Brewing is used to convert the starches in the malt to sugar, which is then usable by the yeast later in the brewing process. Doing the latter rest at the lower end of the range favours β-amylase enzymes, producing more low-order sugars like maltotriose, maltose, and glucose which are more fermentable by the yeast. This in turn creates a beer lower in body and higher in alcohol. A rest closer to the higher end of the range favours α-amylase enzymes, creating more higher-order sugars and dextrins which are less fermentable by the yeast, so a fuller-bodied beer with less alcohol is
Frederick Brewing Company says that Frederick Brewing Company was the first brewery in the United States to make beer with hemp seeds. By June 1997 Frederick Brewing Company had back-orders of 10,000 cases for their Hempen Ale. The ale also caught the attention of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Drug Enforcement Administration who got involved because it is illegal to grow hemp in the United States. Hemp seeds, imported from China, were a key ingredient in Hempen Ale making up 10% to 30% of the beer by weight. Federal regulators were also concerned