The brewing process typically starts with malted two-row barley. This is the base grain for all of our beers. To this base malt we add a variety of darker crystal malts, roasted or chocolate malt, rye, oats, wheat, or even (!) flaked maize or rice hulls, if the beer style calls for it.
To begin with the whole kernel grains are fed into the mill (Fig 1) which cracks open the kernels, exposing the flesh on the inside. The milled grain is then fed into the mash tun by an auger (Fig 2) that elevates the grain from ground level to ceiling height. As the grain is fed into the mash tun, hot water is added to create a mixture with a thick, oatmeal-like consistency (Fig 3). The purpose of the hot water is to convert the starches in the meat of the kernel into fermentable sugars and leach them out at the same time. The more grain that is put into the mash tun, the higher the concentration of fermentable sugars, and the higher the alcohol content of the resulting beer. Why is this important? Because alcohol is an essential flavor component of beer, and since grain is cheap, we like to have more of this essential component in our beers than most breweries.
After the hot water has finished the conversion process, the resulting sugar solution called wort is then recirculated through the grain bed and into the boil kettle (Fig. 4). This process is called sparging. What is left after the sparging is done is a dense bed of spent grain. We give our spent grains to a local farmer who feeds them to his cattle. And when the inspiration hits us we've even been known to cook with some of it, too.
Once the wort arrives in the kettle the color of the beer has largely been determined. Lighter grains are used to create wheat beers and golden ales while darker grains are used to brew porters and stouts. What has not been determined yet is how bitter the beer will be. That is the job of our friend the hop.
The hop pellet (Fig. 5), or cannibis lupulus, possesses oils that, when exposed to boiling wort, impart a mixture of flavor, aroma, and bitterness. The more hops that are put into the wort, the more bitter the beer will be. And we should know. Our beers are some of the most bitter out there. Hops are another essential flavor component in beer, and since they are also cheap, we like to have more of them in our beers than most breweries.
Once the boil is done, the wort is sent through a heat exchanger (Fig. 6) which cools it down on its way into the fermenter (Fig. 7). This is important because yeast cells don't like hot temperatures, and we are depending on them to perform one of the greatest transformations in the natural world, that of simple wort into alcohol and CO2.
The fermentation process takes about five days for the average ale, quite a bit longer for lagers, which is why we brew primarily ales. After primary fermentation is done, the yeast is allowed an extra couple of days to metabolize substances in the beer that will eventually produce off-flavors. Once these two processes are over, and a tank is available in the server room (Fig. 8), the beer is transferred, naturally clarified instead of filtered, and then carbonated and put on tap. The whole process takes anywhere from 14-21 days depending on the strength of the beer and how many hops were added.
This is only a very brief description of the complex process of turning malt, hops, water, and yeast into the delicious elixirs that are on tap at Turtle Mountain Brewing Company. If you have the better part of an afternoon and are interested in more details about the brewing process, stop by the pub and ask for one of the brewers. They are usually more than happy to talk about, and drink, the beers that they make.