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Beer is made up of over 90% water. The mineral content of that water plays an enormous role in determining the taste of the beer, and this helps explain as to why the same type of beer whether it be a pilsner or a stout or an ale tastes so vastly different from one region of the world to another. The modern brewery can manipulate the mineral content of its water to taste and that is the reason why a Denmark Tuborg Pilsner can now be brewed in Australia to the same unique taste as the Tuborg Pilsner brewed in Copenhagen. The traditional taste of any beer can now be manufactured worldwide, but that traditional taste lies on the history of the beer and the original location of its manufacture and the mineral content of the water it was first produced with.

Following water, malt is the next most important ingredient to beer, as it provides the starch which is the second biggest contributor to the taste of the beer and provides the overall alcohol content of the brew. Although there are various grains such as corn and rice that can be used as the malt, malted barley is the preferred choice of brewers worldwide. Barely is divided into three varieties which are determined by the number of kernel rows in a head. The 2-row barely is considered the best and is the most expensive, while the 4-row and 6-row barley are cheaper alternatives. To obtain the malt, the barley is wetted and then stirred to maintain high oxygen levels that allow the barley to germinate, which then produces the sugar that contributes to the eventual beer alcohol content. From where the barley originates and how it is malted determines not only the taste and alcohol content of the beer it goes towards producing, but also the actual type of beer, whether it be a larger, a pilsner, or a stout.

Hops are the third ingredient needed for beer and are very important for the aroma, flavor, and bitterness of the beer. Hops are a flowering vine, and look a bit like a small green upside-down pineapple before harvest. From where the hops are harvested again is very important in determining what style of beer is produced. Also of importance, however, is the stage of the brewing process at which the hops are added. The hops that get boiled with the beer through the entire brewing process contribute to the overall bitterness of the beer, while hops added in the final 10 minutes of the boiling process add flavor and aroma to the beer, and hops added right at the end of the boiling process, in the last 3 minutes or so, contribute to the final bitterness of the product but to a lesser extent than those hops boiled through the entire procedure.

Yeast is the final ingredient to beer, and beer would not be beer without it. It is a living organism and is what causes the fermentation process. It literally eats the starch of the malt and produces the byproducts of carbon-dioxide and alcohol. There are two types of yeasts used in brewing beer, top-fermenting and bottom-fermenting yeasts, and they act as their names suggest, the former fermenting the beer at the top the barrel, or beer wort, as it is known, and the latter fermenting from the bottom of the wort. The top-fermenting yeasts will help produce a fruitier, sweeter, ale-type or pilsner-type beer, while the bottom-fermenting yeasts will contribute to a crisper, darker, lager-type beer. Yeast is the final ingredient to be added in the brewing procedure, and once the fermenting process is underway, the brewer's role in the beer's creation is largely complete.

Learn more about this author, Chris Pavey.
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