When you ask a craft beer enthusiast what it is, they will likely find it difficult to give you a clear and precise answer. It will be even harder if you pose the same question to several enthusiasts. You will not get a unanimous answer. However, each definition you receive from each of them will help you better understand what craft beer is. Broadly speaking, craft beer is an alcoholic beverage, produced locally, with ingredients that are closer to home than they may seem. The difference from industrial beer is that the taste of this local beer varies from one craft brewer to another, as not all ingredients are adjusted in the same way by all producers of this beer. By the way, what ingredients can be found in craft beer?
Beer is liquid: so it needs water
You probably suspected this. Water makes up more than 90% of the beer recipe. Therefore, the brewing water must be of very good quality. This water should have a neutral pH, meaning neither acidic nor alkaline, and must be pure. Pure enough to be free of any substances or pollutants, so that the yeast can develop properly.
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Additionally, this water must have a certain mineral content. It should have a good level of calcium and magnesium, which will ensure that the beer has a good content and appropriate texture. For example, not much mineral content is needed for a blonde beer, while brown beer should contain enough.
In short, the water used for beer plays an important role in its taste. It should not be neglected. And if you want to know what craft beer looks like without making it yourself, take a look at https://www.mabiereartisanale.fr/.
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Malt
Malt is generally found in grains. And to obtain it, the most commonly used grain in beer is barley. Other grains like wheat, rice, and others can also be used. These grains contain 70 to 80% starch, in addition to simple sugars. This is what forms the body of the beer and allows for a nutritious and alcoholic product. To obtain malt from these grains, they are dried after a germination phase, and the result is there.
Hops
Hops is a climbing plant whose flowers are used in craft beer production. Although it is a very rarely used ingredient in industrial beer, it is very present in craft beer. Hops is the secret ingredient that gives beer its character, its aroma, its taste, and even its bitter flavor. It is an antibacterial, both bittering and aromatic. Thus, it helps to eliminate any bacteria that might want to proliferate during fermentation.
Yeast
At different temperatures, each yeast brings a significant flavor. Therefore, as a microbrewer, you can purchase nearly 100 different yeasts analyzed and adopted by laboratories. This is somewhat the trademark of each brewer. Thus, you can create your own yeast strain, making each beer unique.
The primary function of yeasts is to ferment the wort, then to consume the sugars from the grain broth that the brewer prepares. The yeasts will thus transform sugar into alcohol and CO2, which will impart a good quality to the beer.