Rockyard Brewing Process

Brewing begins with malted barley, which is cracked in a malt mill. The milled barley (called "grist") is mixed with hot water in a mash tun causing a reaction which converts the starchy grain to sugar. This sweet liquid called wort (pronounced "wert") is filtered out of the mash and transferred to the brew kettle. The wort is then brought to a boil. Hops are added at various intervals, some producing subtle bitterness others fine aroma. After boiling, the wort is transferred through a heat exchanger, cooling the liquid to fermentation temperature. The hot water produced in the heat exchanger is recaptured and stored in the hot liquor tank, ready to use for the next brewing cycle. The wort is then pumped into one of the fermenters. Yeast is added to the cooled wort and fermentation begins.

After fermentation and maturation, which takes approximately two weeks, the fresh ale is filtered. Filtering removes the remaining yeast and improves clarity. Now, at its height of freshness, the ale is stored in a serving tank. The fresh ale is transferred directly from the serving tanks to your glass.