Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), and rice are widely used. Most beer is flavored with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavorings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. Alcoholic beverages distilled after fermentation, fermented from non-starch sources such as grape juice (wine) or honey (mead), or fermented from un-malted starches (rice wine) are not classified as beer.
Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi," a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. Today, 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 basics of brewing beer are shared across national and cultural boundaries and are commonly categorized into two main types—the globally popular pale lagers, and the regionally distinct ales, which are further categorised into other varieties such as pale ale, stout and brown ale. The strength of beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (abv.) though may range from less than 1% abv., to over 20% abv. in rare cases.
Beer forms part of the culture of various beer-drinking nations and has acquired various social traditions and associations, such as beer festivals and a rich pub culture involving activities such as pub crawling or pub games such as bar billiards.
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The Beer WikiProject
WikiProject Beer is an association of Wikipedians with an interest in beer and beer-related subjects. They have come together to coordinate the development of beer and brewery articles here on Wikipedia. Additionally, other groups have formed other projects that entertain subjects that are directly related to beer, bartending and pubs. Additionally, the mixed drinks project covers topics that include beer cocktails. If any of these subjects pique your interest, please feel free to visit their projects. These groups would love you to have you participate!
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Australian beer is mostly now lager. Although Australia was settled predominantly by the British, it was found that, before the availability of modern temperature control systems, the brewing, distribution and storage of British style ale was difficult in many parts of Australia due to high summer temperatures and often sudden day-to-day weather changes in Southern parts of the continent. The introduction of refrigeration lent itself to lager production, as well as enabling beer to be served cold.
The oldest brewery still in operation is the Cascade Brewery, established in Tasmania in 1824.
The majority of the large Australian breweries are now owned by the conglomerates Foster's Group and Lion Nathan. A notable exception is Coopers, which is the only large brewery that is still privately owned. Boutique brands of beer are fast becoming the flavour of the masses which is forcing the large brewhouses to change their ideas on what the drinkers want. Australia's numerous microbreweries are gaining decent market share.
Despite its heavy international presence, the so-called original Australian beer, Foster's Lager, has relatively low appeal throughout Australia.
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Frederick Pabst
b. 28 March 1836 – d. 1 January 1904
Frederick Pabst was a German-American businessman who ran the Best Brewing Company, which was later renamed as the Pabst Brewing Company.
He was born in Saxony, Germany, but in 1848, he emigrated with his parents to Chicago. There he became, first a hotel waiter, then a cabin-boy on a Lake Michigan steamer. Eventually, he became a captain of one of these vessels. In this last capacity, he met a German, Phillip Best, the owner of a small but prosperous brewery founded in 1844 in Milwaukee, and married his daughter.
In 1862, Pabst was taken into partnership in his father-in-law's brewery and began to study the details of the business. After obtaining a thorough mastery of the art of brewing, Pabst turned his attention to extending the market for the beer and before long had raised the output of the Best brewery to 100,000 barrels a year. The brewery was eventually converted into a public company and its capital repeatedly increased in order to cope with the continually increasing trade. He became president of the corporation in 1873. Later, the brewing company's name was changed to the Pabst Brewing Company.
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Löwenbräu ( German, løːvənbrɔʏ̯) is a brewery in Munich that produces a traditional Munich-style beer. Like other premium German beers, it is brewed according to the German “ Reinheitsgebot” (Purity Law) dating back to 1516. Löwenbräu means "lion's brew". In Britain ( rhotic dialects) it is ˈlɜːvənbrɔɪ, and in the US  /ˈloʊənbraʊ/. In centuries past, the name "Löwenbräu" was fairly common and used by many brewers. The Löwenbrauerei Mayen was typical of this custom. In the end, many of the smaller breweries adopted more original names or went out of business entirely.
Red Stripe lager
Produced by Desnoes & Geddes Limited
Red Stripe is a Jamaican lager-style beer brewed by Desnoes & Geddes Limited. The first Red Stripe was brewed in the Surry Brewery in 1928, an ale style beer that was too heavy to suit local preferences. The current lager formulation was first produced in 1938 from a recipe developed by Paul H. Geddes and Bill Martindale. The modern brewery was opened at Hunt's Bay in 1958. In 1993, 51 percent ownership in Desnoes & Geddes Limited was purchased by Guinness Brewing Worldwide, now Diageo, an acquisition that has significantly increased the international distribution of Red Stripe. A new Red Stripe Light has also been added which is brewed in Jamaica and bottled in the Guinness facilities in Stamford, Connecticut. |
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Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. |
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— Ben Franklin
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Credit: Erik Cleves Kristensen
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Cerveja N'Gola, Angolan beer
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The following are categories relating to beer.
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/ˈloʊənbraʊ/. In centuries past, the name "Löwenbräu" was fairly common and used by many brewers. The Löwenbrauerei Mayen was typical of this custom. In the end, many of the smaller breweries adopted more original names or went out of business entirely.
