Organic foods are extremely popular, especially as a result of the recent health craze. Many people feel that organic foods are much healthier for you than regular foods, because they eliminate the possibility of accidentally consuming pesticides and chemicals which can be harmful to the body. Farmers have managed to grow organic produce, and in grocery stores you will find organic bread, meat, and rice. Another organic product that is growing in popularity is organic beer and wine. You can buy organic beer from the store, or you can make organic beer at home. Whatever you choose, your result will be one that is healthier than the original!
A Similar Process
The processes involved in making organic beer at home are similar to making other beers at home. The first step is to boil the water, hops, and malt for a fairly long period of time. Then the mixture, which is called wort, is poured into a fermenter and given time to cool. Next, the yeast is added to the mixture, and the fermenter is sealed so that it is air tight. The yeast consumes all sugar contained in the mixture, and after about 10 days the yeast will fall to the bottom of the fermenter. Lastly, the beer is bottled and allowed to sit for a few weeks so that it becomes mature.
Ingredients Are Important
If the process for making organic beer at home is the same as making any other type of beer, then you might be wondering where the differences come in. It’s all in the ingredients! In order for a beer to be considered organic, it must be made with ingredients that meet with the standards set by the USDA. Right now, these standards state that in order to be considered organic, only 5% of a beer’s ingredients can be non-organic, and they must fall on a list of approved non-organic ingredients. Usually, this means that the ingredients needed for making organic beer at home will be more expensive than they would be if you were not making organic beer.
One of the main ingredients that must be organic when you are making organic beer at home is the grain. This ingredient makes up a majority of beer, so it is important that it is organic. However, other ingredients, like the hops, are very difficult to find organically grown. Most of the time, the organic version has to be imported from another country. Luckily for organic beer makers, hops is currently on the list of approved non-organic ingredients.
Drink To Your Health!
Despite the extra expense, making your own organic beer at home will be well worth your while. For a taste that is similar to the original and a health value you won’t find elsewhere, brew organic beer in your own home.
After a long day at work many people like to stop off at their favorite bar and have a cold beer. To say this is something unique is, of course, naïve but to say this is anything that modern man thought up is also a bit on the naïve side as well. People have been making beer in one form or another for thousands of years and it just goes to show that when you discover something worth while it will probably stick around for a long time.
It is estimated that making beer has been going on for as long back as 6000BC and that just goes to show why beer is considered one of the world’s oldest, and potentially one of the first, beverages and why making beer has such a rich history. There is chemical evidence that ancient Egypt was making beer as early as 3500BC and when you can put physical evidence to it that means that beer predates almost any other man made beverage ever created.
Some experts will even go as far as to put the process of making beer on the same level of importance as the ability to make bread and that making beer is one of the cornerstone developments that has allowed man to create civilization as we know it today. Think about it, the ability to create a beverage like beer can be one of the reasons why technology like your laptop computer exists today. Beer and the internet never seemed like such a natural combination before.
It is estimated that monasteries in Europe began selling commercial made beer as early as the 7th century AD but it was not until the 19th century that beer was really starting to pick up steam and the idea of making beer in one part of the world and then selling it in other parts of the world was beginning to take shape. It is estimated that over 35 billion gallons of beer are brewed each year and the largest brewer in the world is a European company called InBev.
The largest American brewer in the world is Anheuser Busch and the two conglomerates are preparing to merge into one huge beer maker some time in the near future. But with so many companies all over the world making beer in all different parts of the world, and demand always very strong, there will always be room for the huge conglomerates and the micro breweries in this world as there can never be enough people making beer as far as consumers are concerned.
Lager And Ale
One of the most important things to understand about making beer is the difference between lager and ale. Ales are brewed with top fermenting yeast while lagers are brewed using bottom fermenting yeast. Ales are typically thicker and sweeter in taste than lager and ales is very popular in Europe. Lagers are the most common type of beer made today and they are fermented at temperatures much lower than ales which makes it necessary to transport them in cooler temperature vehicles. Lagers are cleaner looking and tasting and preferred in countries like the United States.
From the kings of Egypt to the pilgrims that landed on Plymouth Rock beer has been around for a long time and from all indications it will be around for a long time to come.