beer

The exterior of a modern beer brewery in Cape Province, South Africa. Beer is one of the oldest forms of alcoholic drink, and is recorded as being drunk in ancient China, Egypt, and Babylon.

Alcoholic drink made from water and malt (fermented barley or other grain), flavoured with hops. Beer contains between 1% and 6% alcohol. One of the oldest alcoholic drinks, it was brewed in ancient China, Egypt, and Babylon.

The distinction between beer (containing hops) and ale (without hops) was made in medieval times. Beer is now a generic term including pilsner and lager. Stout is top fermented but is sweet and strongly flavoured with roasted grain; lager (German ‘store’) is a light beer, bottom fermented and matured over a longer period. Modern ales, like beer, are made with hops but are fermented more rapidly at relatively high temperatures. In the US, light beers and lite beers are made with more water, fewer calories, and less alcohol.