Barley is the grain that best lends itself to malting. After being harvested barley is soaked in water and
allowed to germinate. Allowing the barley to germinate causes a release of enzymes naturally present in the
barley. Water is drained from the malt and the malt is then heated in a kiln, to stop the germination process.
Malt heated or kilned at lower temperatures will be used to produce a paler beer, whereas malt kilned at a
higher temperature will be used to produce copper-colored/darker beer. Brewing traditional styles beer from
around the world starts with the right ingredients. At Emmett's we import malted barley from around the
world to give our beers authenticity. If we're brewing a German-style lager, after all, we think its only
fitting to use German malt.
Milling
To begin the brewing process, malted barley is run through our mill on the second floor to crush the husk
of the barley this in turn exposes the fermentable starches within. After being milled the grain is referred
to as grist. The grist is then fed into the mash tun.
Mashing
After the grist is poured into the mash tun 140°-160°f water is added. We will hold this thick "mash" at a
constant or varying temperatures for several hours depending on beer style desired. During the process the
warm temperature of the mash releases enzymes which go to work converting the starches present in the grain
into fermentable sugars. Varying the temperatures will allow us to help control alcoholic content, body,
and other characteristics in our finished beer. Towards the end of the mash hot water is added to "sparge"
or rinse the sugary solution from the spent grains. From here the sweet liquid, now referred to as "wort"
is transferred to our brew kettle. The spent grain, a by product of the brewing process, is taken by a local
farmer and used as cattle feed.
Boiling / Brewing
In the brew kettle the wort is subjected to boiling temperatures for 1-2 hours. During the rolling boil hops
are added at intervals. Hops added early in the process add bitterness, while hops added minutes before
completion contribute to the floral bouquet of the finished product. In some cases we even add hops after
the beer is fermented. This process is known as "dry-hopping" and it lends a beautiful, hoppy aroma to our
beer.
To complete the brewing process the wort is drained from the brew kettle leaving the spent hops and other
particulates behind. The hot wort is then cooled to a temperature conducive to yeast growth. Once cooled,
the wort is transferred to one of our awaiting fermentation vessels.
Fermentation
Fermentation vessels are sterile self-contained stainless steel containers which will help us control the
process. Once the wort reaches the fermentation vessel various strains of yeast are "pitched" or added.
Yeast begins the process of fermenting sugars in the wort into alcohol. The fermentation process can take
anywhere from 3-21 days depending on the yeast strain and style of beer. After primary fermentation is
complete the temperature is dropped to 34°f and our beer is allowed to "cellar" for additional conditioning.
Filtering
After conditioning some of beers are filtered, while our heartier ales remain unfiltered for extra flavor
and character. Either way the finished beer is pumped into stainless steel serving vessels located in a
refrigerated cold room under our bar. From there beer is drawn at the tap handles behind the bar for distribution
to our customers.