Beer knowledge

Beer is brewed from barley malt (including specialty malts) as the main raw material, with hops added and fermented by yeast. It is characterized by containing carbon dioxide, foam, and low alcohol content (2.5-7.5%, generally around 4%).

**History of Beer**

[World Beer History]

The origins of beer can be traced back to the cradles of human civilization—the Mesopotamia region (the Tigris and Euphrates rivers), the lower reaches of the Nile, and the banks of the winding Yellow River. The most primitive beer was likely made by the Sumerians who lived in Mesopotamia, dating back at least 9,000 years. Ancient primitive beer in China may also have a history of 4,000 to 5,000 years. In 1837, the world's first factory for industrial production of bottled beer was born in Copenhagen, Denmark, marking the beginning of beer's entry into industrial-scale production.

[Chinese Beer History]

The earliest brewery established in China was the Ulubulevsky Brewery (the predecessor of Harbin Brewery), founded by a Russian prince in Harbin in 1900. In the following five years, Russia, Germany, and the Czech Republic established three other breweries.

In 1903, British and German merchants established the Anglo-German Brewing Co., Ltd. in Qingdao, with a production capacity of 2,000 tons. This is the predecessor of the current Tsingtao Brewery.

**Types of Beer**

Beer is a low-alcohol beverage with many varieties, generally classified by production method, product concentration, beer color, and packaging form. Beer can be classified by color as follows:

1. Pale beer: beer with a color degree of 3.5-14 EBC;
2. Amber/Dark beer: beer with a color degree of 15-40 EBC;
3. Black beer: beer with a color degree greater than 40 EBC. Brewed with the addition of some caramel malt to the malt raw materials. It is characterized by deep color, strong bitterness, good foam, high alcohol content, and a caramel aroma.

Although they cannot escape the above three major categories in terms of color, some changes in raw materials or production processes result in beers with unique flavors.

[Draft Beer] Uses special brewing techniques, strictly controls microbiological indicators, uses three-stage filtration including 0.45 micron microfiltration, and does not undergo heat sterilization, allowing the beer to maintain high biological, non-biological, and flavor stability. This beer is very fresh and tasty, with a shelf life of more than six months.

[Dry Beer] This beer has high fermentation degree, low residual sugar, and high carbon dioxide content. Therefore, it has the characteristics of a dry, crisp taste and strong mouthfeel. Due to its low sugar content, it is a low-calorie beer.

[All-Malt Beer] Brewed in accordance with Germany's Reinheitsgebot (purity law), using only malt as raw material without any additives (see Beer Raw Materials). The resulting beer has a higher production cost but a prominent malt aroma.

[First Wort Beer] Made by fermenting the first wort obtained from lautering directly, without adding the second wort used to rinse residual sugar. It has the characteristics of a mellow, clean taste and a clean aftertaste.

[Low-Alcohol / Non-Alcohol Beer] A new variety introduced based on consumers' pursuit of health, reducing alcohol intake. Its production method is the same as regular beer, but it undergoes a de-alcoholization process to separate the alcohol. Non-alcohol beer must have an alcohol content of less than 0.5% (v/v).

[Ice Beer] The beer is cooled to freezing point, causing tiny ice crystals to form, which are then filtered out. This solves the problems of cold haze and oxidative haze in beer. Ice beer has particularly bright color, higher alcohol content than regular beer, and a soft, mellow, and refreshing taste, making it especially suitable for young people.

[Fruit Beer] Fruit juice extract is added during fermentation, with low alcohol content. This beer has both the refreshing taste unique to beer and the sweet aroma of fruit, suitable for women and the elderly.

[Wheat Beer] Made primarily from wheat malt as the raw material, with higher production process requirements. The beer is clear and bright, with a relatively short storage period. It is characterized by lighter color, a crisp taste, and mild bitterness.

[Fresh Beer] Beer that has not been pasteurized after packaging. This beer has a delicious taste but spoils easily, with a shelf life of about 7 days.

[Pasteurized Beer] Beer that has been pasteurized. It can be stored for a longer time and is suitable for sales in distant markets, with a shelf life of 120 days for premium-grade beer.

[Top-Fermented Beer] Uses top-fermenting yeast. During fermentation, the yeast rises to the fermentation surface along with CO2, at a fermentation temperature of 15-20°C. The beer has a prominent aroma.

[Bottom-Fermented Beer] Uses bottom-fermenting yeast. After fermentation is complete, the yeast aggregates and settles to the bottom of the fermentation vessel, at a fermentation temperature of 5-10°C. The beer has a milder aroma. The vast majority of countries in the world produce bottom-fermented beer.

**Beer Brewing Process**

Malt is made from barley. Barley is a hardy grain that matures much faster than other grains and has been chosen as the main raw material for brewing. Hull-less wheat is difficult to malt and is also not well suited for brewing. Barley must go through the malting process to convert its insoluble starches into soluble sugars for the brewing process. In addition to regular malt, crystal malt or roasted malt can also be used as components for various brewing types. Crystal malt is malt that has been steam-treated, slowly simmered, and then dried. It has a darker color and a coffee-like flavor.

Roasted malt is dried and then roasted in a high-temperature rotary drum, which gives the beer a smoky flavor and darkens its color. The quality of malt varies greatly depending on the region of origin. Generally speaking, there are three major beer malt producing regions in the world: Australia, North America, and Europe. Among them, Australian barley malt is most favored by beer brewing experts for its natural growth, ample sunlight, freedom from pollution, and pure varieties, earning it the title of "golden malt."

Hops belong to the nettle or hemp family. Hops produce cone-like structures called strobiles, which impart bitterness and sweetness to beer, making it more refreshing and palatable, and aiding digestion.

Strobiles: Harvested in early autumn, they must be quickly dried and then packed in barrels for sale to brewers.

Pellets: The crushed strobiles are pressed in specialized molds and then placed on trays. The trays are stored in a vacuum or nitrogen environment to reduce the possibility of oxidation. The pellet shape is convenient for addition to containers.

Extract: Hop strobile extract is now widely used in all beer varieties, and different extraction methods produce distinctly different flavors. The extract should be added in the final stages of the process for better control of the final bitterness level. Special extracts can be used to prevent light-struck reactions, allowing the beer to be produced in clear containers. Different brands choose different quality hops; for example, Asahi Super Dry uses only "Green Bullet" hops from the deep valleys of New Zealand, a land of purity.

Yeast is a microorganism belonging to the fungi kingdom. In the brewing process, yeast acts as the magician, fermenting the sugars from malt and rice into beer, producing alcohol, carbon dioxide, and other trace fermentation by-products. These trace but diverse fermentation compounds, along with other flavor substances directly from malt and hops, combine to create the appealing and unique sensory characteristics of finished beer. There are two main types of brewer's yeast: "top-fermenting yeast" and "bottom-fermenting yeast." Under a microscope, top-fermenting yeast appears slightly more oval than bottom-fermenting yeast. The name "top-fermenting" comes from the fact that during fermentation, the yeast rises to the surface of the beer and can be skimmed from the top. "Bottom-fermenting yeast" remains in the beer throughout fermentation and eventually settles to the bottom of the fermentation vessel after fermentation is complete. "Top-fermenting yeast" produces pale ales, stouts, and bitter beers. "Bottom-fermenting yeast" produces lagers and Pilsners.

Refined Sugar: Refined sugar is an important additive in some beers. It makes the beer lighter in color, less hazy, and more crisp in taste. In Lion Brewery's Taihu Water Beer and Lake Beer, rice is added to obtain refined sugar, giving the beer a cleaner, crisper taste to suit the preferences of consumers in southern Jiangsu.

Water: More than 90% of every bottle of beer is water, and water plays a very important role in the brewing process. In addition to being clean, the water used for brewing must have its mineral salts removed (some manufacturers claim to use mineral water for brewing for commercial publicity purposes) to become soft water. Early breweries had to be located in places with very clean water sources. With technological advances in water filtration and treatment, the site selection requirements for modern breweries have been greatly reduced. Tap water, groundwater, etc., can now be filtered and treated to near-pure water levels and then used for brewing.

It should be specially noted here that for environmental reasons, more and more socially responsible breweries are beginning to abandon the use of relatively cheap groundwater for brewing and are instead using relatively more expensive tap water.

Before the malt is sent to the brewhouse, it is first sent to the malt mill. Here, the malt is lightly crushed to produce brewing malt.

Mashing is the process of mixing the crushed malt/grains with water in a mash tun. The mash tun is a large, rotating metal vessel equipped with hot water and steam inlets, stirring devices such as agitators, paddles, or propellers, and numerous temperature and control devices. In the mash tun, the malt and water are heated and brought to a boil, where natural enzymes convert insoluble starch and proteins into soluble malt extract, known as "wort." The wort is then sent to a filter vessel called a lautertun. Before being pumped into the brew kettle, the wort must pass through a mash filter to remove the malt husks, and hops and sugar are added.

Boiling: In the brew kettle, the mixture is boiled to extract the hop flavor, color, and to sterilize it. After boiling, the hopped wort is pumped into a whirlpool tank to remove unwanted hop residues and insoluble proteins.

Cooling and Fermentation: After the clean wort is pumped out of the whirlpool tank, it is sent to a heat exchanger for cooling. Then, yeast is added to the wort, and the fermentation process begins. During fermentation, the cultivated yeast converts the fermentable sugars in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide, producing beer. Fermentation begins within eight hours and proceeds at an accelerated pace, accumulating a high-density foam known as "krausen." This foam reaches its peak on the third or fourth day. From the fifth day onward, the fermentation rate slows, and the krausen begins to spread over the wort surface and must be skimmed off. After the yeast has fermented all fermentable materials in the wort, it begins to form a thick sediment at the bottom of the vessel. The temperature is then gradually lowered, and fermentation is completely finished after 8-10 days. Throughout the process, temperature and pressure must be strictly controlled. Of course, different beers and different production processes result in different fermentation times. Generally, the fermentation process for lager beer takes about 6 days, and for pale beer, about 5 days.

After fermentation is complete, most of the yeast settles at the bottom of the tank. Brewers recover this yeast for use in the next batch. After removing the yeast, the resulting "green beer" is pumped into a secondary fermentation tank (also called a maturation tank). Here, the remaining yeast and insoluble proteins further precipitate, allowing the beer's character to mature gradually. The maturation time varies with the type of beer, generally ranging from 7 to 21 days.

After maturation through secondary fermentation, the beer is filtered to remove all remaining yeast and insoluble proteins, producing bright beer ready for packaging. At Lion Brewery, a unique double filtration process not only removes impurities from brewing more thoroughly but also makes the beer exceptionally clear, with a brilliant sparkle that allows drinkers to enjoy visual pleasure while savoring the taste of the beer.

Before packaging, each batch of beer must pass rigorous physical and chemical inspections and sensory evaluation by a tasting panel before being sent to the packaging line.

Packaging for finished beer typically comes in bottles, cans, and kegs. Combined with different bottle shapes, capacities, labels, neck collars, caps, and varied outer packaging, this creates the dazzling array of beer products on the market. Lion Brewery can produce products in any contemporary packaging format.

Bottled beer is the most popular packaging form and has the most typical packaging process flow: bottle washing, filling, sealing, pasteurization, labeling, and casing.

The fresher the beer (i.e., the closer to the production date), the better it tastes. From the brewery, beer is transported to distributors, then to retailers, and finally to consumers. An efficient and smooth distribution channel is the guarantee that consumers can enjoy fresh beer.

**Beer Consumption**

The optimal serving temperature for beer is 8-15°C. At this temperature, the various components of the beer are in balance, providing the best mouthfeel. If the temperature is too high, the taste becomes coarse, off-flavors are easily exposed, and the foam disappears quickly; if the temperature is too low, the taste is uncomfortable, and the beer's flavor is altered.

Use clear, clean glassware to appreciate the beer's golden color and white foam. Containers and glassware for beer should be washed hot and rinsed cold, then allowed to air dry naturally, keeping them clean and free of grease. When drinking, do not touch the rim or inner wall of the glass with your fingers.

Use a bottle opener to open beer bottles. Do not use your teeth to bite the cap off, nor use impact methods to open the bottle, to avoid injury from explosion.

Beer should be drunk in large mouthfuls, allowing the liquid to fully contact the oral cavity, fully experiencing beer's unique soft, refreshing, comfortable, and pleasant sensations. It should not be sipped slowly, as this allows the beer to warm in the mouth, intensifying the bitterness.

Do not pour new beer into a glass that contains leftover beer, as this will spoil the taste of the fresh beer. It is best to finish the beer before pouring more.

How to pour beer: Hold the bottle about 3 cm away from the glass and pour slowly, allowing the beer to flow gently into the glass to appreciate the fine, white foam.

Beer should be consumed on its own and not mixed with fruit juices, soda, cola, etc.

**Beer Storage**

1. Beer should be stored in a cool, dry place. For short-term household storage, beer should be placed in the refrigerator or in a stable room temperature environment below 25°C.

2. Beer must be protected from direct sunlight. Beer exposed to sunlight will develop a flavor similar to dried persimmon, commonly known as "light-struck flavor" or "skunky flavor."

3. Beer cannot be stored frozen. The freezing point of beer is around -1.5°C. Frozen beer will have its nutritional components damaged. In addition, beer is a beverage artificially pressurized with gas; when excessively frozen, the volume expansion increases the internal pressure of the bottle, which may cause the bottle to burst, leading to injury or accidents.