The Brewery

Brewers of fine homebrewed beers

 Beer That’s Good for You

Established 2003 

About the beer 

The beers brewed at The Brewery make use of the finest ingredients of malt, hops, yeast and filtered spring water. The beers we produce are primarily traditional beers such as Ales and Bitters as opposed to the more commercial Lager varieties. The aim is to introduce beer drinkers to the myriad of tastes, flavours and aromas that the combination of malt and hops is able to inspire and produce a beer that makes for pleasurable drinking. The beer is a clear beer although some haziness may occur due to the presence of yeast that is present at the bottom of the beer as a slight sediment. As opposed to commercial breweries where a carbonation process is used, our beers are naturally carbonated through the interaction of yeasts and sugars.  

The Ingredients 

	Malted Barley : roasted grains of barley
	Malt Extract : concentrated malt syrup
	Hops : contributes flavour, bitterness and aroma to the beer
	Yeast : stimulates the fermentation process
	Sugar : reacts with yeast to form alcohol
	Water : filtered spring water

The Process  

The word beer comes from the Saxon word for barley, which was baere. Beer is amongst the world's most elemental beverages, but like wine it is also wonderfully subtle and complex. Since the time of the Sumarians (who literally liquefied bread into a fermented mash) master brewers have transformed four simple ingredients - grain, water, hops and yeast - into a remarkable variety of beer styles and tastes. The grain most often used in the production of beers and ales is barley,  

    The basic steps used in making beer are as follows :

1.  Malting - germination of the grain, allowing for  creation of enzymes which will    later convert starches to sugars

2.  Mashing - the conversion of starches within the grain to fermentable sugars

3. Fermentation - conversion of sugar to alcohol

4.  Bottling & Priming - the addition of small amounts of sugar at bottling time to allow for correct carbonation

To begin the brewing process, grain is steeped in water until it begins to sprout, then kiln-dried and roasted in a process called malting. The malt is then lightly milled, combined again with water, and heated to create the mash, in which enzymes break down the malt's starches into sugar.

After mashing, the sugar-rich water, called the wort, is drained from the mash tun into a brew kettle for boiling. Perhaps the most sensitive stage in beer-making, this process triggers complicated chemical reactions that greatly affect the taste, colour, aroma and clarity of the beer. Timing, temperature and the strategic addition of hops - the delicate pine- cone shaped flowers of a perennial climbing vine - are the brewers primary tools for shaping a beer's taste profile.

Once cooled, the wort is passed to fermentation tanks, and the brewer ands or 'pitches' yeast to convert the sugars to alcohol. Yeast fermentation occurs in one of two ways, thus dividing the world of beer into two major styles: top fermented beers, which include all ales, and bottom fermented beers, which are called lagers.

In the ancient top fermentation method, yeast ferments in the tank at room temperature, creating a dense froth that floats on the top of the beer. Not entirely efficient, top fermentation leaves complex sugars and other compounds intact, thus producing the lush, fruity flavours found in porters, stout and other ales. Perhaps not surprising, ales are best enjoyed at the milder temperatures at which they are fermented.

Bottom fermentation occurs when yeast activates at lower temperatures, precipitating to the bottom of the beer as it ferments - a discovery traced to medieval brewers who found that storing (or 'lagering') beer in ice caves produced a more stable beer.

After fermentation, beer is often filtered, then carbonated, either naturally through a secondary fermentation process or with an infusion of CO2. 

Brewery System  

The Brewery had its origins in a single 25 litre plastic bucket brewing beer from readymade kits. Although kit beers can produce some fine tasting beers they do not allow the brewer to have much control over the brewing process and  the taste, flavour and aroma of the beer. A brewery system designed to give the brewer control over each stage of the brewing process is therefore essential. The current brewery is a three tiered gravity flow system making use of food grade plastic barrels.  

The Brewery comprises the following components :

Hot Liquor Tank – the hot liquor tank is the source of hot water used in the brewing process.

Mashing Tank – tank used to extract sugars from malted barley to produce wort.

Boiler – tank where wort is boiled together with hops to produce the beer.

Fermenter – tank where cooled beer is fermented through the addition of yeast and sugar.

Secondary Fermenter – tank allowing beer to clear and condition prior to bottling. 

The Beers

The beers brewed at The Brewery at present are : 

Ale

A top fermented brew, which tends to be sweet, fruity and smooth. Compared to lagers, many are higher in alcohol and have a more pronounced taste and flowery aroma. Ales ferment at relatively high temperatures and are therefore suited for brewing all year round in warmer climates such as ours. 

Bitter

Highly hopped and quite bitter ale. Usually served from the tap in England. Ours served from the bottle. 

Lager

German word meaning "to store" used in reference to the relatively long period of time the beers are stored for conditioning to take place. At The Brewery lagers are brewed in winter only due to the low temperatures at which lagers need to ferment.  

Porter

Well hopped and heavily malted. Black or chocolate malt adds to the dark color. From bitter to mild and malty sweet but drier than stouts. Between a stout and an ale.

 Contact details:

 André Cilliers telephone 049 8411602    andrecil1@absamail.co.za

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