Brewing in Scotland
At their best, beers and ales are simple beverages made from wholesome ingredients that have been around for thousands of years. According to Egyptian legend it was the god Osiris who taught men how to make beer and Ancient Egyptians used beer in religious rites, and as a drink with food. Luckily it caught on and in Scotland some sort of fermented drinks were evident from the mid to late 4th millennium BC. But it was the Picts who are credited as being early Scottish brewers with their heather ale and there is a story of the recipe dying out when a captive Pictish warrior refused to give it up to his ememies even after his sons were executed.
Of course, beers and ales were vitally important to the health and well-being of our forefathers. Why? Because the boiling of the wort in the brewing process meant that the end product was free of nasty water borne diseases. In the times before clean water could be taken for granted, uncontaminated drink was essential!
Scottish Independent Brewing has seen a vast increase in demand for their products, both at home and in the rest of the UK. Scotland has between 45 to 50 craft breweries. Demand for artisan and chemical free products are making this an exciting time for small Scottish independent brewers, for which the future is amber!Making beer...
Ingredients - water, malted barley, hops, yeast.
Step 1 - The Mash
Mix the hot water and malted barley in the 'mash tun'. The sugars are extracted, with the resulting sweet liquid known as ‘wort’.
Step 2 - The Boil
The ‘wort’ is then boiled in the 'copper'. Hops are added to give flavour, bitterness, and aroma. The resulting liquid is now called ‘hopped wort’.
Step 3 - Fermentation
Yeast is added to the ‘hopped wort’. The yeast consumes the sugars, and produces alcohol and carbon dioxide. The resulting liquid is 'beer'.
Step 4 - Conditioning
The beer then matures for a few weeks in order for the flavours to develop further.