Portal:Beer/Sandbox

 The Beer Portal  

Introduction

At the Café by Édouard Manet, circa 1879

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the grain to sugars, which dissolve in water to form wort. Fermentation of the wort by yeast produces ethanol and carbonation in the 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. 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.

Beer is distributed in bottles and cans, and is commonly available on draught 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).

Some of the earliest writings mention the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi (1750 BC) included laws regulating it, while "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, contains a recipe for it. 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 games. (Full article...)

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  A beer assortment sold in Bali, Indonesia; Carlsberg, Bali Hai, Bintang and Anker Beer.

  
  The history of beer in Indonesia started in 1929, when the Heineken beer company established its first brewery factory in Surabaya, East Java, during Dutch colonial rule of Indonesia. This was one of the earliest beer enterprise in Southeast Asia. In July 1931 the Archipel Brouwerij Compagnie (Archipelago Brewery Co.) was formed in Batavia (now known as Jakarta), by German brewer, Beck's, constructing breweries in both Singapore and Batavia. By 1960s, Indonesians developed their own local brands of beer, which includes Bintang Beer (nationalized from Heineken) and Anker Beer. (Full article...)
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  Piwo z Grodziska, a modern Polish recreation of Grodziskie, brewed in Grodzisk Wielkopolski, served in a tall conical glass designed for this style of beer

  
  Grodziskie (Polish pronunciation: [ɡrɔˈd͡ʑiskʲɛ]; other names: Grätzer, Grodzisz) is a historical beer style from Poland made from oak-smoked wheat malt with a clear, light golden color, high carbonation, low alcohol content, low to moderate levels of hop bitterness, and a strong smoke flavor and aroma. The taste is light and crisp, with primary flavors coming from the smoked malt, the high mineral content of the water, and the strain of yeast used to ferment it. It was nicknamed "Polish Champagne" because of its high carbonation levels and valued as a high-quality beer for special occasions.
  
  Grodziskie is brewed from wheat malt that has been dried by circulating oak smoke through the grains. The smokiness of the grain and the mineral profile of the water used to brew the beverage gives the style its characteristic flavor. Polish breweries historically used locally grown hops and one or two strains of brewer's yeast in its production. Before packaging, the beer is treated with isinglass to produce a bright, clear appearance. The beer is packaged before all of the fermentable sugars have been converted to alcohol by the yeast, earlier in the process than is typical in beers. Fermentation continues after packaging, and the carbon dioxide that is produced remains dissolved in the beer, resulting in a very high level of carbonation in the final product. (Full article...)
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  3 Monts, a Bière de Garde

  
  
  Bière de Garde ("beer for keeping") is a strong pale ale or keeping beer traditionally brewed in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. These beers were originally brewed in farmhouses (they are known as farmhouse ales) during the winter and spring, to avoid unpredictable problems with the yeast during the summertime. Farmhouse production is now supplemented by commercial production, although most Bière de Garde brewers are small businesses.
  
  Typically, beers of this tradition are of a copper colour or golden colour, and as the name suggests the origins of this style lies in the tradition that it was matured or cellared for a period of time once bottled (and most sealed with a cork), to be consumed later in the year, akin to a Belgian Saison. (Full article...)
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  Beers with Authentic Trappist Product label from Trappist breweries in 2015: Achel, Chimay, Engelszell, La Trappe, Orval, Spencer, Rochefort, Tre Fontane, Westmalle, Westvleteren, and Zundert (not pictured: Mount St Bernard Abbey)

  
  Trappist beer is brewed by Trappist monks. Thirteen Trappist monasteries—six in Belgium, two in the Netherlands, and one each in Austria, Italy, England, France, and Spain— produce beer, but the Authentic Trappist Product label is assigned by the International Trappist Association (ITA) to just ten breweries that meet their strict criteria. As of 2021, Achel is no longer recognized as a Trappist brewery because it does not have any monks. (Full article...)
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  Modern American pale ale made by Sierra Nevada

  
  In the United States, beer is manufactured in breweries which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million barrels (23.0 GL) of beer in 2012, and consumes roughly 28 US gallons (110 L) of beer per capita annually. In 2011, the United States was ranked fifteenth in the world in per capita consumption, while total consumption was second only to China.
  
  Although beer was a part of colonial life in the United States, the passing of the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1919 resulted in the prohibition of alcoholic beverage sales, forcing nearly all American breweries to close or switch to producing non-alcoholic products. After the repeal of Prohibition, the industry consolidated into a small number of large-scale breweries. Many of the big breweries that returned to producing beer after Prohibition, today largely owned by international conglomerates like Anheuser-Busch InBev, still retain their dominance of the market in the 21st century. However, the majority of the new breweries that have opened in the U.S. over the past three decades have been small breweries and brewpubs, referred to as "craft breweries" to differentiate them from the larger breweries. (Full article...)
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  Beer mile competitors at the starting line

  
  A beer mile is a 1-mile (1.6 km) drinking race combining running and speed drinking. Typically, the race takes place on a standard 400-metre or 1/4-mile running track. The race begins at the 1-mile starting line with the consumption of a 12-US-fluid-ounce (355 ml) beer, followed by a full lap around the track. The next three laps continue in a similar manner: another 12-ounce beer is consumed before commencing the running of each lap. Following the completion of the fourth running lap (and four beers), a competitor has finished the race.
  
  In North America, 12 US ounces of beer are consumed from a can or bottle before every lap. A set of rules has been defined and published by BeerMile.com. (Full article...)
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  "99 Bottles of Beer" or "100 Bottles of Pop on the Wall" is a traditional reverse counting song from the United States and Canada. It is popular to sing on road trips, as it has a very repetitive format which is easy to memorize and can take a long time when sung in full. In particular, the song is often sung by children on long school bus trips, such as class field trips, or on Scout or Girl Guide outings. 99 Bottles of Beer's lyrics can be printed in normal programming languages or esoteric programming languages. (Full article...)
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  Wooden firkin from Bass Brewery, Burton upon Trent

  
  The Society for the Preservation of Beers from the Wood (SPBW), founded in 1963, is the oldest consumer-based group interested in stimulating the brewing of, increasing the awareness of, and encouraging the drinking of traditional cask ale. The Society also supports and encourages the use of wooden casks for beer dispense. (Full article...)
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  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...)
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  "In Heaven There Is No Beer" is a polka song about the existential pleasures of beer drinking. The title of the song states a reason for drinking beer while you are still alive. The song in German is "Im Himmel gibt's kein Bier", in Spanish, "En El Cielo No Hay Cerveza". It was originally composed as a movie score for the film Die Fischerin vom Bodensee, 1956, by Ernst Neubach and Ralph Maria Siegel. The English lyrics are credited to Art Walunas.
  
  Atongo Zimba recorded a version as well as Clean Living. The song was the inspiration for the title of the 1984 film and 1985 Sundance Film Festival winner, In Heaven There Is No Beer?, which also featured the song "Who Stole the Kishka?". (Full article...)
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  A yard of ale

  
  A yard of ale or yard glass is a very tall beer glass used for drinking around 2+1⁄2 imperial pints (1.4 L) of beer, depending upon the diameter.
  
  The glass is approximately 1 yard (91.4 cm) long, shaped with a bulb at the bottom, and a widening shaft, which constitutes most of the height. (Full article...)
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  The previous location of AleSmith Brewing Company in San Diego

  
  
  San Diego County, California, has been called "the Craft Beer Capital of America". As of 2018, 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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  Typical polish lager, called Piwo jasne lekkie

  
  Beer in Poland has been brewed for well over a thousand years and has a significant history of tradition and commercial beer production. Poland is Europe's third largest beer producer, producing 36.9 million hectolitres, coming after the United Kingdom with 49.5 million hl and neighboring Germany with 103 million hl.
  
  Following the Second World War, most breweries were nationalized by the Communist Government of the Polish People's Republic. After the collapse of communism and return to capitalism, the market economy returned, international beer companies moved in and a period of consolidation followed. Three companies now control 80% of the Polish beer market (according to data at the end of 2014). At the end of 2013, there were 97 breweries in Poland, including microbreweries and contracted breweries. (Full article...)
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  Two common Mexican beers: Modelo and Victoria

  
  History of beer in Mexico dates from the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. While Mesoamerican cultures knew of fermented alcoholic beverages, including a corn beer, long before the 16th century, European style beer brewed with barley was introduced with the Spanish invasion soon after Hernán Cortés's arrival. Production of this beer here was limited during the colonial period due to the lack of materials and severe restrictions and taxes placed on the product by Spanish authorities. After the Mexican War of Independence, these restrictions disappeared, and the industry was permitted to develop. Furthermore, the arrival of German immigrants during the ephemeral Second Mexican Empire of elected Maximilian I of Mexico, born an Austrian archduke, in the 19th century provided the impetus for the opening of many breweries in various parts of the country.
  
  By 1918, there were 36 brewing companies, but over the 20th century, the industry consolidated until today, only two corporations, Grupo Modelo (now owned by AB InBev) and Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma formerly known as FEMSA Cerveza (now owned by Heineken N.V.) control 90% of the Mexican beer market. This industry is one of the most prevalent in the country, with over 63% of the population buying one brand or another. Beer is also a major export for the country, with most going to the United States, but is available in over 150 countries worldwide. In 2022, Mexico was the largest beer exporter in the world. (Full article...)
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  A Kranz (wreath) of fresh Kölsch beer that is typically carried by a server ("Köbes"), containing traditional Stange glasses and, in the center, larger modern glasses

  
  
  Beer (German: Bier pronounced [biːɐ̯] ^ⓘ) is a major part of German culture. According the Reinheitsgebot (German beer purity law), only water, hops, yeast and malt are permitted as ingredients in its production. Beers not exclusively using barley-malt, such as wheat beer, must be top-fermented.
  
  In 2020, Germany ranked third in Europe in terms of per-capita beer consumption, trailing behind the Czech Republic and Austria. (Full article...)

Selected brand -

Mexican Simpsons-style Duff beer, sold in Europe

Duff Beer is a brand of beer that originated as a fictional beverage on the American animated series The Simpsons. Beers using the Duff branding have been brewed in a number of countries, resulting in legal battles with varying results. An official version is sold in three variations near the Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios. In 2015, 20th Century Fox, the producer of The Simpsons, began selling licensed Duff beer in Chile, with a view to driving out brandjacking.

In 2016, Time included Duff Beer in a list of the most influential fictional companies of all time. (Full article...)

Selected biography -

Rosa Merckx (15 June 1924 - 16 May 2023) was the first official female brewmaster and operations director in Belgium. She began work at the Liefmans Oudenaarde brewery in 1946 and took over as brewmaster in 1972.

In 2016, UNESCO recognized the historic significance of Belgian beer culture, adding it to their list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Brouwerij Liefmans, Oudenaarde in East Flanders was founded in 1679. (Full article...)

Did you know (auto-generated) -

• ... that brewer Sophie de Ronde is allergic to most beer?
• ... that the offices of Hamm's Brewery in Saint Paul, Minnesota, were built on the site of the city's third cathedral?
• ... that almost 45 percent of Taiwan's beer purchases come from rechao restaurants?
• ... that weightlifter Wu Tsai-fu drank six huge glasses of beer to help himself urinate for a drug test?
• ... that Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority general manager Phillip Eng brews his own beer?
• ... that 100 beerhouses were licensed in Brighton (population 40,000) in the first week after the Beerhouse Act 1830 was enacted?

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General images

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

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  Zoigl beers from the communal brewhouses of Oberpfalz in Germany (from Craft beer)
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  Steamworks Brewing, Vancouver (from Craft beer)
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  Bergenhus microbrewery, Bergen, Norway (from Craft beer)
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  Cask ales with gravity dispense at a beer festival (from Brewing)
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  A beer sommelier tapping a barrel for a taste at Nebraska Brewing Company (from Craft beer)
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  Pasteur Street Brewing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (from Craft beer)
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  Craft brewing at Allagash in Portland, Maine (from Craft beer)
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  A can of Juicy Ass IPA from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, Ontario, Canada (from Craft beer)
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  A replica of ancient Egyptian beer, brewed from emmer wheat by the Courage brewery in 1996 (from History of beer)
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  A mash tun at the Bass Museum in Burton-upon-Trent (from Brewing)
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  Spent grain, a brewing by-product (from Brewing)
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  Spontaneous fermentation at Timmermans in Belgium (from Brewing)
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  Smoked beer from the Schlenkerla brewpub in Bamberg, Germany (from Craft beer)
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  A funerary model of a bakery and brewery, from the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, c. 2009–1998 BCE (from History of beer)
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  A 16th-century brewery (from History of beer)
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  A hydrometer measures beer's specific gravity (from History of beer)
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  Malted barley before kilning or roasting (from Brewing)
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  Modern closed fermentation vessels (from Brewing)
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  Mexican craft beer from Tequixquiac in Zumpango Region (from Craft beer)
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  A selection of French craft beers (from Craft beer)
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  Hop cone grown in a hop field, Hallertau, Germany (from Brewing)
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  Yeast ring used by Swedish homebrewers in the 19th century to preserve the yeast between brewing sessions. (from History of beer)
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  Bottling beer in a modern facility, 1945, Australia (from History of beer)
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  Gambrinus – king of beer (from History of beer)
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  Conditioning tanks at Anchor Brewing Company (from Brewing)
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  Alulu 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)
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  Philistine pottery beer jug (from History of beer)
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  Castaña, a smoked beer with chestnuts from Cerex in Extremadura, Spain (from Craft beer)
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  The Caledonian Brewery, founded in 1869, Edinburgh, Scotland (from History of beer)
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  World beer consumption per capita (from History of beer)
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  Casks of real ale from British microbreweries at a beer festival (from Craft beer)
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  Lauter tun (from Brewing)
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  Traditional fermenting building (center) and modern fermenting building (left) in Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Czech Republic) (from History of beer)
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  Robohop, a session IPA from Cervisiam in Oslo, Norway (from Craft beer)
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  Bill Urquhart at Litchborough Brewery (from Craft beer)
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  Irish Craft Beer Festival, 2015 (from Craft beer)
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  Great Leap Brewing operates a chain of brewpubs in China (from Craft beer)
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  Rock mortars in Raqefet Cave, used to make beer during the Stone Age. (from History of beer)
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  Diatomaceous earth, used to create a filtration bed (from Brewing)
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  A yard of ale at Jolly Brewery, Taiwan (from Craft beer)
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  A 16th-century brewery (from Brewing)
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  Dogo Beer from Minakuchi-shuzō microbrewery in Matsuyama, Japan (from Craft beer)
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  Põhjala Brewery, Estonia (from Craft beer)
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  A growler of beer from Flounder Brewing, a nanobrewery in New Jersey, US (from Craft beer)
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  Brew kettles at Brasserie La Choulette in France (from Brewing)
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  Open vessels showing fermentation taking place (from Brewing)
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  D. 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)
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  The 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)
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  Microbreweries, regional breweries, and brew pubs per capita (from Craft beer)

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