Beer

Beer is a naturally alcoholic fermented beverage, made from one of a number of grains, yeast and additional flavouring agents, such as hops.

History

Beer has been created for many thousands of years.

Some regions of the world, such as Brussels, Belgium is renowned as a center of beer brewing and has a long history of creating many specialist beers that have been brewed in the region for centuries. Traditionally, Flemish specialty beers were prepared by local Trappist monasteries.

Beer in popular culture

The beverage is one of the most common alcoholic drinks in popular culture.

Many locales have a local brewer that is associated with that particular region. Sometimes the type of beer selected by the drinker takes on almost tribal connotations based on unrelated factors such as geography or favorite sporting code. In Australia for example, there are strong regional allegiances associated with the brands VB of Melbourne; Tooheys of Sydney and XXXX of Queensland.

Beer today

Today beer remains popular, although in some countries there has been some increases in wine drinking that has seen some drinkers substitute to wine from beer, sometimes on the basis of healthy associations proferred by some research claiming that moderate consumption of alcohol in wine form offers health benefits.

Some beers have responded by issuing low alcohol or low carbohydrate versions of new brands or existing brands.

Beer is a popular beverage at many parties.

Beer varieties

• Lager is a light coloured beer originally brewed in Germany and Austria. It is the most popular type of beer worldwide.
• Ale is generally darker and more flavoursome than lager, fermented at a higher temperature.
• Wheat beer, or weissbeer is a light coloured ale, as the name implies made from wheat.
• Lambic beer is made with wild yeasts (rather than cultivated brewer's yeast) peculiar to the Pajottenland region of Belgium.
• Stout is a very dark and quite heavy beer made with hops and unmalted barley. The most famous variety is Guinness, which was originally based on a lighter English beer known as porter.

Related topics

• Beer Hall Putsch, Munich, 1923
• Oktoberfest
• Root beer