So You Think You Can Brew? Essential Brewing Facts You Need to Know
Posted on March 21, 2019 by xtxwebmaster
The brewery industry has expanded exponentially over the past couple of years. According to Forbes, there were over 9,000 breweries operating in the US in 2018, with many entrepreneurs planning on launching their own company.
Are you planning on starting your own beer brewing business? Here’re a few quick pointers for you:
Ingredients Used
Brewing requires only a few ingredients, but each of these is extremely important for the process.
First and foremost, you need malted grains or malt extract. This is typically derived from barley or wheat. Malt provides the source of sugar to the brew, which is then consumed by the yeast—the second crucial ingredient used in brewing.
Yeast ferments the brewed beer mixture by converting sugars from the malt into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The type of yeast used affects the type of beer produced, as different yeasts are particular to specific temperatures.
Other ingredients used for brewing include water and hops. The latter are used to give beer its distinct flavor, by balancing its sweetness and bitterness. These may be used in pelletized forms or as whole leaves, enhancing both the taste and the aroma of the brewed liquid.
Step-By-Step Process
Beer brewing comprises of four main stages:
The process begins when the raw malt grains are germinated, activating the naturally-occurring enzymes present within them. Through kilning, the malt grains are heat-dried and stored, allowing the malt flavors and aromas to develop. This whole process is called malting.
Next comes mashing, where the malted grains are immersed in hot water to dissolve the starch content present. The activated enzymes further break this down into soluble sugars, most prominent of which is maltose.
This solution (also called wort) is then boiled for sanitization and stability. At this stage, the hops are added to the mixture, and the unwanted bitter compounds are extracted. The liquid is then cooled for the next stage.
The final stage of brewing is fermentation. Here, yeast is added to the cooled wort to convert the maltose sugar into alcohol. This is the stage where the brewed liquid gets its alcohol content, and the entire process can take up to a few weeks to complete. Once the yeast has fully fermented, it’s conditioned and packaged into bottles or kegs.
Equipment Needed
The various processes involved in beer brewing require a range of vessels and tanks for each stage. For instance, you’ll need a hot liquor tank for the boiling stage, a fermenter for the fermentation process, and stainless steel kegs to hold the brewed liquid once the production is complete.
Cedarstone Industry can help you with this. We provide high-quality brewing equipment, including brewing systems and tanks, stainless storage tanks, and keg washers. These can all be customized as per your need.
Call us at (281) 397-3700 to learn more about our products!