Beer genera are determined by the specific gravity of the wort. A beer with a gravity of less than seven percent is considered a low-gravity beer. “Schankbier” is a beer with a specific gravity between 7 and 11 percent, a “Vollbier” has a specific gravity of 11 to 16 percent, and a “Starkbier” has more than 16 percent specific gravity.

Beer is an excellent source of liquids for athletes. Beer provides isotonic fluid replacement due to its high water and low alcohol content. The carbohydrates in beer are easily digested and replenish energy lost during exercise. For best results, stick with a light beer.

Festival beers are brewed for special occasions and are available only for a limited amount of time, such as during a certain festival or around Christmas. The festival beers have a gravity of at least 13% and are therefore a little stronger than regular everyday beer or “Alltagsbier.”

Barley is the most important malting grain used in beer brewing. The best barley is the summer barley grown in low protein soils in Upper Franconia.

Consumed in moderation, beer is good for your health. Beer slows arterial plaque formation, works as a mild diuretic, and beer is also said to help with colds and gastro-intestinal problems. Even your IQ increases after moderate beer consumption.

This is the jack-of-all-trades of beer ingredients: The amount of hops used determines how bitter a beer will be, a beer’s typical aroma comes from hops oil, hops is responsible for the foam top, and its tannins clarify the beer.

Malt is considered to be the body of the beer. Grain is turned into malt by, first, soaking it in water to begin germination and then, the grain is dried in a kiln. The amount of malt and the length of the roasting time determine the color and flavor of the beer. It takes 17 kg of malted grist to produce 100 liters of Pils beer. You need more for a darker beer and less for a lighter beer.

Sumerians and Babylonians considered beer to be a food staple. Modern beers still preserve all essential natural ingredients from the barley and the hops. Many scientists proclaim that beer is very easily digested.

Top fermenting yeasts rises to the top after fermentation. This process takes higher temperatures to achieve fermentation and gives the beers a full bodied and sometimes fruity taste. Examples of top-fermented beers are wheat beer, rye beer, and “Kölsch.”

The Bavarian Duke Wilhelm IV passed the Bavarian Beer Purity Law in 1516 in Ingolstadt. This law has provided consumer protection for over 500 years now. To this day, Bavarian breweries make beer using only four ingredients: Barley, hops, yeast, and water.

Beer has been used as a topical cosmetic since antiquity. Ancient Egyptian women used beer foam to condition their skin. The Queen Luise of Prussia used beer on her décolletage. Modern uses for beer as a natural cosmetic include: Beer baths, beer mouth rinse, as well as beer fingernail lotion.

Specific gravity measures the soluble ingredients of the malted wort before fermentation. These ingredients are mostly proteins, vitamins, minerals, tannins, fiber, and especially sugar, and the yeast uses them in the fermentation process. The alcohol content of the beer after fermentation equals to about one third of the specific gravity before fermentation. Therefore, a light beer with a gravity of 12 percent has an alcohol content of 4 percent, which equals 5-volume percent alcohol.