Grain to Glass
Ever wondered how that pint in your hand was created?“ People are always surprised by how much goes into a single pint,” says Jamie, Taproom Manager at Westerham Brewery. We went behind the scenes to find out exactly how they make their ales, lagers and stout.
Step 1
One of the most interesting things about Westerham is that they use their own water. It’ s pumped from 90 metres underground and is naturally semi-hard, which affects the taste of the beer. Once heated, brewers call it“ liquor” which is simply heated water.
The barley comes from Norfolk. Before it arrives it’ s soaked, starts to germinate( which develops the flavour), then dried and roasted.
Step 2
At the brewery, the barley is milled and put into a mash tun, where it’ s mixed with hot liquor.
This stage pulls all the sugars and flavour out of the grain. The liquid that comes out of it is called“ wort”( pronounced wert), and it’ s the base of the beer.
Step 3
The next step is fermentation, where it actually becomes beer. The liquid is cooled and yeast is added. The yeast turns the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide.
Westerham uses a yeast strain that’ s over 200 years old, which keeps their beer consistent and traditional.
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