Brewing

Brewing and natural filtration

The Master-Brewer mixes different types of malt which are grinded in flour. This grinding is made so that the straw and the husk of the grains remain intact. The grains keep their husk intact so that these can be used as a natural lautering cake in the lauter tun.
Then, the malt flour is mixed with warm water in order to obtain a thick liquid. This is called the mashing. This liquid is brought slowly to a temperature of 78°C. The gradual heating allows the dissolution of the soluble parts of the malt and the conversion of starch into sugar. We thus obtain in the vessel a sweet juice called the "mash". This mash is then pumped into the lauter tun where the residues, known as spent grains formed by the husk and the straw of the malt, will settle at the bottom of the tun and form a natural filter. This filtrate (called sweet wort) is brought into the boiling kettle. The spent grains are rinced with warm rinsing water in order to extract all the residual sugars, and will be sold as food for animals. After lautering, the wort is boiled during one hour.  At that moment, the hop and the spices are added. The type of beer produced depends on the quality and quantity of the hop. The spices are also added during the hour of boiling (coriander ,orange peels ,liquorice, anise) in order to give a special taste to the beer.

Fermentation and maturation

Fermentation takes 4 to 5 days. The yeast multiplies by four and this transformation leads to a natural increase of the temperature that will rise from 19°C to 28°C. The beer is transfered from the fermenters to the maturation vessels where it will be kept at a temperature of 0°C during 3 to 5 weeks. This step allows the maturation of the beer taste and a additional sediment of the yeast at the bottom of the vessels. A cold haze will also form itself at this temperature.

 

Filtration and filling of the bottles

In order to eliminate the cold haze that was formed in the cold maturation tanks and to give its brightness to the beer, the beer is filtered after maturation. After the filtration, the beer is stocked into bright beer tanks. Prior to filling the bottles, and because we only produce top-fermented beers refermented in the bottles, a small quantity of sugar and yeast is injected in the beer. After filling, refermentation will proceed following the same process as the first fermentation. Another machine fills the bottles at a constant level, whereafter they are capped (for bottles of 25 cl and 33 cl), or corked and muzzled (for bottles of 75 cl) in order to prevent the ejection of the cork due to the action of carbon dioxide pressure.

Secondary fermentation in the bottle

The full bottles are stocked in warm rooms at a constant temperature of 25°C during 12 to 14 days. The beer is then ready for consumption. This beer is a healthy and living product whose production has lasted about two months.

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