Beer Media Kit

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Brewing Process

American microbrews, for the most part, are made of barley, hops, yeast and water. The core ingredient is barley, which provides the necessary fermentable sugars. For additional flavoring, fruits, spices and wild rice or wheat are used.

The abundance of local ingredients used in the brewing process, including two-row barley and Cascade Hops, is one of the reasons why Portland brews have earned widespread admiration and respect. Northwest brewers prefer to use two-row barley, which is grown locally and is known for its high quality. Two-row barley is generally considered to have a better flavor and lower protein content than six-row barley, because with only two rows of grains on a shaft, there is more space for the grains to grow plump and flavorful. Six-row barley is more commonly used in the production of mass-produced American-style light lager beers.

In the Willamette Valley alone, there are 14 varieties of hops grown. Hops are perennial climbing vines whose flower-cones give brews their bitterness and characteristic aromas. The Cascade Hop, developed by Oregon State University, is ranked among the finest in the world. Portland brews also are enriched by pure glacier water from the slopes of Mount Hood, the crown jewel of the Cascade Mountain Range.

For microbrewers, the brewing process is a work of art. Each style of beer demands different ingredients and subtle changes in the brewing process. Below is a simplified version of the process.

Step one: Malting

The barley's insoluble starch is converted into soluble starch and sugar through a drying process known as malting. In this process, the barley sprouts and then is dried or roasted to a desired degree. The more the malt is roasted, the darker and sweeter the beer will be. This process also determines the color of a beer (ranging from pale amber to black). After this process, the barley is commonly referred to as the "malt."

Step two: Mashing

This process continues the conversion of the malt's starch to fermentable sugars. In this process, the malt is crushed, mixed with water and heated in a mash tun. A mash tun is a vessel with a perforated bottom that allows liquid to drain through.

There are three different types of heating procedures that can be used in the mashing process: infusion, step or decoction. Infusion and step are more commonly used. Infusion is a one-step, one-temperature heating method; whereas the step or temperature - controlled process involves heating the malt and water through a series of temperature steps. Decoction is an age-old mashing tradition primarily used in Germany, where portions of the mash are removed and boiled to raise the temperature of the mash.

After the malt is filtered through the bottom of the mash tun, it is sprayed with hot water to extract any remaining sugar. The filtered malt now becomes known as the "wort," a bittersweet sugar solution resulting from cooking the malt. The wort is drained into the brew kettle. (Portland fact: For a unique flavor, BridgePort Brewing Company uses unfermented beer wort in its pizza dough.)

Step three: Boiling

In the kettle, the wort is boiled and hops are added. Different beer styles require particular hop varieties. For extra bitterness and added flavor, hops can be added early to the boiling wort. For a stronger hop aroma, hops are added at the end of the boil. After boiling the mixture, the hops are filtered out of the brew kettle, and the wort is quickly cooled and pumped into the fermenter.

Step four: Fermenting

In the fermentation tank, yeast is added to the cooled wort. The yeast feeds upon the sugary wort, creating alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Ales are produced with top-fermenting yeast in a relatively warm fermentation process, while lagers are made by bottom-fermenting yeast and are aged at near-freezing temperatures. Ales tend to have a higher alcohol content, more robust flavor and deeper hues than lagers.

Top fermentation takes 3-8 days at 59-68° F. Bottom fermentation occurs at cooler temperatures and can take up to two weeks.

Step five: Waiting

The beer is then allowed to mature (anywhere from a few days to several months). At the end of the maturation process, the beer may be filtered for stability and clarity.