If you’re a casual bubbly alcohol enjoyer or have an interest in getting into homebrewing, you’ve likely wondered, what makes a beer so deliciously fizzy?
The answer: beer carbonation.
Carbonation is the tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas in a liquid. It’s present in your favorite sodas, cocktails, and yes, your favorite beers.
You’ve got bubbly beers with and without froth. When it comes to beer, both are carbonated drinks. A beer’s carbonation level and its foam are two different things, but the foam is a direct result of the carbonation.
Now you know the very basics of beer carbonation, but we haven’t told you yet how to achieve optimal beer frothiness. In this article, we cover two things: (1) how you can maximize your enjoyment of a frothy beer, and (2), how you can carbonate beer in your very own home.
Have we caught your interest? Then keep reading and up your beer game today.
Contents
Good Versus Bad Beer Froth
The foam quality of any glass of beer depends on the brewing process, the ingredients used, the carbonation level, and even on little things like the type of serving glass and how you pour it. Any remaining oils on the glass or on your lips can cause the foam to quickly fall flat, so make sure you dry your lips before you enjoy your frothy beer.
Pour straight down the middle of the glass to get the perfect amount of froth every time you pour yourself a glass of beer.
DIY Beer Carbonation: Make Bubbly Beer at Home
Carbonated beer can be achieved with either natural or forced carbonation. With both methods, you combine the beer and carbon dioxide and seal it under pressure. The pressure causes the beer to absorb the carbon dioxide, resulting in fizzy beer.
Natural Carbonation
Beer carbonation can happen naturally through fermentation. Alcohol and carbon dioxide are produced during the fermentation process as yeast digests sugar in the unfermented beer. Most of the carbon dioxide escapes during fermentation until the end of the process where the brewer seals the beer in a container of their choice.
Forced Carbonation
This method is commonly used by large-scale brewers. When you force beer to carbonate, you allow it to fully ferment. After the fermentation process is complete, the brewer pumps carbon dioxide into the sealed container holding the beer. The liquid then absorbs the carbon dioxide.
This process takes a few days. You can effectively speed up the forced carbonation process by using a carbonation stone. When you use one along with a beer carbonation guide, you can get your beer to a precise carbonation level every time you brew.
Go Forth and Make Beer
Congratulations, you have completed Beer Carbonation 101. Homebrewer or not, you are now equipped with all the necessary knowledge to maximize your enjoyment of fizzy beer.
We hope that you find this article helpful. Scroll through our website for more articles on all types of information.
