The Ingredients of Ballast Point Beer
Malted Barley
Malt is the heart and soul of a beer, the determining factor in its essential character -- its color, body, flavor, and strength. Like spinning straw into gold, the malting process transforms barley into aromatic malt, full of the fermentable sugars needed to feed hungry yeast cells. The process itself has been the same for nearly six millennia: the barley is soaked in water until germination occurs, the partially sprouted grain is then kiln-dried and roasted. The finished product -- the grains of roasted malt -- look like tiny coffee beans. The heat used to dry the malted grain creates the final aroma, flavor, and color of the malt. Depending on the heat and duration of the roasting, the final malt product could produce anything from a straw gold pilsner to an opaque black stout. As a general principle, the more malt used in the brewing, the more flavorful the beer.
Hops
Hops contribute to a beer's flavor and aroma and serve as a natural preservative. The acids contained in the hop flowers give beer its bitterness; their oils endow a delicate floral aroma. Over 100 hop varieties are grown throughout the world, but if you're searching for a heady aroma and a spicy taste, look for a beer brewed with the choicest hops in the world.
Growing hops for beer is much like growing grapes for wine -- the soil, the climate, and the farmer's care of the vines greatly affect the taste and aroma of the delicate hop flowers.
Yeast
Yeast plays a very important role in the brewing of beer -- it defines whether a brew is classified as a lager or an ale. A yeast strain called Saccharomyces carlsbergensis produces smooth, elegant lagers; another strain, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, makes hearty, robust ales.
Yeast is responsible for producing the alcohol contained in the beer, as well as its natural carbonation. The yeast consumes the sugars from the malt and converts them into carbon dioxide and alcohol. In fact, you could say that brewers merely make food for yeast -- the yeast makes the beer.
Water
Contrary to popular belief, water is actually the least important ingredient in beer. As long as it is clean, it is fine for brewing. Historically, the water supply available to brewers determined which styles of beer they could brew. However, with modern water treatment capabilities, the mineral content in water can be tuned to meet the needs of any style of beer.