Beer predates wine as one of the oldest known alcoholic beverages (only mead surpasses it in age), and the discovery of the fermentation of grain is closely linked to the transition from a nomadic society to a settled agricultural society during the Neolithic Revolution.
The fermentation of starchy carbohydrates is a more complicated matter, however, than the transformation of grape sugars into alcohol, as a grain’s starch must be converted into sugar before fermentation can begin. Thus, the aim of the brewing process is twofold: the brewer must first derive the wort, a sugar-rich liquid, from malted grain and then the brewer must ferment the wort. Typically, the raw ingredients required for this process are water, yeast, hops, and a starch source. Hops, the dried flower clusters that provide flavor and bitterness to beer, have both preservative and antiseptic qualities that inhibit 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 at the time undiscovered, and wheat, a component of Hefe-Weizen and white beer styles, was reserved for the production of bread.
In the modern brewing process, the first step is to create the malted barley, or malt. Barley—the cereal 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. Amylase converts the starchy carbohydrates of the grain into the fermentable sugars
Jesse Pender the sake value meter itself uses increasingly negative values to indicate sweetness. It is separate from a specific gravity measurement but that's what it is based on.
"....the Sake Value Meter (nihonshudo). This scale is a measure of the sake’s specific gravity, or density in contrast to that of water. Negative values indicate sweetness, with positive values indicating dryness; zero is neutral."
I am confused on this topic. I have read some other articles as well and there seems to be a constant mention of "specific gravity" with a negative value indicating sweetness and a positive value indicating dryness.
My understanding of the scientific topic of specific gravity is that sugar is heavier than water and would add to a positive value and that a higher alcohol number would lead to a lower (negative) number since ethanol is lighter than water. Thus, if a sweet sake would most likely have less alcohol and more sugar giving it a higher number than any dry sake on the specific gravity scale.
Help clarifying this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
thanks for the correction!
Just a small adjustment: Advocaat is from the Netherlands not from Denmark - thank you
Beer has very few legal regulations akin to those in the wine world (and most of those are consumer-based rather than production and region based), but for anyone looking to research more about beer styles, guidelines, brewing, and service, check out the Beer Judge Certification Program (www.bjcp.org, an organization that trains and certifies judges for brewing competitions) and Cicerone Organization (www.cicerone.org, an organization that tests and certifies individuals on beer knowledge in a similar fashion to that used by the Court of Master Sommeliers for wine and other beverages). The BJCP in particular has a terrific, succint, user-friendly app for style guidelines.