Our New Automated German Brewhouse - Post Two

In this series of posts, we'll offer some 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 2 - Mash In

The grist created by milling & blending grains is now conveyed via pipe-chain to a dual-purpose mash mixer/boil kettle, where it meets strike water. This vessel has an agitator that runs continuously to keep everything in suspension and ensure even heat transfer.

Since the mash mixer vessel actually doubles as the boil kettle, it has a steam heating jacket. This means we are able to run proper temperature-programmed mash steps (protein rest, sacch rest, mash-out) with controlled ramp rates, rather than relying on infusions. It's one of the enormous advantages of our new system: precise, repeatable step mashing without needing a separate mash kettle.

Temperature control at each mash step lets us dial in exactly which enzymes (beta- vs alpha-amylase, proteases, etc.) are active and for how long, which directly determines fermentability, body, and mouthfeel. This means batch-to-batch consistency in flavor and attenuation stops depending on our manual timing and now runs on a repeatable, automated program. That's what turns "good beer" into "great beer, the same every time."