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Brewing is the process of extracting sugars from grain, balancing it with flavors from hops, and carefully controlling the process in which yeast transforms the liquid into beer.
On the grain side of the process, we move grain from our silo and, from specially produced small batch grains, through a mill and into the mash tun. In the mash tun, the enzymes in the malted barley begin to convert the grain into soluble sugars. These sugars can be washed through the grain bed and out into the kettle where it will be boiled.
In the kettle, the sweet liquid is brought to a boil and encounters the hops. Hops are small flowery cones which contain oils essential to the brewing process. As the hops are boiled, the oils undergo a chemical reaction that allows them to provide a bitter component. Depending on how long the hops are boiled, they add either aroma, flavor, or when boiled for the full length of time, add only bitterness.
After boiling, we cool the soon-to-be-beer and send it to the fermentation vessel where it will meet the yeast. As brewers, our job is to make the product for the yeast. It is the yeast that turns the all our efforts into beer by consuming the sugars and creating alcohol and CO2 as byproducts.
Once the yeast has done its work, we condition the beer by holding it at near freezing temperature. Once the flavor profile stabilizes and the yeast drops out of suspension, we filter the beer and move it to a serving tank. From the serving tanks, the beer is pumped directly to the taps at our bars and into your glass.
With all the varieties of grain, hops, and yeast available, we can create nearly any combination of flavors, colors, and strengths of beer. This whole process takes about one month from brew day to serving time and occurs year-round right on site. Next time you lift a pint at one of our bars, remember that it was born in the same building where you’re sitting.