The Beer Portal 
Introduction
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The fermentation of the starch sugars in the wort produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation.
Some of the earliest writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating it, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, a recipe for it.
Beer is distributed in bottles and cans and is also commonly available on draught, particularly in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Beer forms part of the culture of many nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as activities like pub crawling, pub quizzes, and pub games. (Full article...)
Selected articles -
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private houses from those open to the public as alehouses, taverns and inns. Today, there is no strict definition, but CAMRA states a pub has four characteristics:
- is open to the public without membership or residency
- serves draught beer or cider without requiring food be consumed
- has at least one indoor area not laid out for meals
- allows drinks to be bought at a bar (i.e., not only table service)
The history of pubs can be traced to taverns in Roman Britain, and through Anglo-Saxon alehouses, but it was not until the early 19th century that pubs, as they are today, first began to appear. The model also became popular in countries and regions of British influence, where pubs are often still considered to be an important aspect of their culture. In many places, especially in villages, pubs are the focal point of local communities. In his 17th-century diary, Samuel Pepys described the pub as "the heart of England". Pubs have been established in other countries in modern times. (Full article...)
Selected brand -
Worthington's White Shield (5.6% ABV) was an India pale ale (IPA) available principally in bottle conditioned form.
White Shield was first brewed by the Worthington Brewery in Burton upon Trent in 1829, primarily for export to the British Empire. Worthington merged with local rival Bass in 1927, which was itself taken over by Coors in 2002. (Full article...)
Selected biography -
Henry Weinhard (February 18, 1830 – September 20, 1904) was a German-American brewer in Portland, Oregon. After immigrating to the United States in 1851, he lived in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Sacramento before settling in the Portland area. Weinhard worked for others in the beer business before buying his own brewery and founded Henry Weinhard's and built its brewery complex in downtown Portland. (Full article...)
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that some online social and "Barstool conservatives" spent their Christmas holidays arguing about whether a beer promotional calendar was "demonic"?
- ... that Fred G. Sullivan's film The Beer-Drinker's Guide to Fitness and Filmmaking depicts Sullivan being humiliated with mud and whips for the failings of his previous film?
- ... that 100 beerhouses were licensed in Brighton (population 40,000) in the first week after the Beerhouse Act 1830 was enacted?
- ... that almost 45 percent of Taiwan's beer purchases come from rechao restaurants?
- ... that at the 1965 World Pentathlon Championships, Herbert Polzhuber was said to have drunk ten beers and a bottle of cognac before firing his pistol at the ground and passing out?
- ... that Jaega Wise co-hosted the television series Beer Masters alongside musician James Blunt?
Selected brewery -
Albani Bryggerierne A/S (Eng.: Albani Breweries) is a brewery located in Odense, Denmark, and the vast majority of its customers live on the island of Funen. The brewery was founded by MPharm Theodor Schiøtz in 1859. In 2000, the brewery merged with Bryggerigruppen with the Brewery group (now known as Royal Unibrew), a group of Danish regional breweries.
Albani is most known for two of its beers, Odense Pilsner and Odense Classic. (Full article...)
Selected image -
General images
-
Modern closed fermentation vessels (from Brewing) -
-
A can of Juicy Ass IPA from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, Ontario, Canada (from Craft beer) -
-
World beer consumption per capita (from History of beer) -
-
Spent grain, a brewing by-product (from Brewing) -
Philistine pottery beer jug (from History of beer) -
-
A funerary model of a bakery and brewery, from the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, c. 2009–1998 BCE (from History of beer) -
A selection of French craft beers (from Craft beer) -
A 16th-century brewery (from Brewing) -
A beer sommelier tapping a barrel for a taste at Nebraska Brewing Company (from Craft beer) -
Microbreweries, regional breweries, and brew pubs per capita (from Craft beer) -
Pasteur Street Brewing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (from Craft beer) -
Brew kettles at Brasserie La Choulette in France (from Brewing) -
Cask ales with gravity dispense at a beer festival (from Brewing) -
The Alulu beer receipt records a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BC from the Sumerian city of Umma in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq). (from Brewing) -
A 16th-century brewery (from History of beer)
-
Robohop, a session IPA from Cervisiam in Oslo, Norway (from Craft beer) -
-
-
-
-
Bottling beer in a modern facility, 1945, Australia (from History of beer) -
Casks of real ale from British microbreweries at a beer festival (from Craft beer)
-
D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the US, established in 1829. It is also the largest craft brewer, and the 6th largest brewing company overall. (from Craft beer) -
Lauter tun (from Brewing) -
Yeast ring used by Swedish homebrewers in the 19th century to preserve the yeast between brewing sessions. (from History of beer) -
A replica of ancient Egyptian beer, brewed from emmer wheat by the Courage brewery in 1996 (from History of beer) -
Põhjala Brewery, Estonia (from Craft beer) -
-
Alulu beer receipt recording a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BCE, from the Sumerian city of Umma in ancient Iraq. (from History of beer)
-
Traditional fermenting building (center) and modern fermenting building (left) in Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Czech Republic) (from History of beer) -
-
Diatomaceous earth, used to create a filtration bed (from Brewing) -
Conditioning tanks at Anchor Brewing Company (from Brewing) -
-
Open vessels showing fermentation taking place (from Brewing) -
A yard of ale at Jolly Brewery, Taiwan (from Craft beer) -
Spontaneous fermentation at Timmermans in Belgium (from Brewing) -
Irish Craft Beer Festival, 2015 (from Craft beer) -
-
Bill Urquhart at Litchborough Brewery (from Craft beer) -
Gambrinus – king of beer (from History of beer) -
Bergenhus microbrewery, Bergen, Norway (from Craft beer) -
-
A mash tun at the Bass Museum in Burton-upon-Trent (from Brewing) -
Beer topics
| Africa | |
|---|---|
| Asia | |
| Europe |
|
| North America | |
| South America | |
| Oceania | |
Categories
Selected quote -
| “ | Well ya see, Norm, it's like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo, and when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells, but naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers. | ” |
The Buffalo Theory as explained on an episode of Cheers by Cliff Clavin to his drinking buddy, Norm Peterson |
Related portals
Beer lists
Things you can do
This list is transcluded from the tasks list page, to edit, click here
This is a list of single time tasks that need action. Once you have completed them, please remove them from the list.
 |
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
|
WikiProjects
WikiProject Beer is an association of Wikipedians with an interest in beer and beer-related subjects. They have come together to coordinate the development of beer and brewery articles here on Wikipedia. Additionally, other groups have formed other projects that entertain subjects that are directly related to beer, bartending and pubs. Additionally, the mixed drinks project covers topics that include beer cocktails. If any of these subjects pique your interest, please feel free to visit their projects. These groups would love to have you participate!
| Parent project: WikiProject Food and Drink | |
| Child projects: | Task forces: (All inactive) |
|
|
| Related projects: | |
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus
