Beer

BEER, a weak alcoholic beverage obtained by fermenting wort made from barley malt with the addition of hops. The main materials for brewing are barley, hops, yeast, and water; instead of barley, wheat is sometimes used for making malt; part of the malt is sometimes replaced by ungerminated corn and rice. Factory production of B. is carried out approximately according to the following scheme: the soaked barley is kept for germination (malting) on the malting floor for 6-10 days, is dried (40-80°), then the malt is ground and for preparing the wort is mashed with water and heated to 75°; from the mash left to stand, the settled liquid--wort--is drained; to the latter for imparting a characteristic aroma and flavor, hops is added; the hopped beer is boiled for about 2 hours, filtered, quickly cooled, pumped into fermentation tanks and yeast is added to it; here the so-called main fermentation takes place, after which the liquid is poured into pitch-coated barrels, in which secondary fermentation takes place, during which the yeast settles, the beer clarifies and becomes saturated with CO₂. Further, the finished B. is poured into kegs or bottles. By the method of fermentation, B. of top and bottom fermentation is distinguished. The first requires a higher temperature (12-18°), due to which fermentation proceeds violently and quickly, gives a less stable product and is used for making B. intended for immediate consumption; some varieties of B. of alcoholic fermentation (English porter, ale) are distinguished by their stability due to strong hopping of the wort and high alcohol content (up to 5-6%). Bottom fermentation is more widespread, proceeds at 5-10°, requires more time; with it, a significant part of the proteins remaining in the wort is consumed by the yeast, due to which B. of bottom fermentation acquires good stability.-By color, 1) light B., obtained from malt dried at a low temperature, and 2) dark-from malt slightly roasted during drying, are distinguished.-There are many varieties of B.; they differ from each other in taste, aroma, and external characteristics; these characteristics essentially depend on the variety of malt, mashing method, extract content of the wort, quantity and quality of hops, fermentation method, and yeast strain; yeast (see Yeast and Fermentation) and hops, which gives B. a bitter taste and comparative stability in storage due to the hop bitter acids contained in it, which have antiseptic properties, are of particular importance. In the USSR, the quality of brewing products is regulated by all-Union standards for brewing barley (OST 4), brewing barley malt (OST 60) and beer (OST 61). The latter provides for B. of bottom fermentation (light No. 1, light No. 2 and dark) and B. of top fermentation (black); light No. 1 is characterized by a pronounced hop taste, light No. 2-by a combination of malt and hop taste, dark-by a pronounced malt taste. According to the standard, B. should not contain sediment at the bottom of the bottle and should not be cloudy; not quite clear B. is allowed if the cloudiness is due to protein substances, dextrins, hop resins, crystalline substances (calcium oxalate) and yeast, provided that the actual degree of fermentation is not below 48% (except for black B.).*-B. should have a normal taste and should not have a foreign taste and smell; for aging B. in a cellar before its release to the market, a minimum three-week period is established; the use of neutralizing preservatives and artificial sweeteners is not allowed. In addition to other requirements, the standard also specifies the following: alcohol content (in weight %) should be not less than 2.9% in light B. No. 1 and No. 2 and not less than 3% in dark; acidity in cm³ of normal alkali per 100 g B. should be for all varieties within 1.3-2.8; light varieties No. 1 and No. 2 and dark (of bottom fermentation) should have sufficient stability during storage and during aging for 7-8 days at 20° should not become cloudy. The chemical composition of B. depending on varieties and manufacturing recipe can vary within wide limits, namely (in g per 100 cm³ of B.): S.G. 1.0114-1.0256; CO₂, 0.197-0.383; extract-4-10; sugars-2.7-5.27; dextrins-2.5; alcohol-2-5.5; glycerin-0.1-0.3; acids-0.15-0.4 and mineral substances-0.14-0.38. The unique combination in well-made beer of its characteristic components-dextrins, sugars (maltose), bitter substances, CO₂ * The degree of fermentation of B. is defined as the percentage of fermented extract in relation to the extract of the main wort. and a certain amount of alcohol-in combination with its stimulating property and refreshing taste has made beer a very popular alcoholic beverage. The presence in B. of alcohol, sometimes reaching up to 6% or even higher, as well as the often observed excesses in consumption, force hygienists to treat it negatively as one of the strong factors of alcoholism (effect on the body in connection with alcohol, as well as consumption statistics-see Alcoholism). B. has a pronounced diuretic effect, which cannot be explained only by the high water content in B.: thus, according to Hoop den, after taking 1 liter of water in the morning, 385 cm³ of urine was excreted, and after taking 1 liter of beer under the same conditions for the same period of time-1,012 cm³; some attribute this effect to the CO₂ contained in B., most of it-to alcohol. Young, unfermented B. can cause burning in the urethra, bladder cramps; this is apparently explained by the relatively large amount of hop resin in such B., which has not had time to settle as a result of insufficient fermentation of the beer. B. apparently more often can be a cause of alimentary glycosuria than other carbohydrate-containing food means; this may depend on the simultaneous presence in B. of maltose and alcohol.--Excessive, chronic consumption of B. is associated with a number of disorders, the most common of which are: general obesity, hypertrophy, myodegeneration and fatty heart of the heart ('Munich beer heart'), as well as diseases of the gastrointestinal tract (chronic gastritis, stomach dilatation) and the nervous system. Apparently, the main harm along with alcohol in excessive consumption of B. is the systematic introduction of large amounts of fluid, overloading the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system and excretory organs. For the examination of B. for the purpose of establishing its wholesomeness in the 'All-Union Standard' (OST 61), the following methods are described: determination of the amount of alcohol, actual extract, initial wort, actual degree of fermentation, acidity of B., color of B., stability of B., establishing the causes of cloudiness of B. and determination of falsifying substances, namely: 1) neutralizing, 2) preservative (salicylic, benzoic, hydrofluoric, sulfurous, boric acids and their salts), and 3) artificial sweet substances (glycerin, saccharin and dulcin).