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INGREDIENTSYOU'LL NEED SOME HOPS AND BARLEYGrain is conveyed and elevated to the weigh hopper from the four malt silos on the first floor. the mixture of malts is weighed, and then elevated to the third floor, through the malt mill, which crushes the malt and separates the starch from the husk. the crushed malt and husk mixture (”grist”) drops by gravity into the grist bin
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THE MASH TUNYOU'LL NEED GALLONS OF WATERThe grist is dropped in the Mash tun, along with gallons of warm water. At this point the mixture is referred to as a “mash”. After 30 minutes, steam jackets on the mash vessel raise the temperature of the mash to 160f. The mash is held for another 30 minutes at 160F
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THE LAUTER TUNYOU'LL NEED TO DRAIN THE SUGARThe mash is then pumped into the Lauter Tun, in which the solution of water and sugars ("wort") is separated from the mash (the process is called “lautering”) with the aid of a mechanical rake. The mash is then sprayed with warm water to extract the remaining sugars, leaving the “brewers’ spent grains” behind.
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THE WORT KETTLEBRING THE INGREDIENTS TO A BOILDuring the 120 min. lautering process, the wort is pumped from the lauter tun to the wort pre-run tank, where it is held hot until the wort kettle has been emptied of the previous batch. the wort is pumped into the wort kettle for boiling. wort is boiled in the steam-fired wort kettle for 75 minutes, where different varieties and amounts of hops are added at different times during the boil to impart bitterness, aroma and flavor.
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THE WHIRLPOOLSETTLE UNDISSOLVED HOP MATERIALAfter boiling, the wort is pumped into the whirlpool tank-a wide shallow tank in which the un-dissolved hop material, as well as the protein coagulated during the wort boil, settles to the bottom center of the tank. once the hops and protein have settled, it is pumped out of the whirlpool, through a plate heat exchanger to cool it to 68f, and into the fermentation tank. along the way, it passes the yeast handling tanks, and yeast is added.
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FERMENTATIONTIME TO LET THE BEER MAKE ITSELFFermentation tanks hold three 225-barrel batches, and the largest fermenters are over 45 feet tall. the beer is held at a specific fermentation temperature for 4-10 days depending on style, with the last half of the fermentation occuring under top pressure to naturally carbonate the beer. the beer is then cooled to 32-35f for a cold conditioning rest before being released from fermentation.
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RACKING AND BOTTLINGPACKAGING THE BREWS TO BRING TO YOUAfter conditioning, and finishing, the beer goes to our keg washing and filling machine, or to the packaging line to be bottled. The beer is bottled and kegged. It is then put into cold storage for shipment to distributors.
