The Process

Beer typically starts out as whole grain barley malt.  The grain is first run through a mill to break up the individual grains.  Below is a picture of how we grind the barley malt immediately prior to mashing.

After milling, the grain is added to hot water (at a specific temperature) which allows an enzymatic reaction to release the natural sugars (this process is called "mashing").

After mashing, the wort is transferred to a kettle where it is boiled along with hops.  The hops provide bittering which helps balance the sweetness of the wort (hops also affect the flavor and aroma of the finished beer). 

After boiling, the wort is rapidly cooled, transferred to the fermenter, and yeast is pitched.  During fermentation, the yeast will convert the fermentable sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.  Our beer is fermented for approximately two weeks in a stainless steel fermenter and in a temperature controlled environment.  Following fermentation, the temperature is dropped and the beer is "conditioned" for several more weeks.  Following the conditioning period, the beer is transferred to kegs for serving.