Bitter harvest, bitter beer The impact of beer production and consumption on people and the environment by Alexis Vaughan Food Facts No 7 sustain the alliance for better food and farming 94 WHITE LION STREET LONDON N1 9PF tel: 020-7837-1228 • fax: 020-7837-1141 e-mail:
[email protected] www:http://users.charity.vfree.com/s/sustain/ Bitter harvest, bitter beer The impact of beer production and consumption on people and the environment by Alexis Vaughan sustain the alliance for better food and farming 94 WHITE LION STREET LONDON N1 9PF tel: 020-7837-1228 • fax: 020-7837-1141 e-mail:
[email protected] www:http://users.charity.vfree.com/s/sustain/ ii Published by SUSTAIN: the alliance for better food and farming - 1999 ii Beer – what is it? Ever since grain was first cultivated, probably before 5,000 BC, people have been brewing beer. As early as 3,000 BC, a sweet beer was being drunk by the Sumerians and Egyptians. Hops were first used to remove excessive sweetness in 700 AD in Bohemia and the Hallertau region of Germany, and have been used in Britain since the 15th century (see The history of hops in the UK). A typical Kent oast house used for drying hops. Most have been converted into fashionable places to live. The ingredients There are four basic ingredients to beer: malted barley, natural springs, such as Burton-on-Trent, where the hops, yeast and water. In most countries, except water produced good quality beer. Today, breweries are Germany (see The Reinheitsgebot), other ingredients set up in all locations, so to ensure that the water still are usually added, including sugar from sugar beet or produces a quality pint of beer, the water is treated with sugar cane (to increase the amount of fermentation), additives.