Beer, whose name derives from the Latin bibere and significs bere, is a very ancient drink, whose moderate consumption helps to maintain a good state of health . Let's find out better.

What is beer

A cold beer on a hot summer day is one of the little pleasures of life. In fact, beer is very popular, and not just in Germany. Every Italian consumes about 28 liters per year.

It is a very ancient drink ; the earliest records date back to the Babylonian era. The traditional ingredients for making beer are malt, hops and yeast . Malt, which by law must not be less than 60%, is generally barley, but can also be of other cereals, for example wheat or corn.

An important feature of the beer is the foam, which protects it against the oxidizing action of oxygen and therefore serves to keep its aroma longer; the presence of a beautiful stable foam is an indication of quality and freshness.

Beer is served at a temperature between 7 and 10 degrees.

Properties and benefits of beer

Beer has many properties that derive from its composition. It contains a good proportion of vitamins and minerals and an excellent calcium-phosphorus ratio, while the sodium content is very low. For these reasons it has a diuretic effect.

Hops contain different types of flavonoids that have been shown to have anticancer properties. In particular, it contains xanthumol, a substance that seems useful in inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells of some types of carcinomas. Not all beers contain a high amount of xantumol, but only those with a high hop content.

Thanks to its polyphenol content, beer also has antioxidant properties .

It must however always be remembered that it is an alcoholic beverage and therefore should be consumed in moderation.

The richest and therefore most beneficial beer is the raw, that is, unpasteurized.

Beer, ally of

Cardiovascular system, kidneys.

All the alternative uses of beer

A recipe up your sleeve

Beer is often used in the kitchen to prepare tasty dishes, a classic is chicken with beer, used, albeit with some variations, throughout Europe. It can be prepared as follows.

Prepare a sauce with carrots, celery and onion; Brown the chopped chicken and season with salt and chilli. Pour the beer, which must preferably be blonde, (the quantity depends on that of the chicken; for a quantity of meat suitable for four people it usually takes half a liter of beer).

Cook with the covered pan for about half an hour, then remove the lid and continue cooking until the beer is completely absorbed.

Curiosity about beer

To make beer the barley grains are put into water to sprout, until they get the necessary humidity, and then to germinate. In this way the malt is obtained, which is then toasted in the oven.

The chromatic division of the beer, and the consequent distinction into blonde, red and dark, depends on the greater or lesser roasting of the malt .

After roasting, the malt is ground and placed in water. Thus the must is obtained, which is brought to a boil and then filtered; in this phase hops are added. The must is then cooled and then fermented in special tanks.

During fermentation the yeast is added, which causes the transformation of the maltose contained in the compound into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Based on the yeast used, low or high fermentation beers are obtained . After fermentation, the beer is left to mature for a few weeks in special containers.