About Us - Brewery

For microbrewers, the brewing process is a work of art. Each style of beer demands different ingredients and subtle changes in the brewing process. Below is a simplified version of the process.

Step one: Malting

The barley's insoluble starch is converted into soluble starch and sugar through a drying process known as malting. In this process, the barley sprouts and then is dried or roasted to a desired degree. The more the malt is roasted, the darker and sweeter the beer will be. This process also determines the colour of a beer (ranging from pale amber to black). After this process, the barley is commonly referred to as the "malt."

Step two: Mashing

In the fermentation tank, yeast is added to the cooled wort. The yeast feeds upon the sugary wort, creating alcohol and carbon dioxide. Ales are produced with top-fermenting yeast in a relatively warm fermentation process, while lagers are made by bottom-fermenting yeast and are aged at near-freezing temperatures. Ales tend to have higher alcohol content, more robust flavours and deeper hues than lagers. Top fermentation takes 3-8 days at 59-68° F. Bottom fermentation occurs at cooler temperatures and can take up to two weeks.

Step four: Fermenting

In the kettle, the wort is boiled and hops are added. Different beer styles require particular hop varieties. For extra bitterness and added flavour, hops can be added early to the boiling wort. For a stronger hop aroma, hops are added at the end of the boil. After boiling the mixture, the hops are filtered out of the brew kettle, and the wort is quickly cooled and pumped into the fermenters.

Step five: Waiting

The beer is then allowed to mature (anywhere from a few days to several months). This is when the all-important secondary fermentation occurs (conditioning) allowing the flavours to mature and soften, and the ale to gain a gentle sparkle—this is why ale is often referred to as cask conditioned. Finings are added to the fermenting tanks and the casks to remove excess yeast and proteins, creating a crystal clear pint.

Step Six: The extremely important bit!

The finished conditioned ale is delivered to the various pubs ready for the Landlord or Landlady to put into their cellars. At this point the little yeast left in the cask will gently drop to the bottom of the cask leaving beautiful ale above ready to be hand pumped to the Bar and into your glass. Cheers!