Making beer – and making it taste good – depends on science

If you want to see the real appliance of science, then look no further than a glass of beer. Making the stuff and making it taste good involve processes that can be found deep in a biochemistry textbook, but you still need the artistry and skills of a head brewer.

"In every step of the brewing process there is a huge amount of science involved, but you don't need to know a lot about the science to brew beer," says Shane Murphy, head brewer at craft beer producer Rising Sons Brewery, based in Cork.

On Thursday night, Murphy will share some of his secrets at an event organised for Science Week. He will give two guided tours through the microbrewery to explain the brewing process and allow visitors to sample some of the award-winning results.

It is essential to understand the process in a comprehensive way, and science explains all of this to the brewers.

"You need to know the reason you are doing things," Murphy says. "There is a huge amount of science in brewing, but the brewing came first. It was from the earliest years. In China, they dug up a 5,000-year-old earthenware container they think was a brew vessel. It goes back to the start of civilisation. I like to think it is part of the reason we became civilised."

The science entered quite late: “By the late 1800s, they still didn’t know about yeast and the purpose it had. They didn’t realise the yeast was making the beer.”

Picking apart the process

Today every step in the complicated brewing process has been picked apart and analysed in an effort to brew a better beer. The water has to be just right, with some natural minerals – but not too much. The early mash stage is all about the different temperatures that activate particular sets of enzymes to achieve a flavour.

"Depending on the temperature we mash at, you can have a dry crisp beer or one with more body and mouth," Murphy says. "You do this by tweaking different enzymes. "

Each step, including the boil, mixing in hops at different times, introducing bacteria to produce sour beer, and the fermentation are all biochemical processes that must be controlled by the brew master.

The Rising Sons Brewery event on November 17th is suitable for over 18s only. Tickets are €5, which includes tasting. The tours are at 7pm and 8.30pm. Places are limited and must be booked online in advance at science.ie.