Should You Choose Booze?

This week in my trip to the beautiful Dolomites, I was surprised to find myself in a very German town called Castelrotto. I knew geographically I was still in Italy, but it seemed that culturally, I was not. One difference I noted was the stronger inclination of the townspeople to drink beer rather than wine. We have thoroughly covered the winemaking process in class: from vine to bottle. However I thought it would be interesting to outline the process that is taken in the brewing of beer as well.

Though both drinks are made by fermentation from yeast, beer requires a more manipulated route of production usually using water, hops, and barley. After soaking the barley in water, natural enzymes start breaking down its complex starch into simple starches where it is then dried and milled. This process is known as malting. The mixture is then heated once again to activate another pair of enzymes that reduce the starches into maltose and even simpler sugars. This “mash” mixture is drained, leaving the original grains behind. After boiling once more, proteins masses are collected and removed. The boiling also aids the specific flavoring of the beer by releasing agents like alpha acids from the hops. Once cooled down, even more proteins and tannins are removed. It is important to control the wild yeast and bacteria that accumulate in the beer solutions by creating favorable environments for the desired yeast ferment the sugars. The carbon dioxide produced in fermentation is actually released, leaving behind flat beer. Manufacturers decided the amount of desired carbonation and inject it into the liquid. Though wine has a classier reputation, both beer and wine take intricate chemistry to develop their respective flavors, so I will leave the decision to you. Which is your favorite?