|
If properly handled, shelf life
is a minimum of 3 - 4 months.The date of bottling is printed on
the neck of every bottle. Note, this is not the date at which it ends
it's shelf life, but rather the date at which it begins it's shelf life.
After the water is heated in the kettle, the
malted barley is milled and added making the "mash". During
the "mashing period", the starches in the grain are converted
by enzymes into sugar. Later during fermentation, these sugars
will be converted into alcohol.
After mashing is completed, the liquid (wort)
must be separated from the spent grain. This is accomplished
by dumping the mash into the "lauter tun", and allowing the
wort to flow through a screen near the bottom of the tun while
keeping the grain on top. The wort is then pumped back into the
brew kettle. The spent grain is shoveled out and sold as protein-rich
cattle feed.
While the wort is being pumped into the brew
kettle it is heated to bring a full kettle of wort to a temperature
of 212o F. The "boiling period" will
last about 2 hours. During this time, the hops are added on three
separate occasions. Hops are used to give beer its characteristic
bitterness and flavor and also enhance the aromatic quality of the finished
product. Hops are also a natural preservative.
After boiling, the wort is filtered, chilled
and introduced into a "primary fermenter". It is at this time
that the yeast is added to the chilled wort and fermentation begins.
During fermentation the yeast converts sugars in the wort into alcohol
and CO2. The fermentation period lasts about a week. After the beer
is fermented, it is transferred to a lagering (storage) tank.
The beer is allowed to age in the "lagering"
tank from 3-12 weeks. During this time a secondary fermentation
takes place providing natural carbonation as a primary benefit.
This allows the flavors and aromas to come together to insure
a properly "balanced" flavor
profile.
Beer is filtered to remove any remaining yeast
and to insure that it will appear clear or "bright". An example
of this is our Special Amber.
The finished product is then bottled or kegged
and shipped to our distributors for sale and consumption. |
