Basic chemistry for brewing science

Abstract

The events of brewing can only be explained and understood in a scientific context. Scientific terms,e.g., proteins, enzymes, molecules, bonds, pH, heat transfer, conductivity, etc., provide a necessary shorthand by which brewing events can be explained and not merely described. Absent a firm grasp of the scientific basis of brewing, the profession reverts to an unbridled art. Although all brewers cherish the arts and mysteries of what they do and the long history of human endeavor of which they are the present embodiment, few indeed could imagine modern brewing without modern science and engineering. The following sections therefore deal with some scientific concepts that might make the chapters on brewing science more intelligible.