Our New Automated German Brewhouse - Post Five

This is the last in a series of posts where we've offered insight into how our new two-vessel automated brewhouse will significantly change our brewing process — and, in turn, the final product — by highlighting each of the steps of brewday workflow from start to finish.

Stage 5 - Whirlpool & End of Brew Day

After the boil, the wort is pumped over to a whirlpool vessel...which happens to be our old modified brew kettle, still earning its keep on brew days, but repurposed now for a specific step in the process. The wort is spun in the kettle to create a centrifugal effect, pulling hop material and coagulated proteins (trub) into a cone at the center so the clearer wort can be drawn off from the sides. If a beer calls for it, hops are added at this stage to build in extra aroma & flavor during the whirlpool before the wort moves on to cooling.

From the whirlpool, the wort is cooled in two stages on its way to the fermenter: first through glycol, then through water — first with the BrauKon heat exchanger, then our old chiller, which, like the repurposed kettle, is still doing important work on the new system. Bringing the temperature of the wort down quickly helps knock out unwanted compounds, gets it to pitching temperature efficiently, and sets the beer up for a clean fermentation. The process ahead is now the same as it's always been: cooled wort is transferred to a fermentation tank, yeast is pitched, and the beer undergoes fermentation.

And with that, we've made the full journey from grain to fermenter on our new BrauKon system: grain-in, mash, lauter, boil, whirlpool, and cooling. We've enjoyed sharing this process with you over the past few weeks, but most of all, we can't wait for you to taste the difference in the glass. Our first beers brewed on the new system will be ready to drink next week!