Beer Brewing

Beer is fermented grain — and unlike grapes, grains contain starch rather than sugar, requiring an extra conversion step before yeast can work. Three independent civilizations solved this problem independently: saliva enzymes (Inca chicha), mold preparations (East Asian koji), and malting (Near East, now dominant worldwide). The malting tradition gives beer its distinctive flavors of grass, bread, and cooking — flavors born from the Maillard reactions that are inseparable from the process.