Brewing

From Brewing Forward
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Brewing is the process of converting starches into fermentable sugars.[1]

Beer production is an extremely complicated process since many variables are taking place and the chemistry and biochemistry involved in it are highly complex.

All-grain brewing process

  1. Water preparation
  2. Milling
  3. Mashing
  4. Lautering
  5. Optional: Sparging
  6. Boiling
  7. Chilling
  8. Fermentation
  9. Packaging

A focus on quality[edit]

The following is adapted from Stuart Howe in The Craft Brewing Handbook[2]
Nothing is true until it happens in your brewery. You will read a great deal on internet forums or brewing guides from largely self-appointed experts about how certain malts give the best flavor for particular styles or how you can't make a decent pilsner without a particular hop. Some of this may be true but there is also a lot of urban legend passed on by brewers and enthusiasts who want to appear knowledgeable without ever empirically demonstrating it. When reading information about ingredients or methods, look for the proper scientific evidence to back it up. Claims should be supported or supportable by work undertaken using scientific rigor and be published in a peer reviewed source such as a journal or textbook. If you want to know if something is true about an ingredient or process, ultimately you need to prove it in your brewery by doing identical side by side brews with and without it before analysing and evaluating the resultant brews, blind and without prejudice. Fact always trumps theory and opinion.

As a brewer, the more you can understand the science behind the process, the easier it is to sniff out the urban legends and waste less time and money pursuing them. This wiki is designed to acquaint you with some of the science behind various aspects of brewing with a focus on personal application. Hopefully after reading, you will be more confident in applying it to benefit your brewery and beer and know brewing bullshit when you smell it.[2]

Ingredients[edit]

When it comes to ingredients, the success of the brewer depends on knowing the difference between good and bad (suitable and unsuitable) ingredients and then knowing how to get the best out of them.[2]

Brewing systems[edit]

See Brewing systems

  • Recirculating Infusion Mash System (RIMS)
    • External RIMS tube
    • Kettle RIMS (K-RIMS)
  • Heat Exchanged Recirculating Mash System (HERMS)
    • HLT exchanger
    • Counterflow exchanger


Commercial false bottoms in lauter tuns have 0.5-0.9mm width slots and a free flow through area of about 20%.[3] Commercial lauter tun false bottoms have an open area of about 6–30%.[4] The slots give a free area of about 10–12% of the false bottom.[5] The slots are typically 0.7–1.0 mm (0.028–0.039") wide at the top and widen out below to facilitate cleaning and reduce the chances of fragments of grist wedging in the spaces.

  • 140-175kg/m2 dry grist
  • 150-210kg/m2 conditioned grist

Potential sources[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Kosher M, Trantham K. Brewing Science: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Springer; 2016.
  2. ↑ a b c Howe S. Raw materials. In: Smart C, ed. The Craft Brewing Handbook. Woodhead Publishing; 2019.
  3. ↑ kunze ch3
  4. ↑ Krottenthaler M, Back W, Zarnkow M. Wort production. In: Esslinger HM, ed. Handbook of Brewing: Processes, Technology, Markets. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA; 2009.
  5. ↑ Briggs DE, Boulton CA, Brookes PA, Stevens R. Brewing Science and Practice. Woodhead Publishing Limited and CRC Press LLC; 2004.
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