BREWING PROCESS

1 THE MASH (1)

The brewing process starts off with putting a mixture of crushed grain (referred to as the Grist) into the hopper (or GRIST CASE). The Grist consists mainly of pale malted barley together with other malts such as crystal malt and chocolate malt and can include other grains such as flaked maize; roasted barley and wheat. It is let out of the hopper through a chute into which liquor (treated water) at a predetermined temperature is sprayed so that it falls as a mixture into the MASH TUN

1 THE MASH (2)

In the Mash Tun the mixture is left for a period of at least one hour to allow the starch in the grain to be converted into fermentable sugars.

MASH TUN TO COPPER

After the mashing period a resultant sweet liquid, called Wort, is run off into a container called the UNDERBACK.

From here it is pumped to the COPPER (CPR)

SPARGING THE MASH

Whilst the wort is being run off from the Mash Tun, the mash is sprayed with hot liquor from the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) through a rotating arm above the Mash Tun . This is a process called sparging. The liquor flows through the mash picking up any remaining sugars as it passes through.

THE BOIL

In the Copper, the wort is boiled and the hops are added. The style and amount of hops used determines the final flavour, aroma and bitterness of the beer. They also provide essential acids to assist the fermentation and which also act as a preservative. As some of the qualities of the hops are destroyed by the boiling process, they are often added in stages so that particular flavouring and aroma is not lost. The boiling process is carried out for at least one hour.

TO FERMENTATION VESSEL

After boiling , the wort is rapidly cooled down by passing it through a HEAT EXCHANGER after which it is transferred to a FERMENTATION VESSEL (FV) using a flexible hose. The Heat Exchanger cools the wort using a series of plates. The wort passes through one set of plates at the same time as cold water is passed through an adjoining set. Heat from the wort is automatically transferred to the water which is then passed to the Hot Liquor Tank (HLT) and the wort, at the desired temperature, is passed to the Fermentation Vessel.

PITCHING THE YEAST

During the period that the wort is being transferred to the fermentation vessel, the yeast is added. It takes a number of hours for the yeast to adapt to its environment after which it starts to feed on the sugar and convert it to alcohol. Traditional English beer yeast works at the top of the wort. The cells multiply to form a foaming head which also acts as a barrier against airborne infection.

CHILL BACK/ CASKING OFF

The fermentation is stopped as soon as the alcohol produced reaches a particular level (depending upon the strength of beer being produced). This is carried out by chilling the beer which stops the activity of the yeast. All except a small proportion of yeast falls to the bottom of the vessel and after holding the beer in its chilled state for at least two days, it is then racked off into the casks in which it is delivered. At this stage finings which assist the clearing of the beer can be added or it can be carried out just before the beer is dispatched to its final destination.