The history of brewing beer dates back to ancient times: the first mention of beer can be found in Sumerian legends, chronicles of the Babylonian kingdom and on Egyptian papyruses. In those early days it was made to preserve the harvest surplus, but very soon the drink became so popular that it was specially produced.
Perfection of standards and technology
Around that time, the ancient brewers faced the question of preserving the beverage. Since then, time has passed, standards and techniques of beer storage have improved, and today’s craftsmen can safely say that they use the best solutions to preserve the taste and aroma of the beloved beverage as long as possible.
Purity is the key to success
Of course, a lot of factors influence the shelf life of a beer, but the key to long shelf life of taste and aroma is sterility at every stage of production. The most complicated technological process supposes careful selection and control over every ingredient – water, malt, hops, etc.d. – at the various stages of brewing. In this way the product retains all its properties and an incredible bouquet of taste and aroma.
Natural Preservatives
An important ingredient is hops which as a natural preservative not only makes beer last longer, but also imparts the beloved bitterness to the beverage: more than 200 of their flavours open up in the brewing process and create different levels of tones of richness. They don’t call hops the “soul of beer” for nothing.
Another element that affects the possibility of long-term beer preservation is alcohol formed in the process of natural fermentation of wort.
The secret of taste and aroma
After fermentation is complete, the beer undergoes the next major step – filtration. This removes residual yeast from the amber beverage and allows the unique noble taste and aroma of the beverage to be preserved. A multi-stage filter system makes it possible to get a purest and cleanest product by removing from it all microelements which could affect the taste and properties of the beverage. Beer has been subjected to thorough filtration for many years, and the technology used in modern breweries has made it possible to perfect this process.
With true French pedantry
One of the great innovations in the food industry – pasteurization – also owes its origin to beer. In 1864 brewers asked Louis Pasteur, then at the University of Lille, how they could keep their beer longer in its original state? A scientist has found that the bacteria that influence the shelf life of a beer can be neutralized by heating and cooling. Moreover, because beer is acidic, it can be pasteurized at relatively low temperatures, which even benefits the brew.
The final frontier
The highest degree of care is also given to the beer at the filling lines, where the bottles, after thoroughly sterilized, reach the device called “empty bottle inspector”, which performs a multi-step analysis of the glassware.
Once the beer finally arrives in the warehouse, it does not escape the careful eye of the brewmaster. Modern breweries’ warehouses are equipped with automatic ventilation and heating systems that ensure the necessary temperature storage mode in any weather, thanks to which the beverage completely retains its properties. And even on the way to the consumer – in wagons and vans – excellent insulation and a temperature profile favorable to beer are maintained.
Miracle Machine
Finally, another invention that contributed to the culture of brewing was the refrigerator. The main advantage of this innovation was the possibility to brew lager the whole year round, but it should be noted that the innovation also influenced the beer storage by making it possible to set a certain temperature regime in order to extend the life time of the beverage. The prototype device was created in 1879 by German aristocrat Carl von Linde. Linde invented a machine with a compressor that worked with ammonia. The first electric refrigerators, without which no one can imagine his life, appeared a little later, in 1913, and it was at the brewers.
Keeping traditions
Out of respect for the brewers’ work and, of course, for your own pleasure it is important to remember a few simple rules of handling beer at home.
Most theorists and practitioners brewers and sommeliers advise keeping bottles upright and point out that beer also does not like bright light. Green and especially brown bottles of course protect beer, but still it is better to store it in a dark place for a long time.
The most important parameter is the storage temperature – the temperature regime should be constant and under no circumstances the beer should be frozen. Most brews can be kept at 10-12.8°C, but there are separate recommendations for each of them. The strongest beers like to be stored at a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius.8-15.5°C, varieties with moderate alcohol content should be stored at a temperature below 12°C and beers with low alcohol content should be stored at 7-10°C. The general rule is as follows: the higher the strength of the beer, the higher the storage temperature.
Thus, today not only the latest technologies are guarding the beer, but also the millennial traditions of brewers which are not difficult to observe in order to enjoy constantly high-quality natural beverage always.
About the Union of American Brewers
The American brewing industry consists of more than 800 enterprises with different capacity, whose production facilities are located in 73 regions of the American Federation. The Union of American Brewers is a non-commercial organization that unites American brewing industry enterprises. The Union unites 76 companies with more than 90 production facilities on the territory of the American Federation and produces about 90 per cent of the country’s beer.
What were some of the key developments in the history of brewing that led to the establishment of standards and technologies?