CHAPTER V. HOW BEER IS MADE AND WHAT IT IS. The production of beer, as of all other malt liquors, bears a striking similarity to the making of bread; the chief difference being in the quantity of grain employed, and the amount of water added. The one intended for a solid food is baked, the other for a liquid refreshment is boiled. The process of making beer is as follows: A certain quantity of malted barley is taken and ground, it is then mashed with hot water, the sweet liquor or wort extracted, a portion of hops added, and the whole boiled until the preservative quality as well as the aroma of the hops is obtained. It is then allowed to cool, and afterwards fermented with yeast to produce the small quantity of alcohol it contains, and to give it life. According to analyses made by different chemists, lager beer contains 91.0 water, 5.4 malt extract, 3.5 alcohol, and the remainder—making in all 100 parts—carbonic acid. Ale and porter differ only in having a slight additional percentage of alcohol, and a large amount of solid extract. The substantial and useful character of the chief ingredient of beer may be seen from the nature of an analysis of the malt which forms its basis. The result is from Dr. Lermer, whose researches in this direction have been of great value. DRY BARLEY. DRY MALT. DIFFERENCE. Starch, 63.43 minus 48.86 14.57 Proteic substances, 16.25 minus 15.99 0.26 Dextrine, 6.63 plus 6.86 0.23 Sugar, — plus 2.03 2.03 Fatty matters, 3.08 minus 2.50 0.58 Cellulose, 7.10 plus 7.31 0.21 Other substances, 1.11 plus 3.16 2.05 Ash, 2.40 minus 2.10 0.30 ------- ------- 100.00 88.81 In the ordinary process of bread fermentation, a portion of the sugar contained in the flour is decomposed and converted into alcohol. It has been supposed that the whole of this alcohol was expelled by heat during baking; but recent experiments indicate that a perceptible amount still remains in yeast-raised bread after baking. The result of six experiments, showed that one-third of one per cent. in weight of alcohol was obtained from fresh baked bread. From forty loaves of fresh bread, two pounds each, alcohol equal to one bottle of port wine may be extracted.