Grab your pints - it’s #InternationalBeerDay! But do you know the science behind brewing your favourite beer? It starts with four essential ingredients: water, cereal grains, hops (a flower for flavour) and yeast.
Cereal grains, which include barley and wheat, are soaked in water in a process known as ‘malting’ which starts breaking down the starches. The grains are then dried and placed in hot water.
Placing the grains in hot water converts the starches from the cereal grains into sugars which are released into the beer mix. The mix is then boiled and any additional flavours are added.
But what makes beer alcoholic? That’s where yeast comes into play in a process known as ‘fermentation’. Yeast eats, or ‘metabolises’ glucose, a type of sugar released from the cereal grains, and converts these sugars into carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Did you know: the area you live in can affect the flavour of your beer. If you live in an area with hard water, there are increased levels of calcium and magnesium in the water, which changes how the yeast eats the sugars in the beer, altering the overall flavour.
The exact flavour of the beer depends on so many different things: how long you roast your grains for, temperature, length of fermentation and many more. This explains why we prefer some beers over others.
What about how we get the head of the beer? The hops in the beer mix create a layer of surface tension on top which traps bubbles, giving us the beloved head of the beer.
….and, just in case we decide planet Earth’s not the one for us, we’ve successfully grown Barley in space. PHEW. Happy #InternationalBeerDay
I cooked mushroom barley soup and baked fresh bread for my friends for Hobbit Night. Afterwards we’re going to make apple pie and smoke… pipe weed…
The recipe I used was this:
I’m sure it’d still taste good if you made it with veggie broth/bullion and a Worcestershire alternative. The lentils tend to break down a bit and give it a bit of texture so next time I might cook those a shorter time. Also, you can’t add too many mushrooms.
Chicken Barley Soup I’m a soup enthusiast… and I adore being able to throw a handful of practically any combination of ingredients into a pot and have a delicious supper no sooner than the first signs of a soft bubble.
That also means I like to experiment, which can be a bit interesting for the tenants of The Drunken Sheep. Squirrel soup anyone? No? Come on! Where’s your sense of adventure? -sigh-
Do not fret, I will not make you try that one, at least not just yet… Instead, today I will share with you a delicious variant of chicken noodle soup, but with a twist.
Oh my. Have I caught your interest? Click “Read More”!
So, as I was saying, this soup is quite like the infamous chicken noodle, but has a pleasant surprise. Instead of adding noodles, I substituted barley. Why am I using barley?
Well, aside from being tasty as hell, barley has some history to it, too. Barley was a staple to the Celtic diet. Although its true that they incorporated this ancient grain in baked goods, like bannock, as well as soups and porridges, they most often used it for brewing their beer. And, unlike our alcoholic beverages today, their barley beer was much more intoxicating. Why we ever stopped making such a godly beverage, I will never know (-_-) . Anyway, since barley is extremely fibrous and has a high content of maltose (sugars), it was the perfect grain to sustain their tribes during the colder months all while keeping them healthy and energized. So, as promised:
Hearty Chicken Barley Soup
Serves 4-6, Prep./Cook time ~90min.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
½ large onion, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
8 cups of chicken stock
1 ½ cup of pearl barley
3 skinless chicken breasts (boneless optional)
1 tbsp of parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
Preparation:
After peeling/chopping the vegetables, add the olive oil to a large cooking pot and heat to medium/low heat. Throw in the onions first, until soft and wilted, followed by the carrots and celery. Continue cooking veggies until the onions begin to caramelize. Then add in chicken stock and barley. Turn heat up to medium/high. Once the soup comes to a rolling boil, lower the stove top to a medium heat, add in chicken breast and parsley, and cover with lid. Continue to cook for 30 minutes. Once the soup is about ready, remove chicken, shred, and return it to the pot. Add salt and pepper to your liking and the soup is ready!
It’s not quite pride month yet but I didn’t feel like waiting to post these! just a (non-exhaustive, I might make more later) bunch of icons of a few of my personal LGBT WC headcanons using my warriors designs. Free to use anywhere with credit!
I went to the 10 pm screening of Onward fter school today and honestly? The only part I care about is this big soft punk elf? I just had to try some quick sketches tonight even though I’m exhausted haha. Give me a spin-off that’s just Barley DMing or going on a road trip.
