Cicerone Certified Beer Server Practice Test

What are the four main ingredients in beer?

1. Water, malted grain, hops, and yeast

2. Water, sugar, hops, and yeast

3. Malted barley, hops, spices, and yeast

4. Water, malted grain, sugar, and wheat

The correct answer is: Water, malted grain, hops, and yeast

The correct answer identifies the four essential ingredients needed to brew beer: water, malted grain, hops, and yeast. Water is the primary ingredient in beer, making up about 90-95% of the final product. Its quality and mineral content can significantly influence the beer's flavor and mouthfeel. Malted grain, often malted barley, serves as the source of fermentable sugars through the mashing process. This provides the base for the beer and contributes to its flavor, color, and body. Hops are the flowers used to add bitterness, aroma, and flavor to the beer. They also act as a natural preservative due to their antimicrobial properties. Yeast is the microorganism that ferments the sugars from the malted grain, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide, as well as contributing further flavors and aromas to the beer. The other answer choices contain variations that replace or omit one or more of these core ingredients, failing to capture the fundamental components commonly understood in the brewing process. For example, sugar is a potential fermentable source in some brewing contexts, but it is not a primary ingredient in every beer, and spices are not standard ingredients for most traditional beer styles.