Lowland Brewing
Beer is made from 4 simple ingredients; Water, grain, hops and yeast.
The Water
The water you use in your beer can subtly change the flavour. Hard water often needs to be softened in the brewing process in order to combat some of the harsher minerals in it.
Scotland is very fortunate to have some of the best water in the world so here at Lowland Brewing we use the most of what the land around us has to offer.
The Grain
In order for alcohol to be produced yeast needs to feed on sugar. The sugar in beer comes from the grain or malt. The water is run through the crushed grain bed until the majority of the sugars have been extracted.
Most beers have a barley base, however, wheat, rye and oats can all be used as well. The different grains used give the beer different tastes, smells and colours.
The Hops
Hops are added to the beer for more flavour. Hops can come from various parts of the world and often where they come from reflects their flavour.
Adding hops early in the process creates bitterness in the beer and later additions add aroma. There are a vast variety of hops and this has lead to the large numbers of unique beers we get today.
The Yeast
Yeast is the key ingredient to creating the alcohol in the beer. The yeast feeds on the sugars that have come from the grains and create alcohol and a by-product of CO2.
The yeast must be held at a certain temperature depending on the style of beer. This is typically between 12 and 24 degrees Celsius.