| As beer lovers, we are pretty certain that we know | | | | also developed which gave the brewers the ability to |
| the beer brewing methods used by the | | | | mix more reliably while heating which reduced the |
| mega-breweries pale in comparison to the love and | | | | possibility of the mash scorching. Overall, steam |
| attention we lavish on our own home brew recipes | | | | power gave the brewery the ability to produce larger |
| whether they be from the commercial brew brewing | | | | quantities of beer since they no longer had to rely on |
| kits or our very own recipes. | | | | just human powered mechanisms. |
| But we owe a great debt to the commercial | | | | The next great improvement in brewery technology |
| breweries and their history of improving the brewing | | | | was in the late 1800s when the capability to |
| process to the point where we can enjoy home beer | | | | refrigerate the beer was introduced. Before |
| brewing as the satisfying hobby that it is. | | | | refrigeration, because yeast is extremely |
| Way back in Mesopotamia some 50 centuries ago | | | | temperature sensitive, most beer was brewed in the |
| beer and bread were staples of the daily diet and | | | | cooler winter months in great enough quantities to |
| both were produced in individual homes by the | | | | last through the warm summers. With the ability to |
| women of the time. While the process of | | | | maintain the desired cool temperatures yeast |
| fermentation was understood very early on, the | | | | requires, beer could now be reliably brewed all year |
| various technologies required to centralize the | | | | round. |
| brewing process into one location in greater quantities | | | | The work of Louis Pasteur was to also greatly |
| did not begin to come into use until the tenth century | | | | influence beer brewing methods. The discovery that |
| when European monasteries began to expand their | | | | yeast is a living microorganism that fermented the |
| beer brewing methods to include additional product | | | | wort lead to the development of pure yeast cultures |
| which could be used as payment for the monasteries | | | | chosen for their fermentation ability and flavors they |
| bills. The monks are also credited with much | | | | produce. |
| improving beer brewing recipes by coming up with | | | | Today's modern brewery, whether huge or a local |
| adding hops to the process. The addition of hops | | | | micro brewing operation, are almost all constructed |
| was first mentioned in the eighth century and again in | | | | from stainless steel which has distinct advantages |
| the tenth. This transition from primarily home brewed | | | | over the materials used in years past. It does not |
| beer to also marked the exclusion of women from | | | | flavor the beer itself in the way wood casks did, and |
| brewing responsibilities. | | | | it is very easy to clean since it doesn't react with |
| These early breweries were almost always built in | | | | many chemicals. |
| multi story buildings and arranged so that the earliest | | | | Heating is now done with pressurized steam but |
| stages of the brewing process took place on the | | | | some smaller breweries do use direct fire methods. |
| highest floors so the brewers could depend on simple | | | | Cooling is achieved by installing cooling jackets on the |
| gravity to help move the product from one brewing | | | | tanks. This arrangement helps control the |
| stage to the next. The state of the brewery, with | | | | temperature of each tank individually and very |
| relatively few improvements such as the use of | | | | accurately. |
| copper vats instead of wood, remained pretty much | | | | Perhaps the best improvement in today's breweries |
| the same for several hundred years. It wasn't until | | | | is the amount of testing that takes place for quality |
| the 1700s that the brewery started to take on the | | | | control. Not only is the batch sampled many times |
| appearance we would be familiar with today. | | | | during the process for any impurities or unwanted |
| The development of the steam engine in 1765 | | | | variations, so also are the incoming shipments of the |
| brought the ability to mechanize aspects of the | | | | raw ingredients tested for compliance to quality |
| brewing process including the mixing and stirring of | | | | standards. |
| the batch. Pumps operated by steam power were | | | | |
