Samantha Herman earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from Northern Arizona University in 2005. Her professional writing career started in 2008, when she accepted an internship at "Willamette Week," a local alternative publication. Upon completing her internship, she became employed as a copywriter for an internet media company. In addition to copywriting, she has writte
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Beer and FoodOverview
Making beer not only takes time, but it takes a lot of machinery and a considerable amount of space. Below is a list of the type of machinery a person can expect to become familiar with as he brews beer.
Roller Mill
Grain and barley are put through a machine called a roller mill to crack the husk open. Many brewers use large, electrical versions, but smaller versions with hand cranks are also available.
Grist Hopper
This machine holds the crushed, dehusked grain and barley (which is also known as "grist"). The grist hopper is often suspended above a machine called a mash turn so that the grist can be easily dropped in when the brewer is ready.
Mash Turn
The mash turn adds hot water to the grist and mixes everything. The result is a water-and-grain mixture that has the same texture as thick oatmeal. Then more hot water is added. Once there is a sufficient amount of water, a filter on the bottom holds the grist as the excess water drains out of the bottom. This excess water is exactly what a brewer wants.
Brew Kettle
The brew kettle holds the excess water, known as "wort". Hops are added at this point. The wort and the hops are then boiled and, if the beer is supposed to have a strong hoppy flavor, more hops are added. Once the liquid has achieved the correct aroma, it gets transferred to the heat exchanger.
Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger is the machine that cools the liquid to a temperature that will allow yeast to flourish. Dumping yeast into boiling hot liquid is not a good idea.
Fermentation Tanks
When the liquid is the correct temperature, it is moved into a fermentation tank and yeast is added. The fermentation process creates the alcohol and the carbon dioxide, and it generally takes a few days.
Barrel
After fermentation, the liquid needs to sit in barrels for a few weeks while the yeast cycles out. The barrels must be kept at a cold temperature for the taste to mature properly.
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