All of our beer starts off as whole grains which are then milled in the room behind the awesome ManaFirkin surfboard.
While the grain is being milled we are heating up our hot water in the Hot Liquor Tank. If you are staring into our brew area this is the tank furthest to the right. Once the water is heated up to the correct temperature we transfer it into the mash tun where the milled grain is. The first of many transfers.
The mash is added into the Mash Tun, where it steeps in hot water. As the grain breaks down in the hot water this is when all of the sugars come out. This is also where the beer gets its color and some of its flavor. While this is happening we are adding additional hot water, this is called Sparging. Once we’ve gotten everything we need out of the grains, they are considered spent. We donate all of our spent grains to a local farm who uses them as feed for some of their animals.
The liquid we are left with is known as the Wort. The wort is then transferred to the Boil Kettle and boiled for an hour. Depending on the beer we are making, we add different hops during different times throughout the boil. After boiling for at least an hour, it’s time for another transfer.
While we are transferring the wort from the boil kettle to the fermenter, we rapidly chill it using a plate chiller that is cooled with water. Once the wort is transferred into the fermenter we check the specific gravity of the wort. This number is an indicator of the potential alcohol by volume once the beer is done fermenting. This number is an indicator of what the Alcohol By Volume will be once the beer is done fermenting. Now it’s time to add the yeast, a crucial stage in the brewing process. The yeast job is to eat up all the sugars and convert them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This process lasts roughly two weeks.
After fermentation is completed, we transfer into what’s called a Brite Tank. This is where the beer will carbonate. This is also where we add additional flavors to the beer, like in two of our staples, Good Karmamile, which is steeped with chamomile tea or Wake The Firk Up, which is steeped with premium coffee from Shore Good Donuts™.
Once the beer has spent a few days in the brite tank, it’s time to start kegging. Once that’s done it’s time to drink. Cheers!