Beer is many things to many people, but fundamentally it is a fermented beverage usually made from four basic ingredients: malted barley, hops, yeast, and water. In that way it is different from other fermented beverages, such as wine, which is made from fruit, mead, which is made from honey, or saki, which is made from rice.
Through its evolution beer has taken many forms, and drawn its character from a variety of grains and adjuncts. For centuries its production was cloaked in mystery, brewed by priests, called a gift from the gods. Even yeast, before it was understood, was called "godisgood" in old english.
Home Brew
People today have an unprecedented ability to brew almost anything they can imagine at home, and homebrewing has seen a surge in popularity in the last couple decades. More and more people are learning to brew, and becoming rather skilled at it. In fact, many microbreweries in operation today , such as Sam Adams and Dogfish Head, to name just a couple, were started by former or current homebrewers.
History of Home Brewing
The drink that we call "beer" today was originally called "ale".
Brewing can be traced back for many thousands of years to early civilisation.
At first an ale was made by fermenting an extract from cereals or grains. Wheat and Rye was used as well as barley.
Work in progress.
