Brewing Tips | Page 3 of 3 | Kings Of Brewing

Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic drinks around the world. There are some 42% of Americans who prefer drinking beer when compared to 34% who prefer wine and 19% who prefer other liquor. Brewing beer and other topics that include how to make beer taste better are becoming common questions from beer lovers. Why do people put salt in beer? Where did putting salt in beer originate? Does beer fizz when you add salt? What is the beer brewing process? Read on to discover the answers to these questions and more about beer. Why Do People Put Salt In Beer? According to bartenders around the world, there are several reasons why people put salt in beer that include to enhance the taste, to make them more thirsty so they can drink more beer and to retain water which is done by the salt so they do not have to use the restroom. Where Did Putting Salt in Beer Originate? Putting salt in beer originated at the end of the prohibition era. America was dealing with the great depression in 1933 and beer brewers needed to find an inexpensive way to brew beer. Does Beer Fizz When You Add Salt? Adding salt to beer acts as an agent that will enact carbon dioxide bubbles to cluster together and force them to foam up like a science project. Experts recommend drinking about 1/3 of your beer before adding salt to avoid an avalanche that may leave your clothes wet and soggy. What Does Drinking Salty Beer Do To Your Body? Drinking a salty beer will make you feel drunk faster than usual. Salt effects the opening of the duodenal sphincter, which leads to the small intestine. Once the salty beer reaches the small intestine, it is pushed into the bloodstream faster and quickly makes you feel drunk. Do Beer Brewers Add Salt in The Brewing Process? The short answer to this question is yes, there are many brewer manufacturers who add salt during the brewing process. The idea behind adding salt is that the ingredient actually rounds out the flavor of the beer, instead of making it taste saltier. The process of adding salt to beer is more common among Artisan brewers who are looking to create an experimentally unique flavor. Salt is also added in the process of brewing malt beer. The salt adds to the sweet taste of malt beer and creates a sweet and tangy blend that is loved by malt beer drinkers around the world. What Are the Steps to Brewing Beer? The step by step process for brewing beer include: malting, milling, mashing, lautering, boiling, fermenting, conditioning, filtering and packaging. Malting the Beer The malting process when brewing beer is when raw barley or grain is made ready to become the main ingredient in the brewing process. The grain is steeped in water under precise conditions to encourage germination. After germination, the grain is then dried out in a kiln and/or roaster. Milling the Beer in the Brewing Process Milling is a process that involves crushing the husks or outer layers of the grain in order to allow the liquor mash access to the entire grain. This is a very crucial step in the process because milling improperly can break a beer before the brewing process has begun. Mashing Beer in the Brewing Process Mashing is a brewing term for the hot water steeping process that hydrates the grains being used, activates the main enzymes, and converts the grain starches into fermentable sugars. Different temperatures during mashing creates different flavors in the final beer. The Lautering Process When Brewing Beer Lautering uses the three steps of mashout, recirculation and sparging to separate the clear liquid wort from the residual grain. Boiling During the Brewing Process Boiling is an essential step in the brewing process. Boiling sanitizes the wort in preparation for the addition of the yeast. It also gets rid of any problems in the brew, extracts the flavors of the hops, and burns off chemicals that can lead to unwanted flavors in your beer. Fermenting During the Beer Brewing Process The fermentation process provides the alcohol and carbonation to the beer. Before fermentation can take place the liquified wort must be added to a container filled with yeast. Fermentation goes through three stages that include primary fermentation, secondary fermentation and carbonation and bottle or keg conditioning. Conditioning Your Beer During the Brewing Process Conditioning during the beer brewing process refers to how a beer is carbonated. Conditioning is an essential step in the process as it can drastically effect the taste of a beer and the development of any new tastes as the beer ages. Filtering Your Beer During the Brewing Process Filtering a beer refers to the removal of any sediment left over after the brewing process is completed. It is an important step that will help develop the taste and quality of the beer. The Final Step of Packaging Your Beer After the beer goes through the different brewing stages, it is finally packaged and sent out to stores all over the world. Packaging the beer involves placing a label on the beer that notates it is an alcoholic drink, labeling the ingredients, number of calories and other important details the manufacturer needs you to know before buying. These are some need to know answers to your questions about why salt is added to beer? It also shows the different stages of the beer brewing process and how important each stage is to developing a high quality and tasty beer. As a beer lover, it is always a good idea to be informed about the drink that you have grown to love. Do your homework if you are thinking about experimenting with what kind of beer to drink and how to enhance the flavor of beers? Speak with a bartender who can tell you more about each beer. Begin your journey of beer tasting with a mild flavored beer until you can get used to the taste and buy the beer that tastes good to you.