28/07/2020
The brewing process From grain to glass
1. Preparation
The brewing process involves
steeping a starch - typically
malted cereal - in water, adding
hops for bitterness, flavour, and
aroma, and then fermenting the
resulting wort with yeast
Every piece of equipment that
comes into contact with the beer
must be thoroughly cleaned and
sterilised, as any stray bacteria will
ruin the beer.
2. Mashing
The mash is the process by which
the starches in the malted grains
are converted into fermentable
sugars.
The grains are steeped in hot (but
not boiling) water to produce a
sweet liquid call the wort.
3. Sparging / Washing
The stage involves adding a rinsing
out the remaining fermentable
sugars in the grain.
4. Boiling
The wort is then vigorously boiled
for an hour or more, and hops are
added at various intervals.
The boil sterilises the wort and
allows the hops to impart
bitterness, flavour and aroma.
5. Cooling
After the boil, the wort must be
cooled to fermentation
temperature - about 20’C / 68’F.
If the wort is too hot, the yeast
cells will be killed when it is added.
A rapid cool reduces the chance of
bacterial contamination and offflavours in the beer.
6. Fermenting
The cooled wort is transferred to a
fermenter and the yeast is added.
The fermenter lid is closed, and
airlock fitted, and the wort left to
ferment at the specified
temperature for around 14 days.
During this time, the sugars in the
wort are converted into alcohol.
7. Racking (& Priming)
Once fermentation is complete, the
beer is then racked (transferred) to
a storage container, such as a
barrel or bottles and left to
condition.
If you are bottling you will add
priming sugar to add carbonation.
8. Storing and
Conditioning
Depending on the style of beer and
the particular recipe, the beer will
need to be left to condition for at
least 2 weeks at the required
temperature. The longer the better.
The priming sugar will add fizz by
carbonating the beer.
If the brew is too flat move it to a
warm place for a few days and try
again. If it is too lively, try chilling it
before you pour.
Conditioning allows the beer to
clear and lets the flavours balance
out and mature.
9. Serving
After conditioning, the beer is
ready to be poured and tasted.
Your hard work and patience is
now rewarded.
Here comes the best bit..
Cheers!