An overview of Beer Fermentation Process !

The word Beer is derived from a Latin term called bibere which means ‘to drink’. It is an alcoholic fermented drink that is derived from malted grains like wheat, barley, etc. Fermentation is an important process that goes into the making of beer. Brewery plants widely use the fermentation process to create different flavors and styles of beer.

Role of Yeast in beer fermentation

Yeasts are micro-living organisms that have been used for preparing bread, brewing beer and more. They are a specific type of unicellular fungus that grows by splitting themselves in two. Yeast is largely used in beer fermentation for converting the glucose of the malted grains into carbon dioxide and ethanol. Brewery fermentation doesn’t require any oxygen.

For best results, it’s crucial for the yeast to thrive and grow. To achieve this objective you have to create the right environment for the yeast, this includes the right temperature and ample of food (glucose) for the yeast to do its work.

Yeast is categorically identified as either an Ale yeast or lager yeast. Depending upon the recipe or the style of beer to be prepared, the brew picker picks the yeast accordingly. Ale yeast is a top-fermenting strain that works at warm temperatures, while Lager yeast, is a bottom-fermenting strain, that performs best at lower temperatures. Due to temperature differences, each yeast strain imparts vastly different flavors and aromas to the final product, thus leading to different beer styles.

Beer fermentation Process

There are different steps involved in the making of beer like malting, mashing, boiling, etc. The first two steps, especially mashing and sparging, are essentially directed towards accumulating ‘food’ for the yeast.

After the boiling process is over, the wort is cooled, strained and filtered.  Yeast is then added to the fermenting vessel. At this point, the brewing stops and fermentation begins. Fermentation is an important part of brewing technology used in brewing plants. The beer is stored for a couple of weeks at desired temperature; at room temperature (in the case of ales) and at cold temperatures (in the case of lagers). During this period yeast consumes all the sugar in the wort and spits out CO2 and alcohol as waste products.

Carbonation of Beer

Once you are done with the fermentation process, you have a non-carbonated alcoholic beer ready. You can add desired carbonation to the bottled beer, either artificially through carbonation techniques or by simply allowing the beer to naturally carbonate by allowing further fermentation of the yeast, resulting in more carbon dioxide. When this bottled drink is allowed to sit for a period ranging from a few weeks to a few months you get to taste the delicious, fizzy drinks!