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Beer Carbohydrates

What are the best beer carbohydrates - any information on this?
(April 18, 2008)

Carbohydrates in Beer

Beer is an ancient alcoholic beverage just like wine. It is the term generally applied to the fermentation of barley malt. Terms like ale, stout, lager and porter is used for beer with the difference in the method of production. The ingredients generally used for the preparation of beer are barley, malt, cereal adjuncts, hops, water and yeast. The principal operations in the production of beer are malting, mashing and fermentation.

The starting material used in the production of beer is barley malt.


Starchy materials that are cheaper than malt are used as adjuncts to replace some malt. The most common cereal adjuncts are maize, broken rice, raw barley, sorghum, tapioca and barley. The entire starch of the adjuncts is converted into sugar. Beer is being flavored by hops. Hops help sterilize the brew before fermentation. The yeast used depends on the type of beer prepared. For preparation of ale, top fermentation system is used and for the production of lager, bottom fermentation technique is used. Variation in the quality of beer such as strength of alcohol, color and extractives depends on the quality of the malt, malt adjuncts, mashing methods and the condition of fermentation.

Beer, ale, porter and stout are the beverages made by top fermentation while lager beer is made by bottom fermentation. Porter is a heavier and darker drink made with dried, longer, roasted or caramelized malt with less hops. Stout has a heavier malt flavor darker than any other drink. The Alcohol content in beer varies from 2.5 to 7 g per cent.

Saki is a Japanese beer made from rice. The rice is soaked until it is soft and steamed. The steamed rice is partially dried, by spreading on the mats. It is then fermented and after 10 to 14 days the fermented material is filtered. The fluid is placed in the barrel to settle. After few days clear liquid is withdrawn and pasteurized.

Thus the carbohydrates that are present in beer are barley malt and rice and apart from this cereal adjuncts are used in replacement to malt. Thus carbohydrates can help in providing proper flavor to beer.
Submitted by A M on April 18, 2008 at 10:53

 

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