Beer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the alcoholic beverage. For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation).

Schlenkerla Rauchbier being poured from a cask

Franois Jaques: Peasants Enjoying Beer at Pub in Fribourg(Switz.) (1923)

Beer is the world's most widely consumed[1] and probably the oldest[2][3][4] alcoholic beverage; it is the third most
popular drink overall, after water and tea.[5] The production of beer is called brewing, which involves
the fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grainsmost commonly malted barley, although wheat,
maize (corn), and rice are widely used.[6] Most beer is flavoured with hops, which add bitterness and act as a
natural preservative, though other flavourings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The
fermentation process causes a natural carbonation effect, although this is often removed during processing, and
replaced with forced carbonation.[7] Some of humanity's earliest known writings refer to the production and
distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours,[8] and "The Hymn
to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of
remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people.[9][10]

Beer is sold in bottles and cans; it may also be available on draught, particularly in pubs and bars. The brewing
industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of
smaller producers ranging from brewpubs toregional breweries. The strength of beer is usually around 4% to
6% alcohol by volume (abv), although it may vary between 0.5% and 20%, with some breweries creating
examples of 40% abv and above.[11] Beer forms part of the culture of beer-drinking nations and is associated with
social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as a rich pub culture involving activities like pub crawling, and pub
games such as bar billiards.