Introduction to Beer Ingredients
There’s so much discourse surrounding the world’s favorite beverage that it’s hard to keep things straight, and the ingredients of beer have always been a particularly contentious point. What should and should not go into a lager or ale has even given rise to laws at one point in history.
While there are undoubtedly four primary ingredients (water, malt, yeast, hops) that make up most beer, brewers have been tinkering with other ingredients for centuries. And even more recently, ever-inventive craft brewers have been scouring the globe for new flavors to introduce to their concoctions.
There’s truly a whole world of flavor out there for Brewers to choose from, but there are some basics and even some non-negotiable ingredients. Here’s everything you need to know:
The 4 Essential Ingredients of Beer
Water – The Foundation of Every Brew
One of the aforementioned non-negotiable ingredients, H2O, makes up 90–95% of beer and is far more important for a beer’s flavor than you might think. Across centuries, Brewers have matched technique and ingredients with their local water, which has driven the development of iconic styles like Pilsner and Stout. With more science driving the route.
- Impact: Water significantly affects flavor and mouthfeel, which has contributed to the success of certain beer-producing cities.
- Minerals matter: Calcium, magnesium, chloride, and potassium all impact variables such as water hardness and pH, which significantly determine brewing conditions and the results. Sodium and sulfate can also contribute to dryness or sweetness.
- Water treatment: Brewers will even adjust water chemistry to match the specific style they’re brewing. They’ll tweak the minerality to enhance either maltiness or bitterness.
Malted Grains – The Source of Sugar and Body
Malt is the backbone of the beer. It’s where the fermentable sugars (used to produce alcohol) come from, along with substantial flavor and aroma. Malted barley (which is germinated and kiln-dried) is the most commonly used grain and contributes a nutty, bready, and sweet flavor profile. Malt also determines the beer’s sweetness, depth, color, and potential alcohol strength.
- Malt varieties: Malt types range from basic pale malt (light in color with a clean flavor) to specialty malts like chocolate or crystal (characterized by rich or sweet notes). These are highly distinct and will drive the wide variety of colors and flavors you see in beers.
- How it’s introduced: Malt is combined with hot water in the mash, where enzymes in the malt convert starches into sugars for fermentation.
- Common types of malt: The most common is barley, but wheat and rye are often used to give distinctive flavor profiles to beers like a Hefeweizen or rye IPA.
- It’s all about the roast: How malts are roasted levels affect beer. A lager or pale ale will use malts that have been mildly roasted, while a stout will employ malts that have been heavily roasted. It’s easy to see how this will drive both the flavor and color of a beer.
Hops – The Bitter Balance and Aroma
By far the most beloved (and discussed) beer ingredient, hops add the most dynamic flavors to the beer. The cone-shaped buds from the Humulus lupulus plant were initially tasked with serving as a preservative, but their role has evolved into a balancing agent and even the primary driver of flavor and aromatics.
- Hop flavors: Hops are traditionally known for their citrus, pine, floral, and earthy qualities. But the flavor possibilities are expanding as new hop strains are developed and refined.
- Hop types: The basic hop categories are bittering hops and aroma hops, with dual-purpose hops being a newer concept. The distinction is based on the hop’s alpha acid content and aromatic properties, with bittering hops being added early in the boil and aroma hops typically added later in the boil or as a dry hop post-fermentation. Dual-purpose hops offer a balance of both.
- Added at different stages: The “hop schedule” refers to the timing of when hops are added to the boil. Early boil additions are for bitterness, while late boil or whirlpool additions are for flavor and aroma. Dry hopping occurs after fermentation, providing intense aromas and flavors.
- Hop varietals: There are dozens of different hop strains, and their flavor profiles can vary significantly. Citra, Simcoe, and Cascade are renowned for their citrusy and floral aromas and are frequently used in American Pale Ales and IPAs. Fuggle hops are earthy and often used in British ales or Barleywines. Saaz hops are characterized by a grassy and slightly bitter profile, making them an ideal choice for Czech pilsners.
Yeast – The Unsung Hero
Like water, beer could simply not exist without yeast. These organisms (technically a type of fungus) convert sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, along with providing aromas and flavors. Many different yeast strains can fall into the ale or lager category, and many breweries will have a “house” strain that they cultivate to provide unique characteristics to their beer.
- Lager yeast: Saccharomyces pastorianus is a bottom-fermenting type of yeast that ferments at cooler temperatures. The aromas and flavors imparted by lager yeast offer the classic clean and crisp flavors that make this type of beer so drinkable.
- Ale yeast: Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a top-fermenting yeast suited for warmer temperatures. It’s the polar opposite of lager yeast, imparting fruity and complex flavors that are ideal for hoppy pale ales and stouts, as well as funky Belgian-style ales.
- Flavor impact: Yeast’s primary function may be converting sugars into alcohol, but its lovely byproducts, esters and phenols, provide additional flavor notes that will impart fruity or funky aromas.
Optional and Specialty Ingredients in Modern Brewing
Adjuncts – Rice, Corn, and More
The term ‘adjunct’ was long considered a dirty word in the brewing industry, with the rise of low-cost adjuncts like rice and corn contributing blander flavors in mass-produced macro lagers. The Germans even made the Reinheitsgebot law, which banned the use of adjunct ingredients in beer. However, the craft beer renaissance has given rise to new experimentation with non-traditional ingredients, allowing for further exploration of flavors.
Additions – Fruits, Spices, Herbs, and Lactose
- Traditional adjuncts Include Rice and corn, which are the most commonly used ingredients. These function as replacements for malted barley as a fermentable sugar and are generally used to lower the cost of the beer, rather than augmenting the flavor. In recent years, there’s been a reevaluation of rice and corn in the craft brewing industry. In particular, Japanese “dry” lager and Mexican-style cerveza, which uses corn, both have notable followings, with high-quality craft versions emerging more frequently.
- Fruit beers: Adding fruit to beer, either as a fermentable sugar or as a flavoring agent, adds distinctive aromas and flavors to the beer. Cherries, oranges, and raspberries are frequently used in traditional Belgian-style ales. More recently, craft brewers have been incorporating pumpkins, chili peppers, and a range of citrus fruits into their beers to add flavor.
- Spiced beers: The term “culinary beer” was not a concept until the 1990s, when the nascent craft brewing industry began adding spices like coriander, ginger, cinnamon, juniper, and pepper to their beers. However, these ingredients are now widely added for their complexity, aroma, and stylistic character. Spices are commonly used in Belgian witbiers, winter warmers, festive beers like Christmas ale, and even IPAs or lagers.
- Sweet adjuncts: Craft brewers have created numerous unique styles, such as milk stouts, coffee porters, and barrel-aged beers, incorporating sweeter ingredients like cacao nibs, coffee, and vanilla. Lactose, which is a milk sugar, has become one of the go-to adjuncts for brewers looking to sweeten their stouts or produce pillowy New England IPAs. These ingredients are sugary but unfermentable, and their primary function is to add sweetness and body.
How These Ingredients Work Together in the Brewing Process
The way ingredients interact during the brewing process (mashing, boiling, fermenting, and conditioning) significantly impacts the way a beer will taste. Here’s how each primary ingredient is used:
- Mashing the malt: Grain will be mixed with hot water in a mash tun to create wort, a sugary liquid that undergoes fermentation and ultimately becomes beer.
- Boiling with hops: During the boil, hops are added for flavor and bitterness according to a set schedule. Post-boil, dry-hopping is common for brewing IPAs.
- Cooling and fermentation: Once the wort is cooled after the boil, fermentation will begin when yeast is pitched. The yeast will start to convert fermentable sugars into ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide.
- Conditioning and packaging: After fermentation is complete, the beer will undergo either a cold-conditioning (lagering) process or be packaged. Priming sugars can be added for further bottle conditioning.
Ingredient Comparison Table – Flavor, Role, and Style Impact
| Ingredient | Primary Role | Flavor Impact | Affects Beer Style? |
| Water | Base/liquid medium | Mouthfeel, minerality | Yes – different profiles suit different styles |
| Malt | Sugar source | Sweet, nutty, roasted | Yes – determines color/body |
| Hops | Bittering, aroma | Bitter, citrus, floral | Yes – defines IPAs, lagers, etc. |
| Yeast | Fermentation | Fruity, spicy, clean | Yes – ale vs. lager flavors |
Final Thoughts – It All Starts with the Basics
Although brewer know-how and creativity are what make craft beer so special, ingredients contribute significantly to the quality and vibrancy of beer, and they deserve some love. Water, malt, hops, and yeast may seem like a simple set of ingredients. But when they’re put in the right hands, something magical happens!
