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The essential ingredients of beer are, rather, categories. There is no one magical generic item that can be used in all beers, but rather each aspect of a brew is hand chosen for specific results.

The main ingredients of beer are: water, hops, malted barley, and yeast.

Water.
Water is the base for the entire beer. Depending on what type of water used can change the outcome of the brew. Minor imperfections in the water create different taste tendencies in the final beer; so if you took the exact same recipe using the exact same ingredients and made it with water from New York, USA and Stalingrad, Russia, the beers would taste slightly different due to the differences in the water used. Most home brewers use distilled water, or going so far as to use purified water.

Hops.
Hops are green, cone like flowers that have been used in brewing for over 200 years. They act as a flavoring agent, stabilizer, and preservative. Before hops were used, many combinations of spices were used in the brewing process to achieve the same goal.

Hops come in different styles, and are added to the brew at different times to achieve the desired outcome. There are hops specifically designed to effect the aroma of the brew, hops to effect the bitterness, and hops to help with the finish.

Even within those three categories, there are thousands of types of hops from all over the world; each kind willing to lend an individualistic hand to the brew. American hops, German hops, Belgian hops, there are hops from all over the world, and they all have a different flavor to add.

Fermentable Sugars (Malted Barley).
In order for barley to be used in the beer making process, it must be "malted". This means that the fresh barley must be taken to a special "maltster" to be seeped in water until the grains begin to sprout. Then they are drained and dried. Now they are considered "malted".

After malting, they must go through a process called "mashing", which is where the malted barley is immersed in water at controlled temperatures. This process allows the enzymes in the barley to convert starches into sugars, later to be eaten by the yeast to produce carbon dioxide and alcohol.

Yeast.
There are two types of yeast in brewing: Ale yeast, and Lager yeast. The yeast is responsible for converting the sugars in the beer into alcohol and rounding out the flavor profile of the beer.

Ale yeast is used in brewing situations where the brew will maintain a constant room temperature between 55-75 degrees Fahrenheit, and lager yeast is used in situations where the brew maintains a lower temperature - 32 through 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ale yeast is a top-fermenting yeast, which means that during fermentation, the yeast does it's job in the brew, then rises to the top, creating a cream colored, lard-looking mass that sits on top of the brew.

Lager yeast is a bottom-fermenting yeast. When the yeast is done with the brew, it settles to the bottom in a fine mist.

Beer is like a canvas. Each individual portion of the brewing process lends to the beautiful end product. From water, to barley, to German Noble hops, down to a bottom-fermenting yeast, it all comes together to form a wonderful beer.

Learn more about this author, Ben 'the Brewer'.
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