The Brewing Process

The brewing process begins with the milling of malted grains. In this step malts are passed through a roller mill, crushing the kernels of grain and exposing their starchy interiors.In the mashing process that follows, hot water is mixed with the milled malt and naturally occurring enzymes convert the starches into sugars. The next step is lautering/sparging, a liquid/solid separation process where the goal is to collect the sweet, sugary liquid (called wort - pronounced "wirt") while leaving behind husks and other plant matter. The solids left behind (called "spent grain") are taken away by a local farmer and fed to cows. After the target volume of wort is collected it is then boiled in the kettle. The boiling kettle is where hops are added. Hops impart bitterness and aromatic compounds to the resulting beer. Once the boil is complete, the hopped wort is cooled down and yeast is introduced. The ensuing fermentation produces alcohol, carbon dioxide and flavor/aroma compounds in the beer. After a cold storage period (lagering) that can last in upwards of three weeks, the beer is then carbonated and filtered. Once filtered and carbonated, the beer is ready for packaging into bottles and kegs. After packaging, the beer is finally ready for consumption by the thirsty masses.