Editing Drink (section)

===Fermentation===
{{Details|Fermentation|Fermentation in winemaking|Beer}}

Fermentation is a [[metabolism|metabolic]] process that converts [[sugar]] to [[ethanol]]. Fermentation has been used by humans for the production of drinks since the [[Neolithic age]]. In [[winemaking]], grape juice is combined with yeast in an [[Hypoxia (environmental)|anaerobic]] environment to allow the fermentation.<ref name="cox">Jeff Cox ''"From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine"'' pgs 133–136 Storey Publishing 1999 {{ISBN|1-58017-105-2}}</ref> The amount of sugar in the wine and the length of time given for fermentation determine the alcohol level and the [[sweetness of wine|sweetness of the wine]].<ref name="Bird">D. Bird ''"Understanding Wine Technology"'' pg 67–73 DBQA Publishing 2005 {{ISBN|1-891267-91-4}}</ref>

When [[brewing]] beer, there are four primary ingredients – water, grain, yeast and hops. The grain is encouraged to [[germinate]] by soaking and drying in heat, a process known as [[malting]]. It is then milled before soaking again to create the sugars needed for fermentation. This process is known as [[mashing]]. Hops are added for flavouring, then the yeast is added to the mixture (now called [[wort]]) to start the fermentation process.<ref name="beer">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yjLqQPU_DzYC&pg=PT197 |title=The Illustrated Guide to Brewing Beer|author= Matthew Schaefer |page=197|publisher=Skyhorse Publishing Inc.|date= 15 Feb 2012 |access-date=13 November 2012 |isbn= 978-1-61608-463-9}}</ref>