Beer Brewing - The Beer Thrillers

Beer Education: Module Six: Steps In The Brewing Process

BKline — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 19:14:47 +0000

Where we left off last time was at the assessment. The assessment (or mid-term) was for verified track learners only; and since I’m not doing that, I’m skipping over that. So moving on, clicking the NEXT brings us to the intro video for Module Six: Steps in the Brewing Process.

The intro video is a short 3:57 long video describing what the module (the steps of beer brewing) is about. The six steps are: milling, mashing, filtration, boiling, whirlpool, and cooling and aeration. The video demonstrates (briefly and quickly) the six steps using their pilot batch brewing system, while giving little bits of information setting up the module.

Clicking next we come to a text introduction page. This page discusses the following six steps:

Malt milling
Mashing
Lautering (wort filtration)
Wort boiling
Wort clarification
Wort cooling & aeration

There is a clickable diagram about the six processes and steps and clicking on them gives you a description, tells you what equipment is needed, how it is used, and how you proceed to the next step / process of the brewing. The diagram is full of information on the process, when hops are bittered, or grains added, when to cool the wort, etc.

Our next page is a terms and definitions page. Like the old vocabulary pages from when you were in elementary school (…hopefully you’re not still in elementary school and reading this). The terms are: attenuation, break, brewhouse efficiency, cast wort, extract, grain bill, gravity, and trub. On the course page, you click on the word and it drops down for the definition. Not going to steal the thunder of the course by providing them all here for you, but as an example – cast wort: The wort obtained after the boiling process including the hot trub.

Getting into the course module proper now, we start with MILLING. “The main objective of malt and cereal milling is to convert the kernels into finely ground and milled particles.” (Edx: The Science of Beer Brewing: Module Six). This page gives you information on DRY and WET milling, with picture diagrams.

Moving on, the next page is MASHING. “Mashing is the most important step in the brewing process. During mashing, grist and water are mixed, leading to the solubilization of malt constituents and the action of malt-derived enzymes on the resulting mash, generating the extract. The term extract refers to the total amount of dissolved solids in the brewing water.” (Edx: The Science of Beer Brewing: Module Six). Two main types of mashing are infusion and decoction mashing. Infusion is when the mash is kept together and heated in one (singular) vessel. This can also be called ‘step mashing’ due to the changes in temperatures. This is what most home brewers do. In decoction mashing, you withdraw some mash and boil it and then pump it back in. The decoction method is better for protein breakdown, increased formation of melanoidins, increased removal of DMS, and reduced active amount of enzymes.

There is then a pull-down chart of different reactions during mashing. They are: β-glucan degradation, protein breakdown, starch degradation, and lipid conversion. Clicking on each of these would pop up more information on the topics.

The next topic is LAUTERING. “Lautering is a filtration process where the soluble part of the mash (liquid, also called wort) is separated from the insoluble part (consisting of husks and other materials).” (Edx: The Science of Beer Brewing: Module Six). This is when it starts to become ‘wort’. The page then has a chart of factors, and what a lauter tun vs. a thinbed filter does with that factor. The page then discusses how temperature and milling also affect the filtration and lautering process.

Next up is WORT BOILING. “After lautering, the wort is boiled. Wort boiling was originally done in copper or steel vessels, now more modern equipment is being used, most often made from stainless steel. Steam heating is the most commonly used way to increase wort temperature.” (Edx: The Science of Beer Brewing: Module Six). Its during the boiling process when you add the hops, spices, and similar ingredients. As we learned in the hops module, the hops and spices control the bitterness and aroma of the beer.

Once again there is a pull-tab / pull-down chart with different terms and their definitions. They are: wort sanitation, extraction and transformation of hop components, precipitation of protein-polyphenol complexes, enzyme inactivation, color increase, pH decrease, and evaporation of unwanted hop aroma compounds.

Scrolling down the page we come to the boiling equipment segment. “A boiling kettle needs to be equipped with a powerful heating system. In the past, direct heating by coal or gas was used but these types of kettles are now only rarely in use. Nowadays, steam is used for kettle heating. By boiling water, steam is produced at the same temperature as the boiling water.” (Edx: The Science of Beer Brewing: Module Six). The page then ends with a diagram of a boiling kettle with internal boiler.

Clicking next we come to Whirlpool, cooling, and aeration which leads off with an experiment before getting into the information. The page has pull-down tabs for: whirlpool, stripping, cooling, and aeration.

Next up is an expert clip by Gert De Rouck. It is a seven and a half minute clip. He discusses the brewing process. The page following this is a discussion page. The discussion page is about the disadvantages of green malt. I wrote:

“The biggest problem for any brewery is shelf life when it comes to this. And this has a very limited shelf life which is unfortunate, especially for a craft brewery where all the issues are already compounded. Local sourcing is another issue. Cost and quality is the last issue as well, especially for smaller US craft breweries.”

The next page is titled: “A Special Case – High Gravity Brewing”. “High gravity brewing (HGB) involves using wort at higher than normal gravity, usually 15-20°P original gravity. This wort is subsequently fermented by yeast. The resulting HGB beer is diluted to desired gravity by adding CO₂ impregnated water (blend water); this process is referred to as blending. This water is added immediately before, or after filtration of the beer.” (Edx: The Science of Beer Brewing: Module Six). Some of the effects of high gravity brewing are: increased stress conditions of yeast cells, head retention in final beer, potential change in beer flavor, and pH change.

After this is a super easy quiz; just two drop-and-drag questions. The next page is a discussion page where they ask everyone to post pictures of their homebrew setups. Next up is a page for verified track learners only. The pages for verified track learners are grain bill calculations, homebrewing tips, and a few other things (three pages in all).

Looks like we’re at the end of the module. We got the overview page, and then an assessment. The assessment is for verified track learners. The next page is a feedback and questions discussion page. The following page is the end of the module and the congratulations page.

Whew another module done. Thanks for stopping out and going through the module with me.

Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

Beer Education: Module One: History of Beer Brewing

BKline — Thu, 02 Apr 2020 20:00:00 +0000

Moving forward with our beer education series, and sorry that this one has taken a bit of extra time… but I had to do some reconstruction work on my keyboard. Letters on it weren’t working right, so I had to do some work to it. Its still a bit touchy, but its better. The Y-U-H-J-N-M buttons are all being a bit wonky, but hopefully I can get past that for this.

If you are new to this series (or to the blog), I am currently taking a course through EDX Online Learning, called the Science of Brewing. This is the first full module covered, we’ve already handled the series overview, the syllabus, and the introduction. Now its time to get some learning done.

Starting Module One, we are introduced to our first page – The History of Beer Brewing. The first page is an interactive history of beer brewing, complete with a PDF file. The first evidence of brewing first appears in 13000 BCE with remains found in a cave in Israel.

The next piece of evidence is in Iran in 5000 BCE with barley beer. In 1800 BCE there was a hymn written for brewers in Sumeria. Fast forward a bit to 811 CE and Charlemagne makes brewing a royal prerogative. This is the dawning of brewing as a craftmanship and a profession. In 816 CE the Catholic Church recognized brewing with the monks playing a particular role.

In 822 CE there is the first record of hops being used in the brewing process. Abbot Adelhard specifically required the usage of hops at his abbey – the Benedictine Monastery of Corbie. At this time most places still used spices and herbs. By the 1300s, hops were the main flavoring ingredient, replacing gruit.

In 1420, bottom fermentation begins in Bavaria Germany. This let them brew year round, where most places had to stop in summer due to the bacteria contaminating, they could keep brewing year round. In 1425, the first known depiction of a brewer appears in the Mendel Charity Book.

Start of the 1500s brought with it beer in brown glasses in England. And then perhaps one of the more significant things (for brewing) in modern times happened in 1516 – The Bavarian Purity Laws. This is the only piece I’ll direct quote from this segment:

The Bavarian Purity law (in German: Reinheitsgebot) states that water, barley and hops are the only ingredients that can be used to brew beer. Yeast is not mentioned as an ingredient, since it was not discovered yet. One of the reasons for the introduction of this law was to prevent price competition with bakers, who mainly used wheat and rye. A modified version of the purity law still exists in Germany today; although yeast has been added to the list of ingredients; and barley has been replaced by malted grains.
EDX Online: The Science of Brewing – The History of Brewing

In 1680, the Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is the first to see and figure out yeast. “Hey, did you know that IPA stands for India Pale Ale…. and its because….” Yea, we’ve all heard every craft beer nerd say this at some point, but in 1780 is when it started. 1760 also saw the first thermometer used in a brewery. In 1765 the first steam engine was created, by 1784 they were beginning to be used in breweries. In 1769, the first hydrometer was used in a brewery.

In early 1800s, science was beginning to come to the forefront of brewing more and more. In 1816, more and more science was done on ethanol. In 1817, the drum roaster was invented. Inn 1837 they discovered that yeast was a living organism. 1873 saw the invention of the refrigerator. 1879 a beer filtration system was invented. And closing out the century saw the first bottle caps and bottling lines being made in the 1890s.

The science kept rolling in the 1900s, with the introduction of the PH Scale in 1909. Prohibition did happen though, and that was a major set-back, it lasted from 1920-1933. Artificial beer carbonation started in 1936.

The last thing the article then lists is an event from 2009; it discusses a patent on a variety of barley lacking lox activity by Danish researchers.

After this, we click the NEXT and come up to a quiz. There is four questions (and no, I’m not giving you the answers). Clicking next we come to another video. This about the process of brewing, taking you step by step through the process. After the video is another quick quiz.

This is followed up by a video about beer tasting. For my tasting discussion, I used my beer review for Boneshire’s S’mores Lazaris.

After the discussion, we get another experiment. First, we have a quick (~1:30 minute) video. The next page discusses how to malt your own barley. With this, you can do the experiment yourself, and do your own malting.

Lastly, we have an overview and quiz again. With this comes an assessment if you are doing the paid course (99$). If you are not, you move forward to the questions and feedback, and then to the end of module page. You can pause here, or click next and dive right into module two.

I know I’m gonna take a break, go outside, work on my hops, and enjoy the beautiful sun here in Central PA. Cheers everyone!

-B. Kline

Beer Education: Syllabus

BKline — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 21:06:39 +0000

This is more of the starting point, with the syllabus just being the ‘cap’ to it. Its more about starting the course than the actual syllabus. I’ll walk through what I did to start up the course, and then cover the syllabus at the end. I was tempted to call this: “Beer Education: The Start” but I figured saying “Beer Education: Syllabus” sounded more formal, scholarly, and the right place to really start it.

Opening page describes procedures of the class, when it ends, when it begins, how it works, when you lose access to it (if you don’t finish) (June 25th, 2020). Scrolling down the opening page, you see a segment with the EdX logo (an X with a smiley face and a graduating cap), it gives you the options of: EARN A CERTIFICATE or COMPLETE THE COURSE or EXPLORE THE COURSE. The certificate will cost 99$, but they are running a special for 84.15$.

On the right hand side, there is a list of upcoming dates:

* May 21st, 2020
“You are still eligible to upgrade to a Verified Certificate! Pursue it to highlight the knowledge and skills you gain in this course.Upgrade to Verified Certificate.”
* May 31st, 2020
“After this date, course content will be archived.”
* June 2, 2020
“Day certificates will become available for passing verified learners.”

I selected “Complete the Course”, since I don’t need the certificate (or at least, if I wish to get it, I can get it later). (You can do whichever is best for you.)

The page then gives an outline (a syllabus) of the course:

Introduction
* Welcome to the BrewingX Course
* Course Overview
* Experiments: Do It Yourself!
* Quiz: Determine Your Beer Profile
* Feedback and Questions
Module 1: History and Overview of Brewing Process
* Overview Module 1
* Beer Brewing
* Do It Yourself: Beer Tasting
* Do It Yourself: Malting at Home
* Assessment Module 1
* Feedback and questions
Module 2: Barley and Malting
* Overview Module 2
* Do It Yourself: Cereals used in brewing
* Barley – the preferred starting material for maltsters
* Do It Yourself: discussing malting at home
* The malting process
* Malt types
* Assessment Module 2
* Feedback and questions
Module 3: Water
* Overview Module 3
* Water composition
* Water treatment
* Expert talk
* Do It Yourself: Hops and spices preparation
* Verified track content: Practical tips for brewers
* Assessment Module 3
* Feedback and Questions
Module 4: Hops and Spices
* Introduction
* Important molecule classes in hops
* Hopping techniques
* Verified track content: What are hops used by brewers?
* Spices and herbs
* Do it Yourself: preparation for fermentation experiment
* Assessment Module 4
* Feedback and questions

All of these are links that you can click on and view at your leisure. You can either click the first link (or any) or hit the “Begin Course” in the upper right. After doing so, it then becomes a “Resume Course” button.

Now that we got the syllabus out of the way, and the logistics of the class. Let’s get started. Follow me as we hit “Begin Course: and start at the introduction in the next article!

Cheers and happy learning ‘soon to be beer scholars’!

-B. Kline