The Beer Portal 
Introduction
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the grain to sugars, which dissolve in water to form wort. Fermentation of the wort by yeast produces ethanol and carbonation in the beer. Beer is one of the oldest alcoholic drinks in the world, the most widely consumed, and the third most popular drink after water and tea. Most modern beer is brewed with hops, which add bitterness and other flavours and act as a natural preservative and stabilising agent. Other flavouring agents, such as gruit, herbs, or fruits, may be included or used instead of hops. In commercial brewing, natural carbonation is often replaced with forced carbonation.
Beer is distributed in bottles and cans, and is commonly available on draught in pubs and bars. The brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. The strength of modern beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Some of the earliest writings mention the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating it, while "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, contains a recipe for it. Beer forms part of the culture of many nations and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as activities like pub crawling, pub quizzes, and pub games. (Full article...)
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Beer is one of the oldest human-produced drinks. The written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia records the use of beer, and the drink has spread throughout the world; a 3,900-year-old Sumerian poem honouring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer-recipe, describing the production of beer from barley bread, and in China, residue on pottery dating from around 5,000 years ago shows that beer was brewed using barley and other grains.
Some say the invention of bread and beer led to the development of technology and static civilization. (Full article...)
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Victoria Bitter (VB) is a lager produced by Carlton & United Breweries, a subsidiary of Asahi, in Melbourne, Victoria. It was first brewed by Thomas Aitken at Victoria Brewery in 1854 and is one of the best selling beers in Australia. (Full article...)
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Adolphus Busch (10 July 1839 – 10 October 1913) was the German-born co-founder of Anheuser-Busch with his father-in-law, Eberhard Anheuser. He introduced numerous innovations, building the success of the company in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He became a philanthropist, using some of his wealth for education and humanitarian needs. His great-great-grandson, August Busch IV, is a former CEO of Anheuser-Busch. (Full article...)
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that the patu clubs on the New Zealand threepence were compared to bottles of ginger beer?
- ... that some online social and "Barstool conservatives" spent their Christmas holidays arguing about whether a beer promotional calendar was "demonic"?
- ... that Fred G. Sullivan's film The Beer-Drinker's Guide to Fitness and Filmmaking depicts Sullivan being humiliated with mud and whips for the failings of his previous film?
- ... that Jaega Wise co-hosted the television series Beer Masters alongside musician James Blunt?
- ... that Ein Samiya, which provides the water for Taybeh, the first beer brewed in Palestine, was depopulated in 2023 after harassment by neighboring Israeli settlers?
- ... that Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority general manager Phillip Eng brews his own beer?
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Webster's Brewery (Samuel Webster & Sons Ltd) was a brewery founded in 1838 by Samuel Webster which operated at the Fountain Head Brewery in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. Webster's Green Label, a light mild, and Yorkshire Bitter gained national distribution after the company was taken over by Watney Mann in 1972. Throughout the 1970s it was known for the advertising slogan: "Drives out the northern thirst".
The brewery was closed with the loss of 400 jobs in 1996. Following its acquisition by Courage Brewery in 1990, Courage moved operations to Berkshire brewery as they bought the brewery to obtain the Budweiser and Holsten pils packaging contracts. After the brewery's closure, Webster's beers were initially brewed at the John Smith's Brewery in Tadcaster before moving to the Thomas Hardy Brewery at Burtonwood in 2004. Silvan Brands have owned the company since 2003 when they acquired it from Scottish & Newcastle. (Full article...)
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General images
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Irish Craft Beer Festival, 2015 (from Craft beer) -
A selection of French craft beers (from Craft beer) -
A yard of ale at Jolly Brewery, Taiwan (from Craft beer) -
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Yeast ring used by Swedish homebrewers in the 19th century to preserve the yeast between brewing sessions. (from History of beer) -
A 16th-century brewery (from History of beer) -
World beer consumption per capita (from History of beer) -
A 16th-century brewery (from Brewing)
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A beer sommelier tapping a barrel for a taste at Nebraska Brewing Company (from Craft beer) -
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Philistine pottery beer jug (from History of beer) -
The Alulu beer receipt records a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BC, from the Sumerian city of Umma in Mesopotamia (ancient Iraq). (from Brewing) -
Cask ales with gravity dispense at a beer festival (from Brewing) -
Alulu beer receipt recording a purchase of "best" beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BCE, from the Sumerian city of Umma in ancient Iraq. (from History of beer)
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Lauter tun (from Brewing) -
Microbreweries, regional breweries, and brew pubs per capita (from Craft beer) -
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Põhjala Brewery, Estonia (from Craft beer) -
Pasteur Street Brewing, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (from Craft beer) -
Bottling beer in a modern facility, 1945, Australia (from History of beer) -
A mash tun at the Bass Museum in Burton-upon-Trent (from Brewing) -
Bill Urquhart at Litchborough Brewery (from Craft beer) -
D. G. Yuengling & Son is the oldest operating brewing company in the US, established in 1829. It is also the largest craft brewer, and the 6th largest brewing company overall. (from Craft beer) -
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A replica of ancient Egyptian beer, brewed from emmer wheat by the Courage brewery in 1996 (from History of beer) -
Modern closed fermentation vessels (from Brewing) -
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Bergenhus microbrewery, Bergen, Norway (from Craft beer) -
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Conditioning tanks at Anchor Brewing Company (from Brewing) -
Spent grain, a brewing by-product (from Brewing) -
Spontaneous fermentation at Timmermans in Belgium (from Brewing) -
Gambrinus – king of beer (from History of beer) -
Brew kettles at Brasserie La Choulette in France (from Brewing) -
Open vessels showing fermentation taking place (from Brewing) -
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Casks of real ale from British microbreweries at a beer festival (from Craft beer)
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A funerary model of a bakery and brewery, from the Eleventh dynasty of Egypt, c. 2009–1998 BCE (from History of beer) -
Traditional fermenting building (center) and modern fermenting building (left) in Pilsner Urquell Brewery (Czech Republic) (from History of beer) -
Diatomaceous earth, used to create a filtration bed (from Brewing) -
Robohop, a session IPA from Cervisiam in Oslo, Norway (from Craft beer) -
A can of Juicy Ass IPA from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in Barrie, Ontario, Canada (from Craft beer)
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| “ | Water is drunk by the four legged beast; man prefers it with hops, malts, and yeast. | ” |
German Trinkspruch |
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WikiProject Beer is an association of Wikipedians with an interest in beer and beer-related subjects. They have come together to coordinate the development of beer and brewery articles here on Wikipedia. Additionally, other groups have formed other projects that entertain subjects that are directly related to beer, bartending and pubs. Additionally, the mixed drinks project covers topics that include beer cocktails. If any of these subjects pique your interest, please feel free to visit their projects. These groups would love to have you participate!
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