Step 1: Raw materials preparation
The four major raw materials of craft beer are malt, hops, water, and yeast.
Don’t underestimate these raw materials, their quality directly determines the flavor of the beer.
Step 2: Crushing of raw materials
Malt can be better dissolved after crushing. Theoretically, the finer the malt is crushed, the higher the wort yield, but in the actual production process, the malt cannot be crushed too finely because malt and starch particles have different properties. If the crushing can achieve the effect of “breaking but not breaking”, it is a good crushing state.
Step 3: Mashing
Mashing is carried out in Mash Tun, which has the function of heating and stirring.
After the malt is crushed, water and crushed malt materials are fully mixed and left to stand for a while for protein decomposition; then, they are heated to about 65℃. The mash process is carried out, and amylase converts the starch in the malt into sugar.
Step 4: Lautering
After the Mash process is completed, wort filtration should be carried out in the Lauter Tun.
Wort filtration is divided into the following steps: top water, mash, standing, turbid wort reflux, first wort filtration, lees washing, and lees discharge.
The purpose is to separate the soluble substances and insoluble substances that have been dissolved in the mash process to obtain clear wort.
Step 5: Boiling
After the Lautering process is completed, boiling is carried out in the Brew Kettle.
During the Lautering process, a certain amount of hops is added to give the beer a refreshing bitter taste and pleasant aroma.
Generally, the method of adding hops three times is adopted: the first addition is 10 minutes after the initial boiling. The second addition is 20~30 minutes later, and the third addition is 10 minutes before the end of boiling.
Step 6: Whirlpooing
After completing the Boiling process, the wort is immediately pumped into the Whirlpool tank.
To separate the hop lees and hot coagulants.
Step 7: Wort cooling
The most commonly used wort cooling equipment in breweries is the Plate and Frame Heat Exchanger.
Through the Plate and Frame Heat Exchanger, the wort temperature can be reduced from 95℃~98℃ to 6℃~8℃.
Step 8: Fermentation
After the wort reaches a certain fermentation temperature, it is quickly pumped into the fermentation tank through a centrifugal pump.
Add yeast and enter the fermentation stage.
Step 9: Post-maturation
After fermentation, the beer needs some time to mature to make the flavor richer.
Finally, a cup of craft beer full of stories is born. Every sip of craft beer is a tribute to traditional craftsmanship and a love of life! If you need equipment, remember to contact Tiantai.
