Cereals – malted and unmalted, hops, water and dregs are the ingredients that, combined, transform into a very popular beverage – beer.

The variety of the cereals that can be used to brew beer, from barley, corn, wheat and even rice in Asia, has determined the brewers to try various combinations, so that the final result should have that unique, distinctive taste, and yet so specific and different for each beer brand.

Barley is a corny plant and an ingredient used in making almost all types of beer. Barley is an important source of proteins, lipids and vitamins, especially B type and minerals.

To be used in the beer production process, barley could undergo a malting process. The grains are kept in water a few days, until the barley springs and produces a substance called diastase. After malting, the barley is being crushed and boiled water is added to the mixture. Through this process, the diastase transforms the starch from the barley grains into sugar. The resulting liquid is called beer must.

Hops is a perennial climbing plant, that can reach up to 6 m. It is also called “the green gold” or “the heart of the beer” thanks to its contribution to the beer making process. It is rich in resins and essential oils, attributes that contribute to the strength, flavor and savor. Hops is also an important source of antioxidants.

Hops is added to the process when the beer must is being boiled. “The green gold” gives the mixture a bitter taste and works as a conserving.

The dregs are responsible for transforming the sugar in the must into alcohol and carbon dioxide. After the boiling process, the beer must is leaked and let to cool down. Once this process is done, the dregs are added to the must to hurry fermentation, stage that could last up to a week.

French chemist Luis Pasteur was the one responsible for transforming brewing from a medieval art to an exact science, demonstrating the fact that beer dregs ferment.

Beer dregs contain proteins, most of the essential amino acids, all B vitamins, D, H, E vitamins enzymes, mineral salts with a high potassium concentration, iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and lipids. According to the latest researches, beer dregs contain 16 amino acids, 14 minerals and 17 vitamins.

Water represents 90% of beer’s composition. An essential aspect is the fact that it has to be pure, considering the fact that water is the one permitting all other ingredients to release their flavors.