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The Beer Portal

Introduction

P:Beer

Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Beer is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The fermentation of the starch sugars in the wort produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation.

Some of the earliest writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating it, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, a recipe for it.

Beer is distributed in bottles and cans and is also commonly available on draught, particularly in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Beer forms part of the culture of many nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as activities like pub crawling, pub quizzes, and pub games. (Full article...)

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Image 1
A bottle of Vitamalz German non-alcoholic malt beer (Malzbier)

Malt beer is a sweet, low-alcohol beer (0–2.5% ABV) that is brewed like regular beer but with low or minimal fermentation. To keep the alcohol content low, one of two methods may be used: either the yeast is added at about 0 °C (resulting in an alcohol content of under 0.5% ABV) or fermentation is halted at the desired alcohol content (usually in the range of 1 to 2% ABV). It is made from barley malt syrup, sugar, yeast, hops, and water.

Malt beer is considered to be nutritious and is sometimes given to breastfeeding mothers. Among the ancient Egyptians, their form of malt beer (zythum) was considered to work as both a laxative and antidiarrheal; it was considered dangerous, however, for the sick or pregnant to drink it. (Full article...)
Image 2
Augustiner Weißbier, a naturally cloudy Bavarian wheat beer

Wheat unfiltered beer is a top-fermented beer which is brewed with a large proportion of wheat relative to the amount of malted barley. The two main varieties are German Weizenbier and Belgian witbier; other types include Lambic (made with wild yeast), Berliner Weisse (a cloudy, sour beer), and Gose (a sour, salty beer). (Full article...)
Image 3
Brown ale in a glass

Brown ale is a style of beer with a dark amber or brown colour. The term was first used by London brewers in the late 17th century to describe a lightly hopped ale brewed from 100% brown malt.

Today brown ales are made in England, Belgium and America. Beers termed brown ale include sweet, low alcohol beers such as Manns Original Brown Ale, medium strength amber beers of moderate bitterness such as Newcastle Brown Ale, and malty but hoppy beers such as Sierra Nevada Brown Ale. (Full article...)
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Pilsner Urquell, the world's first pale lager and ancestor of today's Pilsners

Pilsner (also pilsener or simply pils) is a type of pale lager. It takes its name from the Bohemian city of Plzeň (German: Pilsen), where the world's first pale lager (now known as Pilsner Urquell) was produced in 1842 by Pilsner Urquell Brewery. (Full article...)
Image 5

Beer cheese with saltine crackers

Beer cheese is a cheese spread most commonly found in Kentucky. Similarly named cheese products can be found in other regions of the United States, but beer cheese spread itself is not widely distributed. Despite this fact, the product is nearly ubiquitous in Kentucky. There are a number of different brands that are popular – most are similar in taste and texture. Fans of the snack usually have their favorite brand, and there are many homemade versions which use a wide variety of ingredients to add personalization.

Commercially produced beer cheese spread usually consists of a processed cheese base with a sharp cheddar flavor, while homemade varieties almost always start with sharp cheddar cheese. To this, enough beer is added to provide flavor and texture, as well as garlic, and a variety of spices including dry mustard, horseradish, jalapeño peppers, and cayenne pepper. Most varieties come in "mild" and "hot" versions, but all tend to have a strong garlic flavor. Beer cheese is traditionally served with saltine crackers, although it can be found served with various other crackers and crudités, most often as an appetizer. (Full article...)
Image 6
Label of Free Beer 3.2.

Free Beer is a beer brand collaboration between students of IT University of Copenhagen and the artist collective Superflex initiated in 2004. The recipe of the beer is published under a Creative Commons license, granting others the right to freely use and distribute it. (Full article...)
Image 7
Can of Finnish Olvi beer

Finland has a long history of beer (Finnish: olut) dating back to the Middle Ages. The oldest still-existing commercial brewery in Finland and the other Nordic countries is Sinebrychoff, founded in 1819. The Finnish Beer Day (suomalaisen oluen päivä) is celebrated on 13 October to commemorate the founding of the Sinebrychoff brewery and the birth of Finnish beer. The largest Finnish brewers are Hartwall, Olvi and Sinebrychoff. Most of the beers brewed in Finland are pale lagers. , Finland's standing is 23rd in per capita consumption of beer: Finnish people consume 70.2 litres (15.4 imp gal; 18.5 US gal) of beer annually per capita, while the total annual consumption is 393 million litres (86,000,000 imp gal; 104,000,000 US gal). (Full article...)
Image 8
Founders Curmudgeon old ale

Old ale is a form of strong ale. The term is commonly applied to dark, malty beers in England, generally above 5% ABV, and also to dark ales of any strength in Australia. It is sometimes associated with stock ale or, archaically, keeping ale, in which the beer is held at the brewery. In modern times, the line has blurred between Old Ale and Barley wine. (Full article...)
Image 9
Blow my skull is an alcoholic punch drink that originated in mid-19th century Australia. As listed in The English and Australian Cookery Book by Edward Abbott, it calls for two pints of boiling water, sugar loaf, lime or lemon juice, one pint of ale or porter, one pint rum, and a half a pint of brandy. It has been described as a "notoriously potent alcoholic concoction".

Some alternatively call the drink blow my skull off, which may also refer to a historical version made instead by the mixing of rum, Cocculus indicus, "spirits of wine", cayenne pepper, Turkish opium and water. (Full article...)
Image 10
The previous location of AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego

San Diego County, California, has been called "the Craft Beer Capital of America". , the county was home to 155 licensed craft breweries – the most of any county in the United States. Based on 2016 sales volume, three San Diego County breweries – Stone, Green Flash, and Karl Strauss – rank among the 50 largest craft brewers in the United States. San Diego County brewers pioneered the specialty beer style known as Double India Pale Ale (Double IPA), sometimes called San Diego Pale Ale. Its beer culture is a draw for tourism, particularly during major festivals such as San Diego Beer Week and the San Diego International Beer Competition. San Diego County breweries including Stone Brewing Co., AleSmith Brewing Company and Ballast Point Brewing Company are consistently rated among the top breweries in the world. (Full article...)
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A bottling machine being used in 1945 as part of an Australian beer production operation

Beer arrived in Australia at the beginning of British colonisation. In 2004 Australia was ranked fourth internationally in per capita beer consumption, at around 110 litres per year; although, the nation ranked considerably lower in a World Health Organization report of alcohol consumption per capita of 12.2 litres. Lager is by far the most popular type of beer consumed in Australia.

The oldest brewery still in operation is the Cascade Brewery, established in Tasmania in 1824. The largest Australian-owned brewery is the family-owned Coopers Brewery; the other two major breweries, Carlton & United Breweries and Lion Nathan, are owned by Japan's Asahi and Kirin Brewing Company respectively. (Full article...)
Image 12

Bottle of Bitburger Winterbock

Bock (German: [bɔk] ) is a strong German beer, usually a dark lager. (Full article...)
Image 13

Cream ale is a style of American beer which is light in color and well attenuated, meaning drier. First crafted in the mid-1800s at various breweries in the United States, cream ale remained a very localized form with different styles until the early 20th century. During Prohibition in the United States, a great number of Canadian brewers took up brewing cream ale, refining it to some degree. Following the end of Prohibition, cream ale from Canada became popular in the United States and the style was produced anew in both nations. (Full article...)
Image 14

Oktoberfest (German pronunciation: [ɔkˈtoːbɐˌfɛst] ; Bavarian: Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October, with more than six million international and national visitors attending the event. Locally, it is called d'Wiesn, after the colloquial name for the fairgrounds, Theresienwiese. Oktoberfest is an important part of Bavarian culture, having been held since the year 1810. Other cities across the world also hold Oktoberfest celebrations that are modeled after the original Munich event.

During the event, large quantities of Oktoberfest Beer are consumed: in 2014, 7.7 million litres (2,000,000 US gal) were served. Visitors also enjoy numerous attractions, such as amusement rides, side stalls, and games. There is also a wide variety of traditional foods available. (Full article...)
Image 15
Bergenhus microbrewery, Bergen, Norway

Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries, which typically produce smaller amounts of beer, than larger "macro" breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as emphasising enthusiasm, new flavours, and varied brewing techniques.

The microbrewery movement began in both the United States and United Kingdom in the 1970s, although traditional artisanal brewing existed in Europe for centuries and subsequently spread to other countries. As the movement grew, and some breweries expanded their production and distribution, the more encompassing concept of craft brewing emerged. A brewpub is a pub that brews its own beer for sale on the premises. (Full article...)

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33cl bottle of Gulden Draak

Gulden Draak (Dutch for Golden Dragon) is a dark Belgian beer with high alcohol by volume (10.5%), brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge in Ertvelde, East Flanders. It is named after the golden dragon at the top of the belfry in Ghent.

There are several variants, including Gulden Draak 9000 Quadruple. (Full article...)

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Susannah Oland (1818–1885) was an Englishwoman who immigrated to Canada. She was the creator of a beer recipe which became the basis for founding Canada's oldest independent brewery, Moosehead Brewery. Though she was credited with running the operation as well as acting as chief brewer, the business was incorporated in the name of her husband and sons. When her husband died, the partners sold their interests to a manager, whom Oland was able to buy out eight years later. She continued running the business until her death. (Full article...)

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Did you know (auto-generated) - load more entries

... that Fred G. Sullivan's film The Beer-Drinker's Guide to Fitness and Filmmaking depicts Sullivan being humiliated with mud and whips for the failings of his previous film?
... that the debate in "Game On" invokes the beer question?
... that Abeer Odeh was the first woman to serve as Minister of National Economy in Palestine?
... that Jaega Wise co-hosted the television series Beer Masters alongside musician James Blunt?
... that a beer named after the barley variety Golden Promise was not brewed using the variety?
... that brewer Sophie de Ronde is allergic to most beer?

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General images

The following are images from various beer- and brewing-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Steamworks Brewing, Vancouver (from Craft beer)
Image 2Põhjala Brewery, Estonia (from Craft beer)
Image 3Diatomaceous earth, used to create a filtration bed (from Brewing)
Image 4A 16th-century brewery (from History of beer)
Image 5A replica of ancient Egyptian beer, brewed from emmer wheat by the Courage brewery in 1996 (from History of beer)
Image 6Robohop, a session IPA from Cervisiam in Oslo, Norway (from Craft beer)
Image 7Mexican craft beer from Tequixquiac in Zumpango Region (from Craft beer)
Image 8A 16th-century brewery (from Brewing)
Image 9Open vessels showing fermentation taking place (from Brewing)
Image 10A selection of French craft beers (from Craft beer)
Image 11The Caledonian Brewery, founded in 1869, Edinburgh, Scotland (from History of beer)
Image 12Spent grain, a brewing by-product (from Brewing)
Image 13Traditional fermenting building (center) and modern fermenting building (left) in Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Czech Republic) (from History of beer)
Image 14A hydrometer measures beer's specific gravity (from History of beer)
Image 15Malted barley before kilning or roasting (from Brewing)
Image 16D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the US, established in 1829. It is also the largest craft brewer, and the 6th largest brewing company overall. (from Craft beer)
Image 17Spontaneous fermentation at Timmermans in Belgium (from Brewing)
Image 18A yard of ale at Jolly Brewery, Taiwan (from Craft beer)
Image 19Bergenhus microbrewery, Bergen, Norway (from Craft beer)
Image 20Lauter tun (from Brewing)
Image 21A growler of beer from Flounder Brewing, a nanobrewery in New Jersey, US (from Craft beer)
Image 22Cask ales with gravity dispense at a beer festival (from Brewing)
Image 23Dogo Beer from Minakuchi-shuzō microbrewery in Matsuyama, Japan (from Craft beer)
Image 24Brew kettles at Brasserie La Choulette in France (from Brewing)
Image 25Craft brewing at Allagash in Portland, Maine (from Craft beer)
Image 26Rock mortars in Raqefet Cave, used to make beer during the Stone Age. (from History of beer)
Image 27Smoked beer from the Schlenkerla brewpub in Bamberg, Germany (from Craft beer)
Image 28Gambrinus – king of beer (from History of beer)
Image 29A beer sommelier tapping a barrel for a taste at Nebraska Brewing Company (from Craft beer)
Image 30Pasteur Street Brewing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (from Craft beer)
Image 31Alulu beer receipt recording a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BCE, from the Sumerian city of Umma in ancient Iraq. (from History of beer)
Image 32Conditioning tanks at Anchor Brewing Company (from Brewing)
Image 33Castaña, a smoked beer with chestnuts from Cerex in Extremadura, Spain (from Craft beer)
Image 34Bill Urquhart at Litchborough Brewery (from Craft beer)
Image 35World beer consumption per capita (from History of beer)
Image 36A funerary model of a bakery and brewery, from the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, c. 2009–1998 BCE (from History of beer)
Image 37Casks of real ale from British microbreweries at a beer festival (from Craft beer)
Image 38A can of Juicy Ass IPA from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, Ontario, Canada (from Craft beer)
Image 39Yeast ring used by Swedish homebrewers in the 19th century to preserve the yeast between brewing sessions. (from History of beer)
Image 40Modern closed fermentation vessels (from Brewing)
Image 41Zoigl beers from the communal brewhouses of Oberpfalz in Germany (from Craft beer)
Image 42Philistine pottery beer jug (from History of beer)
Image 43Hop cone grown in a hop field, Hallertau, Germany (from Brewing)
Image 44The Alulu beer receipt records a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BC from the Sumerian city of Umma in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq). (from Brewing)
Image 45Bottling beer in a modern facility, 1945, Australia (from History of beer)
Image 46A mash tun at the Bass Museum in Burton-upon-Trent (from Brewing)
Image 47Microbreweries, regional breweries, and brew pubs per capita (from Craft beer)
Image 48Irish Craft Beer Festival, 2015 (from Craft beer)
Image 49Great Leap Brewing operates a chain of brewpubs in China (from Craft beer)