For centuries man has brewed beer. Today it is the most widely consumed alcoholic drink.

Beer is most commonly made from malted barley, though wheat, maize and rice can also used. The malting process is a two part process. Firstly, the cereal is allowed to germinate in order to unlock its sugars, then the cereal is heat to stop the germination. The higher the heat the darker the malt - this eventually determine the colour of the beer.

In the brewery different malts are blended together, and water added to form wort, to which yeast is added.

This turns the sugar in the wort into alcohol, this process is called fermentation. It is the type of yeast and the length of time it is given to ferment, that determines the strength of the beer There are two main types of yeast. Bottom-fermenting yeast, which sinks in the wort and top-fermenting yeast which will form a thick head on the top of the wort.

The former only needs a low temperature to ferment and the resultant brew will be a lager. Top-fermenting yeast requires a higher temperature to ferment and from this we get bitters, milds, ales, stouts and porters.

Hops are then added to add bitterness, flavour and to improve the shelf life of the beer. It is the combination of malt, types of yeast and types of hops that will give each beer its unique flavour and texture.

One type of ale is the Porter. Brewed using very dark malts which are created by lots of heat at the germination stage. Indeed, during World War one, porters were banned as they used too much energy to make the malts and it’s only in the last 20 years that a major revival has taken place and we see porters back in fashion.

A favourite porter of mine is XXXX Porter (4.7% ABV) from the Ringwood Brewery. In this winter ale you can taste the almost burnt malt, but with a smoothness and dry nutty finish has made this beer an award winner in previous beer competitions.

In further articles I will describe other types and beers and review the best of what is on offer.