Making Great Beer and Cider

Ingredients

Heineken® and the vast majority of our beers around the world are made from three natural ingredients – water, malted barley, and hops. Together with yeast these ingredients are used in a centuries-old brewing process, to create high-quality beers enjoyed by our consumers. All of these ingredients are clearly identified on the packaging of our brands in the EU.

Barley

Barley is a cereal grown around the world, and the main raw material used in brewing beer. Before it is used for brewing, the barley grain is usually malted. Malting determines the colour of the beer, and influences the taste and aroma. Here in Ireland we use malted barley from Irish farmers.

Hops

Hops are one of the flavour-makers of beer, also act as a natural preservative and help with foam stability. The female hop flower cones balance the sweetness of the barley with a refreshing bitterness. Hops usually come from the US, UK, France, Czech Republic and Germany. There are many different types which give a huge variety of flavours, and allow us to brew a variety of great tasting beers.

Water

Water is an essential ingredient of beer. All water we use, is purified to ensure it reaches the required quality standard for use in the brewing process. Water is used in almost every step of the brewing process, therefore we take great care to ensure the quality is of the highest standard. We actively work in the communities that we're a part of to protect clean water supplies and are constantly looking to reduce the amount of water we use.

Yeast

Yeast gives beer distinct flavours which is why yeast is often referred to as the ‘magic’ ingredient and is a brewer’s closely guarded secret. In 1886 in Amsterdam, Dr. Elion, a student of Dr. Louis Pasteur, discovered the famous Heineken® A-yeast, a strain that is still used today. Yeast is propagated in the brewery and added during the fermentation process to convert the sugars from the cereal grains into alcohol. It also gives beer its primary taste.