Brewing Beer Kits

The Alaskan brewing company is the oldest working
brewery in Alaska, with their amber beer being
their most popular brand.  They produce two other
beers as well: a pale ale and an Alaskan frontier
amber.  If you enjoy fresh amber beer, Alaskan
brewing is a great choice.

As you may already know, brewing beer in Alaska is
very hard to do.  The coastal city of Juneau
doesn’t have any road connections to the lower 48 states,
so everything arrives and leaves by sea or airplane,
with weather always having the final say. Not to mention, the many days of the year that are spent in total darkness.

In 1986, the Alaskan brewing company became the
67th brewery to operate in the United States and
the only one to operate in the state of Alaska.  Since that time,
Alaskan brewery has received more than 30 major
medals and awards, including the best beer in the
nation award during the 1988 Great American Beer
Festival.

The popularity of their beers has led to many efforts to keep up with the demand from
beer drinkers.  They also hold the un-official record
for the production on a 10 barrel brewing system,
which produces an amazing 42 batches of beer per week.

The Alaskan Brewery offers several different styles
of beer:

1.  Amber - This is the company’s flagship
brew, based on a turn of the century recipe that
was used to quench the thirst of the miners during
the Gold Rush era.  It provides a smooth, malty,
rich taste that goes well with meals.

2.  Pale - Pale is fresh, crisp, and
inviting.  Alaskan pale is great with crab, prawns,
and salads.  The floral aroma of the hops is
derived from dry-hopping the tanks during the entire
fermentation process.

3.  Stout - The oatmeal style beer of stout
doesn’t have the harshness of other stouts.  Great
with chocolate and hearty meals, stout is also
ideal to enjoy while enjoying the cold weather or outdoors.

4.  ESB - If you like hops, the infusion
of hops in this delight will amaze your nose while
the refreshing cascade hops will provide a wonderful
crispness to both the flavor and the finish.  This
beer is great with spicy food, wild game, and other
hearty food.

5.  Smoked porter - Very exclusive, Alaskan
smoked porter has a world class reputation for its
excellence.  Brewed in Autumn, this beer is ideal
for storing in the cellar for later enjoyment.

6.  Winter ale - This tender brew of spruce
trees has been used for beer brewing in Alaska since
the late 1700s.

The basic cornerstone ingredients of beer are:

• Water
• Barley
• Hops
• Yeast

If all beer were brewed the same way, with the same ingredients - there would be no differentiation. That is where different brewing methods and additional ingredients (coriander, curacao, all-spice, ginger, apple, etc.) give beers different flavors.

by: Christopher Johnson

Beer drinkers see a pint of beer as a magical golden brew. Many have said that it’s surely the Nectar of the Gods. In reality, most beers are based on a basic four-ingredient recipe, and undergo a simple brewing process before bringing joy to the parched bar patrons of the world.

Beer is created using a basic mixture of water, hops, malted barley and yeast. Depending on the type of beer being brewed, taste enhancements such as flavourings and sugar will be added. Starches are also incorporated into the beer so that sugars will easily ferment during the brewing process. The fermented sugars add body and flavour, while increasing the alcohol content.

Water

Beer is mainly composed of water, so the source of the water and its characteristics has an important effect on the character of the beer. Many beer styles were influenced by the characteristics of water in the region. Some beer makers claim that spring water or mountain water create their unique flavour and body. Understanding the effects of water minerals can be complex, but basically soft water is suited to light brews, where hard water is more suitable for dark beers.

Hops

Since the seventeenth century, hops have been used as a popular bittering agent in beer. Adding hops is important, as the bitterness helps to counteract the sweetness of the malts. Hops also contribute a variety of aromas ranging from herbal to citrus. The bitterness in beer is generally measured using the International Bitterness Units scale. Hops also provide an antibiotic effect that favors the activity of brewer’s yeast over less desirable microorganisms.

Malt

Every beer requires malt in its basic recipe. Brew masters can choose to use malted oats, rye, wheat or rice, but malted barley is most commonly used. Malted barley has high amylase content, and a digestive enzyme that helps break the starches down into sugars. The choice of malts depends heavily on what grains are cultivated locally. To create malt the grains are soaked in water, allowed to germinate, then dried in a kilt. As grain is malted, naturally occurring enzymes work to gradually convert starches into fermentable sugars.

Yeast

Yeast is a living microorganism that creates fermentation. The brew master will choose from different strains of yeast, depending on the type of beer produced. Yeast helps metabolize sugars extracted from the grains, and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide as a result. Before the functions of yeast were fully understood, beers were fermented using wild or airborne yeasts. Today there is a variety of yeasts available, with ale yeast and lager yeast being most commonly used.

Clarifying agent

Many brewers prefer to add one or more clarifying agents to beer, but are not required to publish these agents as “ingredients”. Isinglas, bentonite, gelatin finings and Irish moss powder are all commonly used as clarification agents. Isinglas is a gelatinous substance obtained from the swim bladders of fish, so if you’re concerned about consuming animal products, be sure to ask of detailed content information from the brewer of your preferred beer.

Next time you pour yourself a cold pint, stop to consider the careful choice of ingredients and the lengthy brewing process that were involved in creating your little glass of heaven. Raise a toast to your brewmaster, and leave your car keys at home.