We are so excited that our first brew is in the brite tank and soon to be going through the de-alcoholization process. We are a couple steps ahead of the blog posts but wanted to keep you posted on how fermentation went and what that step entails.
Fermentation begins once we pitched the yeast on brew day. According to justbeerapp.com, “during fermentation, yeast converts the sugary wort into actual beer by producing alcohol, a wide range of flavours and carbon dioxide. The duration of the fermentation process varies from batch to batch. The length it takes for beer to ferment can depend on factors such as temperature and strain of yeast (generally dry yeasts ferment faster). On average, fermentation takes at least two weeks to complete.”
For those that don’t know much about brewing, there are two different kinds of fermentation: primary and secondary. Primary fermentation is where the bulk of the activity happens. There are some other things happening as well. “As the yeast eats up the sugar, the flavor of the beer goes from malty sweet to something much closer to the flavor of the finished beer. Depending on the exact variety of yeast you used, some flavor compounds, called phenols and esters, will make their way into the beer. Phenols add a bit of baking-spice spiciness, while esters add fruity flavors. This stage of very active fermentation lasts about a week — you’ll see a lot of activity in the first few days and then it will taper off toward the end of the week” according to thekitchn.com.
Secondary fermentation “is the process of taking your “finished” beer from your fermentation bucket, and transferring it to another container, for a period of aging typically ranging from two days to several months. There are pros and cons to doing a secondary fermentation for your beer. In some cases it may not be necessary at all, and in others, it is vital to the beer.”
According to our brewers, fermentation went perfectly (always good to hear!) and are excited to share our next steps leading up to the release of our inaugural brew! Hope y’all are having a great week!
Take care and be well,
Emree