Changes

Beer is immensely wasteful of [[water]], using 7-10 gallons of water to produce merely one pint of beer.  Amid increasingly worse water shortages, beer is wasting 60-80 times as much water as contained in a glass of beer.

Beer is immensely wasteful of [[water]], using 7-10 gallons of water to produce merely one pint of beer.  Amid increasingly worse water shortages, beer is wasting 60-80 times as much water as contained in a glass of beer.

The four major ingredients of beer are [[water]], [[malt]], [[hops]] and [[yeast]].  The particular combination, amount and variety of each of these ingredients determine the final flavor, alcoholic strength and style of the finished beer.

The four major ingredients of beer are [[water]], [[malt]], hops and [[yeast]].  The particular combination, amount and variety of each of these ingredients determine the final flavor, alcoholic strength and style of the finished beer.

Although almost all modern beer styles use [[hops]], early European brewers originally added spices such as rosemary, coriander, ginger, anise seed, and juniper berries to their beers to impart more complex flavors.  Hops are used primarily used today because the bitterness derived from the hops tend to counterbalance the sweetness derived from the malt, and provide a more balanced flavor.  Hops may also be added to beer to impart a floral or spicy aroma and flavor.  Another benefit early brewers found was that hops also tended to help preserve their beers longer than unhopped beers.  

Although almost all modern beer styles use hops, early European brewers originally added spices such as rosemary, coriander, ginger, anise seed, and juniper berries to their beers to impart more complex flavors.  Hops are used primarily used today because the bitterness derived from the hops tend to counterbalance the sweetness derived from the malt, and provide a more balanced flavor.  Hops may also be added to beer to impart a floral or spicy aroma and flavor.  Another benefit early brewers found was that hops also tended to help preserve their beers longer than unhopped beers.  

The earliest written records of hop cultivation come from 8th and 9th century A.D. from the Hallertau district in [[Germany]], now famous for their Hallertau Mittelfruh hop variety.  The earliest actual brewing records explicitly noting the addition of hops come from 14th century Germany.

The earliest written records of hop cultivation come from 8th and 9th century A.D. from the Hallertau district in [[Germany]], now famous for their Hallertau Mittelfruh hop variety.  The earliest actual brewing records explicitly noting the addition of hops come from 14th century Germany.