Shoppers Schoolhouse - A Visit To a Microbrewery |
 If you have ever wondered how your favorite microbrewed beer came to be, read on to find out. Grain is the essence of beer. It is the sweet malted barley that gives the beer its color, flavor, and body. Join us now as we follow the journey of the grain... Barley is a cereal grain of the genus Hordeum that grows in temperate regions of the world. The many strains of barley used in brewing can be devided into two types, two row, and six row. Two row barley is preferred over six row because its kernels, called barley corn, are plumper and sweeter than six row barley.  Belgian Bisquit Malt Brewing is hard work. At a microbrewery, a brewers job involves early mornings, long hours, and heavy lifting. Here a 6000 pound shipment of Barley is unloaded by hand. The process of making great beer involves several steps.
 Unloading a shipment of Malted Barley Milling  Barley Being Milled Mashing Mashing the grains involves using heat, and the enzymes that occur naturally in malted barley to convert the starch present in the grain into sugar, which can be used by the yeast during fermentation. First water is pumped into the mash tun, then grains are added. Now the temperature is adjusted to activate the enzymes.  Grains in the Mash Tun This is the control panel, from here the temperature of the mash , and other parameters, can be controlled. Precise temperature control is essential during the mash, as the temperature must be high enough to activate the enzymes, but too much heat will destroy them..  The control panel After giving the enzymes time to make their conversion, the brewer must be sure that the transformation of starch into sugar is complete. To do this the mash is tested for the presence of starch. A few drops of iodine are added to a sample of the mash, If the Iodine turns purple, this indicates the presence of starch. This shows that the mash is not complete. When the iodine does not turn purple, there is no starch present, and the mash is complete.  Testing for Starch Lautering  Farmers Pick Up Spent The Grain Boiling Now the wort is pumped into the brewpot to begin the boil. The first hops are added, even before the lautering is complete. The wort is then boiled for 1 1/2 hours. Additional hops are added to provide flavor and the boil is completed. The wort then enters a whirlpool where the proteins are allowed to coagulate, and form what is called a trub cake. The wort is then separated from the coagulated solids, ready to ferment.  Adding hops to the wort Fermentation  Yeast is added to the fermenter Bottling This is where the bottling takes place. Bottles are moved along a conveyor belt, and fed into the bottle filler. Because the beer is already carbonated, the beer must be kept under pressure to preserve the head and to prevent the beer from foaming over before it is capped. Once full, the bottles are capped, Inspected, and packaged for sale. |
