At its most basic, beer is made up of three ingredients: barley, water, and hops. The original beers that have been produced all over the world, especially in Bavaria, hold to this recipe. The barley needs to be malted to release the sugars, and it is then mixed with the water. The hops can be added at that time or later. There are wild yeasts around in the atmosphere, and when these yeasts come in contact with the sugar of the malted barley, they begin to multiply. Yeasts consume sugar and produce alcohol as a byproduct; in a matter of a few days, you will have beer. However, the beer brewing process has become much more refined in recent years.
The Basics
To start beer brewing in Santa Barbara, CA, you need barley, hops, water, and yeast. Wild yeast has been almost completely replaced in brewing methods with packaged yeasts that offer purity, predictability, and sanitation to the process. The barley needs to be malted, which means that it needs to be germinated. Since wheat is just seeds, it will eventually produce taproot if it is left moist and warm, which unlocks the sugars. The malted barley is then added to water. The water is often boiled to release the sugar and barley flavors, and the barley is then discarded.
In some places, discarded beer grains are used for bread. You can check out website domain to find classes on this process as well as the brewing process. Once the barley and water have been boiled, you have what is called wort.
Pitching the Yeast
Once the wort cools down below 80 degrees Fahrenheit, you can add the yeast. The yeast will begin eating the sugar and producing alcohol. Hops add bitterness and flavor; therefore, you can add them at any point in the brewing process. Once it’s all done fermenting, you have beer. That’s the entire beer brewing process.
