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Beer predates wine as one of the oldest alcoholic beverage known to man (only mead may surpass it in age), and the “discovery” of the fermentation of grain is closely linked to the transition from a nomadic to a settled agricultural society during the Neolithic Revolution.
However, the fermentation of starchy carbohydrates is a more complicated matter than the transformation of grape sugars into alcohol, as a grain’s starch must first be converted into sugar before fermentation can commence. Thus, the aim of the brewing process is twofold: the brewer must derive the wort, a sugar-rich liquid, from malted grain, and then ferment the wort. This brewing process typically utilizes the following raw ingredients: water, yeast, a starch source, and hops—a flower that adds flavor and bitterness, and has both preservative and antiseptic qualities that prohibit bacterial growth. This simple formula was detailed as early as 1516, in the Bavarian Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot), which codified the three ingredients authorized for beer production as barley, hops, and water—the action of yeast in fermentation was as of yet undiscovered.
In the modern brewing process, the first step is to create the malted barley, or malt. Barley—the grain of choice for most beers—is steeped in water for approximately two days to promote germination of the grain. Once the grain begins to germinate, or sprout, it is transferred to compartments with controlled temperature and moisture levels. As the sprout grows to nearly an inch in length, the enzyme amylase is produced, which will convert the starchy carbohydrates of the grain into the fermentable sugars maltose and dextrin. This “green malt” is then roasted with hot air in a kiln to halt further growth.