Made from good stuff...

Beer is an entirely natural drink, made from four basic ingredients: barley malt, hops, yeast and water. The taste of wine comes from the grape variety, or blend of several varieties, and the same is true of beer: its flavour is a testament to the brewer’s skill in choosing and blending the perfect combination of malt and hops and yeast.

Barley
Barley is the main ingredient in beer. Rich in starch, it is malted before brewing to start the process of releasing sugars, which ferment during brewing to produce alcohol.

Hops
Hops are used in small quantities in beer making, rather like a spice. They contain resins and essential oils that give beer its distinctive flavour. Brewers use different hops to produce different styles, and add them at different times of the brewing process: early on for bitterness, late for citrus or spicy notes.

Yeast
Yeast converts the sugars from the barley into alcohol and carbon dioxide during fermentation. It also produces an array of flavour compounds, which affect the flavour of the beer. Brewers use their own specially selected yeast strains to produce the distinctive flavours of their own beers.

Water
Water is an essential component in the brewing process. Brewing centres grew up in areas with excellent local water, for example the water in Burton and Tadcaster is particularly good for brewing ales, while the water of London and Dublin is ideal for stouts and porters.