HOW BEER IS MADE

Beer is made from four basic ingredients: Barley, water, hops and yeast. The basic idea is to extract the sugars from grains (usually barley) so that the yeast can turn it into alcohol and CO2, creating beer.

The brewing process starts with grains, usually barley (although sometimes wheat, rye or other such things.) The grains are harvested and processed through a process of heating, drying out and cracking. The main goal of malting is to isolate the enzymes needed for brewing so that it’s ready for the next step.

The wort is boiled for about an hour while hops and other spices are added several times.

What are hops? Hops are the small, green cone-like fruit of a vine plant. They provide bitterness to balance out all the sugar in the wort and provide flavor. They also act as a natural preservative, which is what they were first used for.

Once the hour long boil is over the wort is cooled, strained and filtered. It’s then put in a fermenting vessel and yeast is added to it. At this point the brewing is complete and the fermentation begins. The beer is stored for a couple of weeks at room temperature (in the case of ales) or many many weeks at cold temperatures (in the case of lagers) while the yeast works its fermentation magic. Basically the yeast eats up all that sugar in the wort and spits out CO2 and alcohol as waste

products.

Barrel  for collecting CO2

Bottling equipment

You’ve now got alcoholic beer, however it is still flat and uncarbonated. The flat beer is bottled, at which time it is either artificially carbonated like a soda, or if it’s going to be ‘bottle conditioned’ it’s allowed to naturally carbonate via the CO2 the yeast produces. After allowing it to age for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months you drink the beer, and it’s delicious!

Part of the bottling area

STONE BREWERY TOUR

Paul and I took a tour of Stone Brewery in Escondido along with Ray and Betsy.

Founded by Greg Koch and Steve Wagner, Stone Brewing has come a long way since opening up in San Diego, California in 1996. It has been listed on the Inc. 500 | 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies list 11 times, and has been called the “All-time Top Brewery on Planet Earth” by BeerAdvocate magazine twice. Stone Brewing is the eighth-largest craftbrewer in the U.S. and with breweries in Richmond, Virginia & Berlin, Germany.

Stone Brewing has come a long way since opening in 1996. It has grown from a small microbrewery with just two founders into one of the largest craft breweries in the United States, employing more than 1,100 men and women. From the beginning, the goal has been to brew outstanding, unique beers while maintaining an unwavering commitment to sustainability, business ethics, and the art of brewing.

There is a Bistro that is part of the complex along with a landscaped patio outside with a walkway around the patio with fire pits and an outdoor bar.

Part of the outdoor bar.

Stone Brewery entrance