The Brewing Process; The Brewing Method - BIELMEIER BHG 403 Bedienungsanleitung

GB

THE BREWING PROCESS

Self-brewed beer is a high-quality natural prod-
uct. High quality can be assured by using pre-
mium and fresh ingredients. Brewing water is an
important ingredient. It should be free of odors
(such as chlorine) and should feature a hardness
of approx. 10–12°dH (German degrees). Your
water supplier will inform you about your water
hardness. If your tap water does not meet these
requirements, you may want to install a filter sys-
tem in the supply pipe of your water tap to ensure
impeccable tap water.
Pre-weighed quantities of malt, hops and brew-
er's yeast for 6 different beer recipes are available
at BIELMEIER.
The brewing process consists of a few main
stages:

If the recipe uses whole malted grain, the first
step is cracking the malt, which means milling
it roughly (usually in a roller mill) so that the
grains are broken open. Care is needed to mill
the grain neither too fine nor too coarse.

The cracked malt is then mixed with brewing
water and warmed to a series of temperatures
(up to a final temperature of 78–80°C) for ex-
act times (see Brewing Method, p. 28). This
step is called mashing.

The next step is lautering, in which the liquid
in the mash is separated from the solids in a
lautering tun.

The liquid, called wort, is then boiled in the
mash tun for a specific period (60–90 min-
utes). During this time, hops are added.

When the wort boil is finished, the wort is swirled
in the kettle, which allows particles formed dur-
ing the boil to settle out in the centre of the pot.
This procedure is called the "whirlpool".

The wort is then cooled down to fermenting
temperature and transferred into the ferment-
ing tun. Yeast is added, and over a period of
3–7 days, the yeast ferments the sugar in the
wort to ethanol and CO
.
2

The "green beer" is then transferred to bot-
tles for 4–8 weeks, where a natural process
of clarification, aroma development, and CO
and ethanol production occurs; this is called
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the secondary fermentation or conditioning.
Cleanliness and hygiene are essential for success-
ful brewing: careful cleaning and sanitising of all
equipment that comes into contact with the beer,
and especially of the bottles, is very important.
ATTENTION!
In some countries, it is required by law to register the
production of beer for self-use with the authorities.

THE BREWING METHOD

For an optimal control of the brewing process
you need:

Indicator paper to determine the pH value of
your brewing water

80% lactic acid to adjust to the correct pH value

Iodine solution for the sugar analysis (deter-
mination of starch)
The following method is intended as an example
and will need to be adapted depending on the
specific beer recipe. Please follow the instructions
included with your ingredients pack.
Before you start, remember that the process will
involve transferring hot liquid from one pot into
the other. Make sure you position the pots such
that you will never need to lift a container full of
hot liquid. If you attempt to move a pot full of hot
liquid, there is a danger of burning or scalding.
MILLING
Fill the hopper of the mill and turn the handle.
The husks (grain shells) are opened and the grains
are broken up.
The husks remain in the malt and create a natural
filter bed during lautering. Use milled malt within
a few days; it has a limited lifespan and quickly
deteriorates in quality.
Collect the crushed malt (e.g. in a large bowl), so
that the entire amount can be mashed at once.
You will need 1/2 - 2 hours for milling depending
on the mill used.
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MASHING
For the mashing procedure, use the mash tun
(BHG 410000) as a mash tun. Set up the mash
tun on a steady and level platform (fig. 7) approx.
40 cm off the floor.
You can fill the mash tun (BHG 410000) with a
maximum of 23 l of brewing water. Heat the wa-
ter up to the mashing temperature of 45–55°C;
when this temperature is reached, set the ther-
mostat control knob to 50°C.
If necessary, adjust the pH of the water to 5–5.5
using 80% lactic acid solution (use pH paper to
test the pH value).
Stir in a maximum of 5 kg of cracked malt using
the large spoon. Maintain the temperature at ap-
prox. 50°C for 15 minutes with constant stirring
using the spoon (13).
The following temperature steps and hold
times are just one example; different recipes
will need use of different temperatures and/
or times.
HEAT TO 62°C
Temperature setting (4): 62 °C
Timer setting (4): 20 min
Constant stirring is necessary to prevent the malt from
settling and causing an uneven temperature distribu-
tion in the liquid. Use the spoon to prevent the malt
from burning on to the bottom of the vessel!
As soon as the temperature reaches 62°C set the
timer (4) to 20 minutes.
During the hold time, stir the mash constantly
and monitor the temperature. This step activates
the "β-amylase".
HEAT TO 68°C
Temperature setting (4): 68 °C
Timer setting (4): 25 min
Constant stirring is necessary to prevent the malt
from settling and causing an uneven tempera-
ture distribution in the liquid. Use the spoon to
prevent the malt from burning on to the bottom
of the vessel!
As soon as the temperature reaches 68°C set the
timer (4) to 25 minutes.
During the hold time, stir the mash constantly
and monitor the temperature (α- and β-amylase).
GB
HEAT TO 72°C
Temperature setting (4): 72 °C
Timer setting (4): 30 min
Constant stirring is necessary to prevent the malt
from settling and causing an uneven tempera-
ture distribution in the liquid. Use the spoon to
prevent the malt from burning on to the bottom
of the vessel!
As soon as the temperature reaches 72°C set the
timer (4) to 30 minutes.
During the hold time, stir the mash constantly and
monitor the temperature (α-amylase).
At the end of this hold time, test the starch con-
version (put a small sample of the mash on a
white plate and add a few drops of iodine solu-
tion):

If the iodine turns yellow, the starch has been
fully converted to sugar.

If it turns a blue-purple colour, the conversion
is not yet complete. If this is the case, hold the
mash at 72°C for several minutes more and
repeat the test with iodine.
HEAT TO 80°C:
Temperature setting (4): 80 °C
Timer setting (4): 5 min
Constant stirring is necessary to prevent the malt
from settling and causing an uneven tempera-
ture distribution in the liquid. Use the spoon to
prevent the malt from burning on to the bottom
of the vessel!
As soon as the temperature reaches 80°C, set the
timer (4) to 5 minutes (hold time). Stir constantly
during the hold time and monitor the duration
with a watch.
At the end of this hold time, the mash is transferred
into the straining pot (BHG 040002) using the ladle
(see Lautering p. 30).
Thorough cleaning of the mash tun is important!
CAUTION!
Always use the ladle (12) to transfer the
mash. Danger – Never lift the full mash tun
(BHG 410000)!
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