Centrally located just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan – coined Beer City USA, we at Bremer have witnessed an increase in the demand for great, high-quality ingredients used by brewers.

Using the highest quality ingredients available on the market makes a big difference when it comes to creating top-notch beer. Beer is one of the oldest beverages on the planet. It is composed of 90-95 percent water by mass, and has been produced by humans since as far back as 7,000 years ago by some accounts. So, it only makes sense that using natural ingredients is extremely important when it comes to creating a top-notch brew.

Besides water, the basic components necessary for any beer recipe are sugars, grains, hops, and yeast. Hops are the cone-like flowers that come from a vining plant, and yeast are single-celled fungi that reproduce by fission or budding. What do these ingredients have in common? They all just happen to be 100 percent natural. However, yeast and hops alone only do not make the beer… what makes the beer actually contain alcohol is in the yeast foods, like sugars and honey, and that’s where Bremer comes in!

Yeast cells feed on sugar, and, as the sugar passes through the yeast, it creates both CO2 and ethyl alcohol. The most popular brewing sugar is corn sugar although cane sugars and beet sugars are often used in barelywines, dopplebocks or trippels. Some English ales even sometimes call for molasses specifically for brewing strong ales, stouts and porters. However, a growing trend among brewers has been using honey in beer instead of traditional sugars to give the beer a lighter or more summery flavor in hefeweizens and fruit beers.

The type of sugar used can make nearly as big of a difference in the flavor of your beer as the hops, yeasts or grains, which means having high quality sugar makes a large difference in how your beer tastes. So be sure you’re only using the highest quality ingredients that have no off flavors or defects, which makes Bremer a great choice for your next brew. In addition, you don’t have to be a brewery to get your sugars from Bremer, we serve customers from big brewers to someone with a five gallon bucket in their basement.

Are you a local Michigan brewer looking for high-quality ingredients? Let us know how we can help you create that next batch of craft brew. Contact Us Today!