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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 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 includes the following raw ingredients: water, yeast, a starch source, and hops—the dried flower clusters that add flavor and bitterness, and 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, which will convert the starchy carbohydrates of the grain into the fermentable sugars maltose and dextrin