask. Thereafter any movement of the cask must be done with great care, and time must be allotted after moving the cask for settle- age.

Brewery Ale : Racked in Casks or Kegs.
Bitter is a uniquely British style, and remains the most popular draught beer in England. Originally derived from pale ale. A top fermented beer. Stronger version are available in bottled beers. Main ingredient is malted barley, with hops only added to improve the keeping properties and give a distinctive smell and taste.

Lager  : Brewery Conditioned (racked in Kegs). Lager beer undergoes a longer maturation process of between one to two weeks in cold storage to stabilise the beer and develop flavour. Typically light, clear, sparkling and served cold. A pale beer brewed from a bottom-fermenting yeast. Smooth, crisp, clean flavour.

Stout : is very dark or black, full-bodied and rich and is made from roasted unmalted barley. A top fermented ale. Characterized by a rich creamy head and a grainy flavour. A distinction is drawn between sweet stout and dry stout. The Irish stout style is dry, acquiring a refreshing bitterness from roasted barley. Stouts which originated in the UK are sweet.

Porter : Generally a strong, dark, sweet ale.  Porters should be more obviously hopped with their darkness coming from black or roasted malt, or roasted malted barley. Often brewed with soft water. A medium-bodied beer.