Microbrews and Microbrewing Business

Many historians believe that the ancient Sumerians
and Mesopotamians were brewing as early back as
10,000 B.C. Even though this product would have
been different from the bottles varieties of today,
it would have still been recognizable.

The ancient Egyptians and the Chinese brewed their
beer, as did civilizations in America, where they
used corn instead of barley. Back then, thousands
of years ago, microbrews were very popular and
on their way to what we now know and love today.

In the middle ages, European monks were the
guardians of literature and science, as well as
the art of making beer. They refined the process
to perfection, and even institutionalized the use
of hops as both flavoring and a preservative.

It wasn’t however, until Louis Pasteur came along
that a final, important development was determined.
Until this time, brewers had to depend on the wild
yet airborne yeast for fermentation. By establishing
that yeast is actually a living organism, he opened
the gates for controlling the conversion of sugar
into alcohol.

Grapes grow well in warmer climates, while barley
grows better in cool climates. This is how the
northern areas of Germany and England first became
famous for their beers.

Beer in America
Everything in America went dim until the dark day
of 1920, when prohibition took effect. A lot of
breweries went out of business or switched their
production to soda pop. Not everyone stopped
drinking, but gangster related products weren’t
known for high quality.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt became president, he
quickly appealed the very unpopular law. The
new breeds of now famous beer came after World War
2 were generally mass produced and very bland.

Cream ale/American lager/blonde ale
This blend produces a mild, pale, light bodied ale.
This can be made using a warm fermentation (either
top or bottom) and cold lagering or also by
blending top and bottom fermented beers.

The hop bitterness in the style is normally very
low, with hip aroma often absent. Sometimes they
are referred to as cream ales, yet they are crisp
and very refreshing.

American wheat ale/American wheat lager
This type of beer can be made by using either lager
yeast or an ale. Brewed with 50 percent wheat,
the hop rates are higher and the carbonation is
lower than German styles of wheat beers.

At low levels, a fruity estery aroma and flavor
is normal, although clovelike characteristics
shouldn’t be perceived. The color is normally
golden to light amber, with the body being light
to medium in character.

Fruit beers
These types of beers are made by using fruit as
an adjunct in the primary or secondary fermentation.
Fruit beers provide a very unique taste, and
they can also be quite potent if made in the right
ways.

Vegetable beers
These beers use vegetables as an adjunct in primary
or secondary fermentation, helping to provide an
obvious, yet harmonious quality. These beers
shouldn’t be overpowered by hop character.

Herb and spice beers
Herb and spice beers use either herbs or spices
other than hops to create a very distinct taste
and character. The spices can be derived from roots,
seeds, fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Hybrid microbrews offer you a break from the
ordinary beers, providing unique tastes and very
distinct character. There are many types of hybrid
microbrews available, all you have to do is look
around or experiment.

With their varying flavor intensities and alcohol
contents, microbrews are here because beer
distributors noticed a market demand and took a
gamble on imports like Corona in the 70s. This
type of flavorful beer sold to a limited yet very
enthusiastic crowd.

Beer manufacturers create what sells, therefore
they didn’t believe there would be a significant
maket with those types of beers. Consumer studies
and sales showed that the biggest part of the
American audiences enjoyed watery brew.

Then, out of nowhere, microbrews popped up after
the first successful brew, Samuel Adams, fought
with import distributors to try and convince them
that a flavorful American beer would sell. Now,
we have more microbrews than ever before with more
coming out each and every day.

Microbrews really hit when distributors really
believed that at least some people would buy them.
On the other hand, home brewers and brewpubs had
legal wars. In 1968, home brewing was legalized
and home brewers now had the support and assistance
of supply and advice stores.

Until 1983, brewpubs were illegal in all states.
Late in 1983, California first began to allow
brewpubs to brew and distribute their brands of
beer on site. These charming, yet small batch
breweries experienced high sales, especially in
restaurants.

Around a century ago, the United States had more
than 2,000 breweries making many different styles
and variations. By the 80’s, there were only 40
brewing companies that offered a brand of American
Pilsner.

Today, there are over 500 microbreweries and brewpubs
in the United States. Over the past few years,
brewpubs have been popping up all over th e place,
even in bars that used to only carry the top beers.

Lagering, as a process, was discovered around 200
years ago in Bavaria. Here, it was found that
beers experiencing secondary fermentation in casks
stored in the caves of the Alps would produce beers
with differnet characteristics than ales.

The process of lagering became very popular in
areas where fermentating with cool temperatures
could be maintained, although it wasn’t until the
invention of the refrigerator that lagers really
spread around the world.

Over the last several years, flat sales have been
seen for breweries as a growth in sales for
American microbrews. Even though a lot of the
beer volume from lager is composed of cheap quality
product from the large breweries, there’s plenty
of great products available, although most are
from Europe.

European all malt Pilsener
World wild, Pilseners are the most popular style.
The style originated in Bohemia in a town that
was named Pilsen by the brewery. Even though
there are some superb Pilseners made outside this
region, the style is frequently cheapened and
is also the basis for many beers lacking quality
or being just plain ol’ cheap beer.

German Pilsener
Classic German Pilseners are very light in color
and well hopped, with the hop bitterness being
high. It’s a well attenuated, medium bodied beer
although a malty accent can be perceived. There
shouldn’t be any chill haze, as the head of the
beer should be dense and rich.

Bohemian lager
Lagers in this category are very similar to German
Pilseners, although they are more full bodied
and can be as dark as light amber. This style of
beer will balance the moderate bitterness and
noble hop aroma with a malty, yet slightly sweet
body.

The first thing you’ll need to do when brewing is
to sanitize everything that will come in contact
with your unfermented beer. It will take time
for the sanitizer to do its job, so don’t rush
things.

Next, you’ll need to rinse everything to remove
any remaining sanitizer. Any remaining sanitizer
can kill of your yeast if you don’t rinse things
well. Add 3 1/2 gallons of water to your
fermenter then seal it with the fermenter’s lid
or a rubber stopper. This should be done as
soon as you can before you begin to cook the
wort.

Cooking
Add 2 gallons of cold water to the pot and bring
it to a boil. Once the water has started to boil,
add your malt syrup or extract kit. Always watch
your pot boil and never leave it. Stir it well,
until the extract has dissolved.

Boiling over can create a mess and cause you to
loose precious ingredients. Malt doesn’t boil
like water, as it comes to a boil the liquid will
expand and foam over the top. Stir constantly
and keep a close watch to avoid boiling over.

Add a few tablespoons of your boiling wort to
1 cup of cool water in a santized container,
making sure the temperature isn’t too high.
Next, add your yeast packet and cover the
container with a saucer or lid.

Pitching yeast
After the wort has finished boiling, allow the
mixture time to cool to 70 – 80 degrees then
pitch the yeast into your fermenter, which you
already have filled to 2/3 of the desired
final level with cold water.

These are the basic steps for brewing your
own microbrews. You’ll also have to siphon,
bottle, then pour your brew. The final steps
aren’t that difficult, although they do
require a certain level of precision. If
this is your first time brewing, you should
watch someone experienced first.

With microbrewing, there are many different
methods, including fruit. Fruit is unlike
other types of microbrews, as the method
introduces fruit into the equation and makes
for a very unique – yet interesting taste.

When brewing your own beers, you can use
any method you prefer. Some are harder than
others, although a little bit of time is all
you need to become a pro. Once you have been
brewing for a while, you’ll be able to
brew even the most exotic of microbrews – all
it takes is time and dedication.

The term microbrewery originally originated in the
United Kingdom during the late 1970s. Though it
was originally used to reflect on the size of the
breweries, it gradually came to reflect a different
attitude and approach to adaptability, flexibility,
experimentation, and customer service.

The term eventually spread to the United States,
where it was eventually used to indicate a brewery
that produces no less than 15,000 barrels of beer
per year. The term microbrewery is now falling
out of touch in the United States, as the term
craft brewer is preferred.

During the early twentieth century, prohibition drove
a majority of the breweries into bankruptcy because
they couldn’t rely on selling bogus wine as
wineries of that era previously did. After going
through several decades of consolidation of
breweries, most commercial American beer produced
by a few large companies, resulting in a mild
tasting lager of which Budweiser is a great example.

Some beer drinks will consequently crave a variety
and turn to homebrewing and eventually start doing
it on a much larger scale. When they need inspiration
they’ll turn to Britain, Germany, and Belgium where
centuries old tradition of artisan beer and cask
ale production have never died out.

The popularity behind these products was the fact
that they trend was spread quickly, and hundreds
of smaller breweries popped up, attached to a bar
where the product could be enjoyed by all. As
microbrews gained in popularity, some became more
than just simple microbrews, as they catered to a
broader range of beer.

Normally, American microbreweries will distribute
through wholesalers in traditional three tier
systems, then act as their own distributor and
sell to retailers. Selling includes tap rooms,
restaurants, or even off premise sales.

Adding fruit to beers will add a new and unique
twist of complexity to the beverage. A raspberry
wheat for example, would add a tart flavor as peach
would add the smooth sweet taste that we all
associate with peaches in your brew.

If you plan to add fruit to your brew, it’s highly
recommended that your fruit is fresh. The longer
fruit is allowed to ripen from the time it has
been picked, the greater the chance that airborne
bacteria can infect your batch.

Although the fruit will most likely be boiled with
the wort, the precaution above is still highly
recommended. Alternately, you may decide to use
fruit puree, which will offer homebrewers the
chance to brew with fruit without having the fear
of contamination. Regardless of your style of
brew, you can normally add fruit to it.

The process of adding fruit is simple. Crush,
chop, or break up the fruit that you are planning
to use. Next, place the processed fruit into a
sparging bag then let it steep in the hot wort
for five to ten minutes after the boiling has
been finished.

When you are transfering your brew mixture to
your primary fermenter, you may choose to sparge
your fruit with some added water to extract every
last drop of essence from the fruit. Always
keep in mind that when you add fruit, you are
adding additional sugar to your wort. This added
sugar concentration will effect your original
and final specific gravity when you measure it
with a hydrometer.

Some fruits that you use are actually easier to
work with than others. Raspberries for example,
may leave seeds in your primary fermenter if they
aren’t properly filtered. The basic object to
achieve a quality fruit beer is to capture the
essence from the fruit then remove all that
remains before you start the primary fermentation.

Adding fruit to your microbrew will give your
brew a unique taste. There are many brews out
there that take full advantage of fruit, many of
which are extremely popular. Fruit can bring
a very refreshing taste, especially when it is
brewed the right way.

For homebrewers all over the world, fruit is a
nice addition to any microbrew. You can use
virtually any type of fruit you can think of,
which is one of the reasons why fruit brewing
is so very popular. Just like wine, fruit can
make any brew taste like a tropical paradise.

The ideal place to sample the best of Northwest
handcrafted ale is a well run brewpub, which will
stimulate the human spirit with warmth, the scent
of malt, pleasant conversation, and hearty food.

Helping to combat the chilly, damp climate of
the region, brewpubs have become great places of
refuge where you can shake off the tears of a
hostile world, order a pint of cask beer, then
savor a complex beer that will caress every one
of your senses.

Microbreweries (companies that produce less than
20,000 kegs a year) can be found everywhere from
Minneapolis to Maui, although it all began in the
Pacific Northwest. On any evening, many dozen
locally brewed beers and ales are available for
your enjoyment in Portland and Seattle.

Most East Coast microbreweries produce German
style lagers, which is the most famous style of
brewing for American palates. The microbreweries
of the Northwest go all out for wildly adventerous
bitters, stouts, and porters.

With all of these amazing beers to choose from,
you may be wondering where to begin. When you
look for a microbrew, you should always be
thinking about variety. At any time in both
Seattle and Portland, you can find several dozen
fresh, locally made brew on tap. They all range
in strength from the standard 3 1/2% to a very
potent 8 1/2%.

As for the flavor, you’ll have to taste it for
yourself. There’s the rich sweetness of malt,
balanced well with good bitter hops. Then, there’s
also the mocha java overtones of roasted barley,
used with stouts and porters, and the spicy kick
of malted wheat.

There are also the sweet ales and tart ales,
mild ales, and ales that are so charged with flavor
that they linger on the tongue. No matter which
type of microbrew you choose, your sure to get
a flavor that will make you come back for more.

To get the most out of a visit to Oregon, you’ll need
to try a local craft beer. Even if you don’t like
to drink craft beer, it’s something you should at
least experience.

If you are knew to microbrews, you should know that
just because the beer is a microbrew, it doesn’t mean
that you’ll need a knife and fork to drink it. All
over the state, you’ll find several different
microbreweries that offer everything you could ever
want.

All mass produced American style lagers have set a
rather disappointing standard for the beer drinkers
of the country. These beers can only be as good as
their ingredients. Instead of the fine grains such
as barley and wheat, corn and rice are often used
as cheaper replacements. In place of the whole kiln
hops, the bigger breweries rely on small pellets of
compressed hop dust.

Throughout the state of Oregon, there are more than
50 breweries that provide both locals and visitors
with many alternatives to drinking. The microbrewed
craft will rely on tradition, using the more
expensive ingredients in place of money saving
shortcuts. The implication here, is that these
types of beer are normally bitter or overly sweet.

Anytime you visit an unfamiliar brewpub, there is a
great way to sample a variety of brews without
having to buy a whole pint. Several pubs offer a
sampler tray with five to seven two ounce beers,
often labeled to avoid any type of confusion.

Throughout Oregon, microbrews are very popular, in
the pubs and on the street. You can find many
different varieties, more than you can find in
other states. If you don’t live in Oregon, and you
get the chance to visit, you shouldn’t hesitate
to check out some of the excellent microbrews.

Beer is almost as old as civilization itself. It is
mentioned in Sumerian texts that date back more than
5,000 years ago. Beginning in the 1950s, scientists
debated the notion that beer, not bread, was actually
the start of the development for agriculture.

Almost every culture around the world has invented
its own concotion of beer. History says brewing
was a home based operation, as part of the preparation
in meals. From South Africa to China, the production
of beer grew in scale with the rise of society,
then later became primarily a function of the state.

The physical evidence of ancient brewing isn’t easy
to obtain. With most cultures, home beer brewing
required only the basic of ingredients, such as a
fire, cooking vessels, and some jars. None of these
materials are unique to the brewing process. Jars
that were found near a kiln could have been used
for storing barley or wheat for bread, while cooking
pots could have been used for heating liquids.

So far, archaeologists haven’t been able to find a
complete set of evidence. One of the oldest
breweries was found in southern Egypt and dates back
to over 5,000 years ago. At this site, teams found
well heated vats that were encrusted on the inside
with a cereal based residue.

Another ancient brewery was discovered along the
Nile in the middle of Egypt. The site was located
in what is thought to be the Sun Temple, where
a king’s wife was buried. Archaeologists found
a complex set of rooms that had been used for
cereal processing. Ovens, grains, and larger jars
indicate that the rooms were used as a bakery or
a brewery.

In a different area of the world, excavators found
a brewery dating back to the times of the Romans.
On this site, there were preserved tables that
date from A.D. 100, with beer being specifically
mentioned on several of the tablets.

The chemical evidence of beer would prove to be a
site’s purpose once and for all, although that
normally isn’t easy. Alcohol is much too delicate
to last for centuries, as any cereal based residue
found could have come from baking just as easily
as from brewing.

Throughout the course of time, there will always
be evidence of beer being brewed many centuries
ago. Without actually finding physical evidence
though, it can be really hard to determine. If
there were physical evidence, it would be really
different indeed.