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How to make 20,000 pints of beer.by Kiteman on October 30, 2009

Table of Contents

How to make 20,000 pints of beer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   How to make 20,000 pints of beer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   Raw materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 2:   Preparation and control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 3:   Wort. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 4:   Hopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 5:   The best bit... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 6:   Firkin! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 7:   The fun part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 8:   Art and science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 9:   And a little history. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 10:   Credit where credit is due. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-20000-pints-of-beer/

Author:Kiteman    Irregular Profundity BlogAn East Anglian Maker, who spends a lot of time in a very small shed. Interested in science, kites, beer (proper beer, not lager) and the general Maker ideal.

Need help on the site? Drop me a PM.

Credo:

Faith, noun; Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence.

''Faith is believing what you know ain't so'' - Mark Twain

Science, noun; Set of processes that explain the universe and its contents through hypotheses and theories based on observable evidence.

I am in the universe, a part of the universe. I was not created, I am the most recent product of several billion years' worth of random mutation selected byenvironmental and sexual pressures, plus a healthy dose of accidents.

I am a unique individual, with my own mind, knowledge, skills, dreams. I am a husband, father, son and friend. I teach others and learn from others.

No god had a part in my genesis. I have no religious faith, although I respect those that have (so long as they do not expect others to share it withoutquestion). I take responsibility for my own actions, and bear the guilt for any wrong-doings without feeling the need to confess them to a higher being. When Idie, all that will remain of me will be the memories held by those that knew me. I will go to neither heaven nor hell, nor will I be resurrected. When I am gone,I am gone.

To quote the famous philosophers; ''Cogito ergo sum'' and ''I yam what I yam!''.

''Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities'' - Voltaire.

Buy Kiteman Mechandise:

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''READ CAREFULLY.'' ''By reading this article, you agree, on behalf of your employer, to release me from all obligations and waivers arising from any and allNON-NEGOTIATED agreements, licenses, terms-of-service, shrinkwrap, clickwrap, browsewrap, confidentiality, non-disclosure, non-compete andacceptable use policies ("BOGUS AGREEMENTS") that I have entered into with your employer, its partners, licensors, agents and assigns, in perpetuity,without prejudice to my ongoing rights and privileges. You further represent that you have the authority to release me from any BOGUS AGREEMENTS onbehalf of your employer.''

Intro:  How to make 20,000 pints of beer.There are several projects here for small-scale home brewing.

I thought I'd find out how they do it properly.

I turned to the Adnams Brewery, and enlisted the help of their Quality Manager, Belinda Jennings, who I first met in a field in Suffolk...

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Step 1: Raw materialsThe thing about brewing is that there are no secret ingredients.

Water, malt, hops, yeast.  That's it, for a proper beer.

What affects the final flavour is the way these things are treated.

The softness of the water, how dark the malt is roast, the species of hop, the strain of yeast.

Malt adds sweetness, and provides the sugar for fermentation.  Hops add bitterness, especially to balance the sweetness of the malt, and the yeast, of course, turns thesugar into alcohol.

Most brewers (Adnams included) will happily give their recipes, but they won't give their yeast - established brewers have strains that are slightly different to otherbrewers' strains, and so affect the flavours.  Adnams have been using the same strain of yeast since 1945.

Image Notes1. Baby beer! This tiny smidge of yeast will be fed and nurtured until it has growninto quantities that will produce thousands of pints.

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Image Notes1. Hops are actually female flower cones - pressing them into pellets savestransport costs and makes them easier to handle mechanically.

Image Notes1. Most beers have a light malt in them.2. Adding different amounts of darker roasts adds chocolate / toffe tones to theflavours.

Step 2: Preparation and control.Malt must be milled, yeast grown and water boiled.

The remains of the milled malt go to be animal bedding - very little of anything is actually thrown away by Adnams.

In 2008, Adnams installed a whole new brew-house.  As well as being highly controllable and automated (in-line systems weigh out ingredients instead of sacks having tohefted in by hand), it also recycles the waste steam from the brewing process - it saves 30% on energy costs, but it also means that the brewery doesn't smell of brewing,which is a shame IMO.

Image Notes1. Dust! The flaky remains of the malt get used for animals bedding.

Image Notes1. A really bad photo of the malt being cleaned of grit and stones by vibratingscreens.

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Image Notes1. The "energy storage tank" - steam heated water, which can reach 90C.

Step 3: Wort.The milled malt is heated and stirred (mashed) with water in the lauter tun, for 90 minutes.  This dissolves the sugars and other flavours out of the solid malt, making aliquid called wort.

The heating pattern - how hot, how long, when the temperature is changed etc - affects how much of what flavours are dissolved out of the malt, and will affect the finalflavour.

When the wort is transferred to the next tun, the solids are left behind, eventually to end up as cattle feed.

Image Notes1. An empty lauter tun.

Image Notes1. Camera.2. Belinda.3. Mash in the making.

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Image Notes1. Tun.

Step 4: HoppingHops add bitterness, flavour and aroma to a beer.

Hops added early to the wort cook the longest and add most bitterness (the bitter flavourings are resins, which are harder to cook out of the hop).  Hops added laterprovide flavour and aroma from oils which evaporate quickly when heated.

The timing of hopping has a huge affect on the flavour.

Image Notes1. Hopped wort.

Image Notes1. Hoppers for "dosing" hops at different stages of the cook.

Step 5: The best bit...The actual fermentation.

The yeast that was fed up on wort is added to the hopped wort, and warmed - the temperature is maintained in the region of 20oC.  The exact temperature of thefermentation controls the fruitiness of the final flavour; slightly higher temperatures increase the fruitiness, slightly lower temperatures decrease it.

The beer spends three days being warmed, then is cooled to around 6oC for four days to mature.

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Image Notes1. Yeast propagation tanks. Remember that baby beer? This is where it grows up.Extra yeast is fed to local pigs. Being alcoholic, they tend to be 'happy' pigs.

Image Notes1. Fermentation tanks.

Image Notes1. 20,000 pints of Gunhill beer fermenting. The smell is AMAZING.

Step 6: Firkin!Beer travels to pubs in barrels.

Well, it used to.  Actual barrels are quite large - 288 pints - so the vast majority of beer gets transported and sold in firkins, which hold 72 pints.

The barrels are all recycled - flushed with hot water, blasted with steam, and refilled whilst still hot.

The barrels are then moved to the edge of Southwold, to their warehouse with a living roof, ready for distribution all over the country.

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Image Notes1. A freshly-cleaned firkin.

Image Notes1. The filling nozzle.2. Tightly sealed.

Image Notes1. Firkins.2. Pins - 32 pints for the smaller venue.

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Step 7: The fun partSorry, I mean quality control...

All the brews are tasted as soon as they are ready.  The process is very like wine-tasting, except that you have to swallow, because much of a beer's flavour is after-taste.  No pansy slurp-and-spit here!

Samples from bottled batches are also tasted regularly through their shelf-life, and a month beyond; this is a non-pasteurised beer, and it is potentially possible for theflavour to alter with time.

Image Notes1. Happy in their work.

Step 8: Art and scienceBrewing is one of those processes, like papermaking and smithing, that is equal parts precise science and black art.

Careful records of what goes in and what comes out have to be maintained for customers, food authorities, the customs and excise...

Samples are taken all through the system and monitored.  Swabs are taken regularly to check for microbial incursion (remember, this beer is not pasteurised, so thewhole system has to be scrupulously clean).

But, at the same time, the unexpected happens, like the Belgian-style beer that absolutely refused to settle its fines, no matter what they did...

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Image Notes1. Visual inspection to check fines are settling.

Image Notes1. Tests for alcohol content and calories at the same time. The most commonquestion they get from the general public is "Which of your beers has the leastcalories?"2. As well as showing me around, Belinda had her proper job to do at the sametime.

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Step 9: And a little history.The brewing house was refurbished in 2008, but Belinda took me to see what was left of the old methods.

"Proper" copper tuns and vats that were a pig to keep clean.  Steam valves that had to be turned by hand.  Wobbly steps that had to climbed with sacks of hops. Picturesque, but unpredictable.

But... look at that view!

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Image Notes1. Just an old advert, but stuff like this is valuable. And haven't times changed?Beer brewed to make invalids feel better...

Step 10: Credit where credit is due.Naturally, I owe a massive debt of thanks to everybody at the Adnams brewery, especially:

Fergus Fitgerald, Chief Brewer, who gave permission for the whole thing (but, unfortunately, could not be there the day I visited)Belinda Jennings, Quality Manager, who looked after me on the day, giving me access-all-areas and fitting me around her proper job and a visit by shareholders.Graham Gilbert and Colin Chambers, who kindly allowed me to take their photo whilst about their work.Thanks also to all the other staff at the brewery who put up with me trailing around the place like a lost drunk.

I know this whole thing looks like an advert for Adnams, but it really isn't meant to be, it's just an insite into how the Big Boys go about the craft of brewing.

Oh, I do recommend that you favour them with your business - Adnams beers are all in my top-ten favourite brews, and I tend to be fussy about what I drink.  They arealso very environmentally aware as a company, producing a carbon-neutral brew, pioneering thinner bottles, and building a green-roofed warehouse, all of which gotthem crowned 'Carbon Innovator of the Year' by the Carbon Trust.

Oh, and about that field...

On the way to the brewery, I had a small, er, incident, and my Mini ended up in a field.  Belinda and a colleague, Paul Hester, very kindly came and pulled me out of thefield (which is more than the AA would do, despite me being a member for twenty-five years this December!).  If they hadn't done that, then this Instructable wouldprobably never have happened.

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Image Notes1. Beer has been brewed in Southwold for almost six centuries.

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Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 65 comments

 jonnybo111 says:  Feb 17, 2011. 2:03 AM  REPLYwhat the heck are kirkins i thought they were kegs!!! :S

 t.rohner says:  Aug 14, 2010. 12:12 AM  REPLYVery nice report (not a instructable imho...) I made at least 40000 (imperial) pints in my life, but it took me ten years ;-) Last year, our "brewery" had it's 10.annyversary. So we wipped up a little party. It was so well received, we had to repeat it this year. With some special food and enough beer. Some pics of it:http://www.instructables.com/id/Bierfest-at-the-brewery/ also not an instructable in it's pure form, just bragging...

 solo.card says:  May 26, 2010. 11:26 AM  REPLY Fantastic! It's a shame you couldn't see the pasteurisation process, or indeed document canning / bottling. Quite interesting!

I toured the Fosters brewery in Manchester many moons ago, and they are interesting places. (That brewery smell is fantastic, isn't it!)

The problem with many factories (or at least the industry I am in) is that most of the process is in sealed tanks, pipes, etc, so you only ever see the finalproduct.

 sharlston says:  Jun 4, 2010. 2:42 PM  REPLYthe canning process is pretty simple i can explain if you want me to?

 Kiteman says:  May 26, 2010. 2:11 PM  REPLYAdnams don't pasteurise their beer - it's all as real as it gets.

Fosters?  Sorry, that's lager, not beer... ;-)

 xproplayer says:  Nov 3, 2009. 8:00 AM  REPLYFyi on a small error

quote "which is more than the AA would do, despite me being a member for twenty-five this December!"

i believe you forgot an a and years.dont mean to be a critic btw just being helpfulP.S. when i first saw this i thought you were going to make 20,000 pints of beer at home......keep up the great work!

 Kiteman says:  Nov 3, 2009. 9:02 AM  REPLYI didn't forget an A (I live in the UK), but I did forget the years...

 AndyGadget says:  Nov 3, 2009. 9:16 AM  REPLYJust out of interest, Kiteman, which AA would that be? ;¬)

 Derin says:  May 23, 2010. 1:00 AM  REPLYThe one most probably running your TV remote.

 Kiteman says:  Nov 3, 2009. 9:37 AM  REPLYThe one that is supposed to collect drivers from fields, not from breweries...

 skunkbait says:  Nov 11, 2009. 10:07 PM  REPLYOh.....  My cousin likes to say he's the founder of AU.                                                                         (Alcoholics Unanimous)

 MrMystery96 says:  Dec 31, 2009. 10:27 PM  REPLYAt least he didn't start a face book group known only as F.U.G.U. (I did...)

(Federation of Uber Geeks United)

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-20000-pints-of-beer/

 xproplayer says:  Nov 9, 2009. 7:20 AM  REPLYi dont think they would pick you up from a brewery they would probaly think your a drunk and dont deserve to be towed......

no offense just a jokei never noticed before but congrats on 100 'ibles

 depotdevoid says:  Feb 6, 2010. 11:16 PM  REPLYVery nice instructable Kiteman, and you beat me to the punch!  I was talking to my little brother the other day about doing an instructable a lot like this--he'shead brewer at a microbrewery here in Oregon.  I think yours is probably better than mine would have been though, as his operation is quite a bit smallerscale than that of these folks and I'm not sure my writing chops are up to par with yours.  Thanks for sharing your visit to this historic brewery!

 Kiteman says:  Feb 7, 2010. 6:10 AM  REPLYHey, go for it anyway - readers will be more able to replicate a microbrewing project than one on this scale, and your brother doubtless uses slightlydifferent ingredients and processes.

As for the writing, practice makes perfect.

 MrMystery96 says:  Dec 31, 2009. 10:31 PM  REPLYA field in Suffolk you say? kiteman, what a dog you!

 M4industries says:  Dec 24, 2009. 11:47 AM  REPLY What a milestone! 100 instructables! TimAnderson has double that, but you still have significantly more instructables than most of us.

 MrMystery96 says:  Dec 16, 2009. 7:31 PM  REPLYI visited a few vineyards in both canada and germany, but this was extraordinary!

 Kiteman says:  Dec 17, 2009. 6:59 AM  REPLYThank you!

 kNeXFreek says:  Nov 30, 2009. 7:08 PM  REPLYI will make some tonight. Thankyou.

(jk im 13)

 gearhead1951 says:  Nov 12, 2009. 2:13 AM  REPLYIf you ever find yerself in Chattanooga  Tennessee ,   look up th' Big Bend Brewery !  It is a microbrewery/pub that serves up some of th' best "specialty"beers and ales I can remember drinkin'  ( stop snickerin' dang it ,  you know what I mean !!  ) 

 skunkbait says:  Nov 11, 2009. 10:06 PM  REPLYGood job!  I've toured a few winerys, but haven't gotten to tour a proper brewery yet.  I'll try to make it a point on my next vacation.

 PKTraceur says:  Nov 10, 2009. 3:50 PM  REPLYVery interesting 'ible Kiteman!

 clark says:  Nov 2, 2009. 10:04 AM  REPLY wow! really neat!

 Kiteman says:  Nov 2, 2009. 10:04 AM  REPLYAnd that was a fast comment!

 xproplayer says:  Nov 9, 2009. 8:02 AM  REPLYand a fast reply in the same exact minute!

 discontinuuity says:  Nov 2, 2009. 3:22 PM  REPLYVery cool.  I like to make my homebrew, and it's interesting to see on a larger scale.

I live in Golden, Colorado, where they make Coors.  It's definitely not my favorite beer, but on the brewery tour they claim that their copper kettles produceless of a metallic taste.  Do you know any of the reasons why Adnams would use stainless steel rather than copper for the new vats?

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 xproplayer says:  Nov 9, 2009. 7:21 AM  REPLYmaybe something with sanitation? i know that all doctors stuff is all stainless steel.

 tashiandmo says:  Nov 2, 2009. 9:08 PM  REPLYOne of the main reasons may be that SS is way easier to clean and sanitize than copper.  Not sure how it effects the flavor, but copper naturally forms athin copper oxide layer which is dissolved into the beer by the acidic wort.  Copper reacts badly to some cleaning agents (like bleach) causing larger thanusual copper oxide deposits, which when dissolved into the wort can cause serious problems.

 Kiteman says:  Nov 3, 2009. 9:04 AM  REPLYThat is the reason - far easier to keep clean.

The new vats have no riveted joints, nowhere for bacteria to lurk, which is important when the end product does not get pasteurised.

 Tool Using Animal says:  Nov 2, 2009. 4:20 PM  REPLYYeah, copper costs like gold these days, and junkie would probably break in to steal the copper.

 xproplayer says:  Nov 9, 2009. 8:01 AM  REPLYand maybe some beer too?

 =SMART= says:  Nov 8, 2009. 9:37 AM  REPLYGreat idea doing a tour of somewhere and making it an instructable !really interesting to see how they go about making beer, and seeing the technology they use.Thanks !!

 t.rohner says:  Nov 6, 2009. 5:36 AM  REPLYAlthough this isn't a instructable in it's pure sense, i enjoyed reading it.You have thoroughly researched all aspects of brewing.By the way, i have brewed 40'000 pints of beer and ale over the last 10 years...

Cheers

 Yerboogieman says:  Nov 5, 2009. 5:44 PM  REPLYNice! My family and I make some pretty good beer at home.

 qldazza says:  Nov 5, 2009. 3:49 PM  REPLYAdnams is surely one of the best brewers. It rates right up there in my all time favourites.  I used to live in Diss and would make regular visits to the coast tostock my Adnams supply direct from the source.

There is a tiny little pub in Bungay called the green dragon that brews it's own beer, well worth a taste if you are in the area. www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/20/20954/Green_Dragon/Bungay

Another favourite of mine was St Peters. Did a really nice cranberry beer and a gorgeous old hall to enjoy it in. www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk/

 qwertyboy says:  Nov 5, 2009. 3:07 PM  REPLYhehe, hoppers for hops

 trike road poet says:  Nov 5, 2009. 9:49 AM  REPLYI really liked this instructable, while it wasn't a make your own brew sort of thing, it showed the steps and the explanations were detailed.  Understanding theprocess of making something is a stepping stone to learn more, making one appreciate instructions later.  What you gave was a serious introduction to theprocess and the next instructable on making beer will be that much clearer and understandable.  Great job, and great pictures that actually showed thesubject clear.

 Kiteman says:  Nov 5, 2009. 9:57 AM  REPLYThank you, I thought I'd try something a bit different for my 100th project.

 strangebike says:  Nov 5, 2009. 9:00 AM  REPLYI can honestly say I never get tired of looking at beer and brewing. Pity it doesn't like me as much as I like it or do they really ship all the hangovers toBasingstoke? The Ringwood brewery does a tour of their site which is a really good evening out. Well I got piddled :-)great instructable

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 Kiteman says:  Nov 5, 2009. 9:56 AM  REPLYThank you!

 ecohun says:  Nov 5, 2009. 6:30 AM  REPLYExcellent Instructable, makes me want to add beer making to my cider making. Would I be able to use my old oak wine barrels or is this courting disaster.Ecohun

 greendeane says:  Nov 5, 2009. 7:06 AM  REPLYAs far as i know, unless you were brewing a very very strong flavoured beer then the oak/wine flavour can be over-powering, especially if the barrels arenot full sized. smaller barrels have a higher oak/liquid ratio which makes the problem worse. Of course you can re-season a full sized oak wine barrel andthen use it. Then you have to try and brew enough beer to fill the barrel. which won't be as much fun as trying to eympty it with friends! most homebrewers who are looking for an "oaky" note in their beers seem to put oak chips in their glass fermenters.

 gjm says:  Nov 5, 2009. 4:47 AM  REPLYThis is fantastic, thanks for posting it.I was in England in the mid eigthies (I was in the airforce) and a friend and I wandered up to visit the Theakston brewery. Of course it was the weekend andthey were closed but we met a cooper who worked there at a local pub and he had keys to the place and gave us a private tour.It was amazing; at that time they were still putting their beer in wooden kegs.This instructable reminds me of one of the best times I had when I was there.Thanks.

 gmjhowe says:  Nov 2, 2009. 11:34 AM  REPLYAn excellent job. I think the best bit, is how great the people were, to let you go around and take pictures etc.

 Kiteman says:  Nov 2, 2009. 11:37 AM  REPLYI did, unfortunately, miss one great shot - as I walked into the sample room, Graham and Colin were mopping the ceiling, having just opened aparticularly lively barrel.

 Kryptonite says:  Nov 3, 2009. 12:24 AM  REPLYHa ha, that would have been a conversation starter.

 xproplayer says:  Nov 3, 2009. 8:02 AM  REPLYGuy at a party "hey guys im gonna go get a barrel of beer *loud explosion from kitchen* um i think were gonna have to drink from the floor...."

 Kryptonite says:  Nov 3, 2009. 11:49 PM  REPLYDon't worry, we got another keg! Just hold your cup out!

*BOOM!*

Cheers!

 el greeno says:  Nov 3, 2009. 9:29 PM  REPLYYou can't beat a nice cold bottle of Adnams Explorer.Not that I've been able to find any in Thurrock (Essex) for a while...

Loving the blonde ales lately.

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