This document provides information on the chemistry, ingredients, brewing process, and types of breweries involved in beer production. The key ingredients in beer are malt, sugars, water, hops, and yeast. Malt is dried sugars extracted from malted barley. Beer is made through a process of mixing the ingredients, boiling, fermenting with yeast, conditioning, and packaging. The process is similar across home, micro, and macro brewing but differs in equipment size and automation. There are four main types of breweries - home breweries, brew pubs, microbreweries, and macro breweries - which vary in production size from smallest to largest.

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Beer
Chemistry, Process, Technology, Breweries, Economy, and Health
Tyler Turcotte
Jake Frost
Mike Johnson
Rachel LePine
Jon Bunie
University of New Hampshire at Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire, USA 03103

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Table of Contents
Abstract.....................................................................................................................................................................4
Malt........................................................................................................................................................................6
Sugars ....................................................................................................................................................................7
Water......................................................................................................................................................................7
Hops.......................................................................................................................................................................8
Yeast ......................................................................................................................................................................9
What is Yeast.................................................................................................................................................9
Yeast Types................................................................................................................................................. 10
Yeast Forms ................................................................................................................................................ 10
Gelatin Finings................................................................................................................................................ 11
Other Flavoring Techniques......................................................................................................................... 11
Nuts ................................................................................................................................................................ 11
Unusual Ingredients................................................................................................................................... 11
How beer is made ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Home-Brewing................................................................................................................................................. 13
Micro-Brewery................................................................................................................................................. 16
Large Breweries............................................................................................................................................... 19
Technology............................................................................................................................................................ 23
Home Breweries.............................................................................................................................................. 23
Micro-Breweries.............................................................................................................................................. 25
Macro-Breweries............................................................................................................................................. 27
Types of Breweries............................................................................................................................................ 28
Home Breweries.............................................................................................................................................. 28
Micro Breweries.............................................................................................................................................. 29
Brew Pubs ......................................................................................................................................................... 30
Craft Breweries................................................................................................................................................ 32
Economical ............................................................................................................................................................ 33
Value of Distribution.................................................................................................................................... 33
Direct and Indirect effects ......................................................................................................................... 34
Advantages of Distributors........................................................................................................................ 34
Effects ..................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Positive.............................................................................................................................................................. 35
Negative ............................................................................................................................................................ 36

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REFERENCES..................................................................................................................................................... 38
APPENDIX A: Glossary................................................................................................................................. 38
APPENDIX B: Work Cited........................................................................................................................... 39

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Abstract
Chemistry is an integral part of the beer manufacturing process. The recipe for a great tasting
beer includes a very specific set of ingredients plus additional flavoring aspects. The most vital
ingredients in beer are the malt, sugars, water, hops, and yeast. Malt, or malt extract, is the dried
sugars extracted from malted barley. Beer contains several types of sugars such as glucose, sucrose,
fructose, as well as a few others. Water is the primary ingredient in beer and its chemistry has a
significant effect on the beer’s taste. The key flavoring ingredient in beer, hops, are cone shaped
strobilus available on several continents. Finally, the alcohol content in beer is a product of the
effects of yeast.
The process of making beer don’t change dramatically from home brewing to large scale
brewing; the only thing that changes is the equipment used and the amount of product needed. In this
document, you will understand the different machines and devices that are used at these different
level breweries. You will also get a better understanding of the steps that have to be done right to get
that delicious beer that we all desire.
Technology used in brewing is also fairly similar between the disciplines since the process is
similar. The size and quality of the equipment is the major difference between home brewing, micro
brewing and macro brewing. There is also an increase in the amount of automation used in the
different sizes of breweries.
A brewery is a building or establishment for brewing beer or other malt liquors. The diversity
of size in breweries is matched by the diversity of process, degrees of automation, and kinds of beer
produced in breweries. The brewing and distribution of beer can be done in many different ways and
sizes. Home breweries, brew pubs, micro-breweries, and macro breweries are the four main types
discussed, ranging from smallest to largest in production.

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The distribution system involving the beer making process has a large impact on the sales
and variety of choices. In this section of the document, you will be reading about the distribution
process. The distribution process allows for the necessary procedures to continue while keeping
breweries and retailers separate. By keeping them separate, it keeps the amount of transactions
and movement of the product to a minimum.
The effects of consuming beer can be both positive and negative to your body. Drinking
one to two drinks a day can have a positive effect on the body that will be laid out within the
document. By consuming more than the adequate amount of beer, your risks for the negative
side effects start to multiply and happen almost simultaneously.

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Ingredients and Chemistry of Beer
In general, all beers are made the same. This includes home brewed beer, craft or microbrew
beer, and commercially manufactured beer. The basic ingredients include water, hops, yeast, and
barley.
Malt
Home brewed beer is typically made from a malt. It comes pre-made as a malt extract and
sold in stores as a kit for home brewing. Malt extract is the concentrated and/or dried sugars
extracted from malted barley. This is the same ingredient used in everyday items such as malted
milk, breakfast cereals, baking additives, and pet foods. The grade of the barley is essential to
making beer. Malt is made from the highest grade barley.
To make malt, the barley is soaked and drained to initialize the germination of the plant from
the seed. The germination process activates enzymes that convert its starch reserves and proteins into
sugars and amino acids to be used by the brewer. When the seed starts to sprout, the grain is dried to
stop the enzymes until the brewer is ready to use the grain. There are many different types of malts
which add its own distinctive flavor and aroma to the beer. These include lager malts, pale malts,
Vienna malts, Munich malts, toasted malts, roasted malts, and chocolate malts.
When the brewer is ready to make the beer, the malted barley is crushed and soaked in hot
water to activate the enzymes and convert the barley’s starch reserves into the fermentable sugar
solution known as wort. Beer is made when the wort is boiled with hops and fermented with yeast.
To make the extract that the home brewers use, the wort is evaporated instead of fermented. The
extract may consist of a single malt or a combination depending on which style of beer is desired.

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Sugars
Table 1
Sugar Typical Percentage in Wort
Maltose 45%
Maltotriose 14%
Glucose 8%
Sucrose 6%
Fructose 2%
Unfermentable dextrins 25%
A beer wort* consists of different types of sugars. The primary sugar is maltose, which is
made of two glucose molecules. The amounts of each type of sugar in a typical wort is shown in
Table 1. Yeast is used in the fermentation of these sugars. It first breaks down the sucrose into is
glucose and fructose components. The yeast then consumes the glucose, fructose, maltose, and
Maltotriose in that order. It then ferments each sugar in different ways.
Water
A large percentage of beer is water and the type of water is very important for brewing beer.
The most popular brewing waters are the soft water of Pilsen, the hard water of Burton, Midlands,
and pure Rocky Mountain spring water. The minerals in the water affect the starch conversion of the
mash. For a home brewer, if the local water tastes good, the beer should taste good as well. If the
water doesn’t taste good or doesn’t have a good aroma, it can be treated to enhance the flavor of the
beer and provide the minerals necessary for good fermentation.
The amount of ions in the water supply can be provided by the local water report. For the
purpose of home brewing, the water should contain 50-150 parts per million (ppm) of calcium which
is essential to biochemical reactions during fermentation. It should contain 10-30 ppm of magnesium

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which is also a vital yeast nutrient but high levers taste
sour or bitter. It should contain 0-250 ppm of bicarbonate
to maintain the alkalinity of the water. 0-150 ppm of
sodium and 0-250 ppm of Chloride is necessary in the
water and acts like salt to accentuate the malt flavor.
Sulfate is used in the water to accentuate the hop
bitterness to make it seem drier and crisper. 50-150 ppm is
necessary and concentrations over 400 ppm make the beer
unpleasant.
Hops
The main flavor ingredient when brewing beer is the hop. See figure 1. It is the cone shaped
strobiles growing on a vine native to the temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia. This
particular species has both male and female plants. The female produces the cones used in the
brewing process.
The bases of the hops contain a lupulin gland
which has the essential oils and resins necessary for
brewing beer. See figure 2. The main purpose of a hop
was originally a natural preservative, but is now a main
flavoring component. The bitterness of the hops
counteracts the sweetness of the malt sugars and makes
for a refreshing beverage.
Figure 1
Figure 2

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What causes a hop to provide the bittering taste in the beer are known as alpha acid
humulone resins. These resins are not soluble in water and must be isomerized in boiling water to
release the bitterness. The longer the boiler, the greater the isomerization and the bitterer tasting it
makes the beer.
While the bitterness comes from the alpha acid resins, the flavor comes from the oils
produced by the hop. These oils are Myrcene, Linalol, Graniol, Limonene, and Terpineol. The
heavier aromatic elements of the hop are Humulene, Caryophyllene, and Farnesene. They produce
aromas commonly characterized as “noble.” The hops used for flavoring and the hops used for
aromatics are usually two separate plants. However, there are a few species used as “dual-purpose”
hops, which provide both the flavor and the aroma in the beer.
Each type of hop contains a certain level of alpha acids depending on whether it is used for
flavor or used for aroma. The hops used for their flavoring characteristics typically contain about
10% of their weight in alpha acids while the aromatic hops contain about 5% of their weight. The
amount of time the hop is boiled has the largest influence on how bitter a hop addition makes the
beer. If no time is specified, it is common to boil bittering hops for an hour and aroma or finishing
hops for the last 10 to 15 minutes.
Yeast
What is Yeast
Yeast is a microorganism and a type of fungus. They are unusual in that they can survive and
grow with oxygen or without oxygen. Most microorganisms can either do one or the other.
Fermentation is a process that happens when yeast is oxygen deprived. The yeast cells convert
simple sugars such as glucose and maltose and produce carbon dioxide and alcohol as primary waste

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products. Other products of fermentation include ester, which are responsible for a fruity essence in
beer, and phenols create a spicy flavor. Ketones such as diacetyl can produce the desired butterscotch
flavor in pale ales, scotch ales, and stouts but can leave a raunchy tone due to oxidation as the beer
ages.
Yeast Types
Different strains of yeast produce different proportions of carbon dioxide and alcohol.
Baker's yeast is a blend of several strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae chosen for their flavor and
ability to make carbon dioxide, which causes bread to rise. Brewer's yeast is made of strains chosen
for their alcohol-producing ability and tends to have a bitter flavor. Brewer's yeast is considered an
inactive yeast while baker's yeast is an active yeast. In active yeasts the yeast cells are alive, whereas
they are not alive in inactive yeasts, like brewer's yeast.
The two main types of brewer’s yeast are lager and ale. In the case of the lager yeast, the
fermentation process takes place at the bottom of the fermenter, while in an ale yeast; the
fermentation process takes place at the top of the fermenter. One other difference between the two
types of yeast is the temperature at which the yeast is dormant. The ale yeast needs warmer
fermentation temperatures, around fifty-five degrees Fahrenheit as the lager yeast is more easily
dormant at temperatures around forty degrees Fahrenheit. However, certain types of beer, such as the
California common beer, are produced using lager yeast at ale temperatures, around sixty to seventy
degrees Fahrenheit.
Yeast Forms
There are two different forms of yeast, dry and liquid. Dry yeast has been
dehydrated for storability. Dry yeast packets have a lot of viable yeast cells and have an
extended storage life. Although the dry yeast is known to produce a better quality beer,

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there is a fewer number of strains due to the dehydration process. Commercial breweries
are known for using liquid yeast because there is a larger variety of strains and they
typically don’t need to worry about storage life.
Gelatin Finings
This fining* is derived from the hooves of horses and cows. The gelatin has a positive charge
that will attract suspended yeast. Dissolved and prepared gelatin is added 1-2 weeks before bottling
the beer. Prepare the gelatin by adding 1 tablespoon to 1 pint of cold water and gently heat until
dissolved. Some brewers use seaweed extracts such as agars, carrageenans and alginates instead of
gelatin finings to make their beer vegan friendly.
Other Flavoring Techniques
There are many different flavors that can be introduced during the brewing process that can
make any beer unique. For example, in Kentucky, they produce beer in Kentucky Bourbon barrels to
have vivid flavors of caramel, vanilla, and toffee. In Vermont, maple syrup is introduced into the
beer using maple liqueur barrels. Hawaiians will add local flavors of coconut, pineapple, mango,
Maui onion, and passion fruit into their fresh brewed beverages.
Nuts
Another common flavoring additive for beer is nuts. Oregon is known for introducing
hazelnuts into their breweries. Italian beers are likely to contain chestnut powder due to its
predominance in Mediterranean cuisine.
Unusual Ingredients
1. Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout

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“What began as an April Fool’s joke, has turned into “the ballsiest canned beer in the
world,” as the brewers use bull testicles as the special ingredient.”
Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout - Brewed with local oysters
Southern Pecan Nut Brown - Whole roasted pecans are used like grain
Orange Wheat - An unfiltered beer brewed with local oranges.

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How beer is made
Beer looks very simple and easy to make when you are casually drink it at the bar or on
the couch. But the reality is that beer is much more complicated then it seems, and it takes a lot
longer to make then just the pour out of the tap. For every beer made, there is a specific process
with different types of equipment to get the end result that everyone enjoys. The three types of
breweries will all have different equipment and processes in which they make their beer, but the
basic concepts are the same.
Home-Brewing
Home brewing is a beginning to be a catchy subject in today’s society. More and more
people are making their own beer, but the ways that make it are not the same as the micro-
breweries or the macro-breweries. Home-brewers usually don’t have the money to buy
expensive equipment, so they have to make beer in a different way using old and new
technologies at the same time.
Things Needed
 5-15 Gallon cooking pot
 Burner/ Stove top.
 Plastic/ Glass fermentation jug
 Thermostat
 Strainer
 Keg
 Ingredients
 Bottles/ Caps
 Hydrometer
 Measuring cups
The first step to making beer in a home is to have a good clean source of water to make
the mash. The water will have to be heated up to 104-170 °F in a cooking pot eventually adding

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barely and other grains to make mash. This is a very important step as it controls the amount of
alcohol that will be produced in the beer. When barely is added to the hot water it breaks down
into sugar; this is the sugar that gets eaten by yeast to produce the alcohol. When all of the sugar
is out of the grain, the mash is ready to go through a strainer to get rid of the grains husks. The
mash step is where most all of the color comes from. Once all of the husk and debris is removed
from the mash, the liquid is now called wort.
The wort can now be put on the heated on the stove to so spices and hops can be added.
This is where the flavor of the beer comes from as well as the rest of the color. The wort should
be boiled between 50-120 minutes so that it sterilizes the liquid as well as breaking down the
enzymes that broke down the grains. The boiling water also releases the aromas of the hops into
the work allowing the full bodied flavor of the beer. After the wort is heated for the desired
time, it will have to be taken off the stove and allowed to cool before the next step which is
filtration.
Filtration of the wort is important so that all of the proteins and hops will be removed
from the liquid. Many home-brewers use a stainless steel hop filter to remove most of the
particles. After it has gone through this filter it will head into the fermentation jug where yeast
will be added to start making the final product. Depending on the yeast that you put in will
control where that fermentation will have to take place. For example, lager yeast tends to like
colder temperature as well as 1 month fermentation where ale likes a warmer temperature and
only needs about seven to twelve days of fermentation. After the yeast is added, the liquid will
say isolated to let the yeast do what it does best which is turning all of the sugar into alcohol.

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When the yeast becomes dead (after the fermentation time), it will settle at to bottom of the jug.
Cooling encourages the yeast to sink helping speed up this process. This cooling process is
called conditioning and helps make the beer smoother to drink. If you were to drink the beer
now, it would have the flavor of an unfiltered beer but would have no carbonization.
Conditioning takes place after the fermentation period and allows the body of the beer to
be smoother and more pronounced. It also adds carbonization into the beer forming the taste that
everyone knows. Home-brewers can do this step two different ways,
1) The first way is to drain out as much of the yeast that is sitting at
the bottom of the tank as possible before agitating the liquid too much.
This is so that the yeast particles don’t float back up into the liquid and a
better product will come out after filtering. Next, the liquid from the
fermentation jug will have to be bottled and a small about of sugar will
have to be added before the cap goes on. This sugar re-activates some of
the yeast still inside the liquid creating a small amount of alcohol and the
𝐶𝑂2
(carbondiozide). This process takes about another two weeks to
become fully conditioned. The 𝐶𝑂2
is forced into the liquid because the
cap is causing it to be under pressure. This 𝐶𝑂2
added into the liquid
now is called beer for the first time and can be enjoyed.
2) The second way that home-brewers condition their beer starts out
like there first way, they drain out as much of the yeast that is sitting at
the bottom of the tank as possible before agitating the liquid too much.
This is so that the yeast particles don’t float back up into the liquid and a

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better product will come out after filtering. Next, the liquid from the
fermentation jug will have to be bottled but instead of adding sugar, they
inject 𝐶𝑂2
from a can to get the desired carbonation. The bottles are then
caped and let to sit for another two weeks for best results. When the 𝐶𝑂2
is injected into the liquid, it can now be called beer.
Conditioning is a major part of what the final product taste like. For the first option, if the beer is
not left long enough the beer will be flat and have a rougher finish. For the second option, right
after the 𝐶𝑂2
is pushed into the beer you can drink it but it will not be as smooth as if you let it
condition for the recommended two weeks. These two weeks can make or break a beer.
Micro-Brewery
Micro-brewing is starting to make a comeback in today’s society and differs from home-
brewing by the equipment used. Although the main processes remains the same, the different
tactics and equipment used makes a more reliable. One of the tours that we went on was at One
Love Brewery located in Dover NH; and they were kind enough to give us their procedure for
how they make beer.
The Equipment Needed
 Grain Crusher
 Grist Case
 Grist Tanks/ Mash Tun
 Lauter Tun
 Wort Kettle
 Whirlpool
 Wort Chiller
 Fermentation Tank
 Conditioning Tank
 Ingredients

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At One Love Brewery the micro-brewing process starts off with 50 lb. bags of grain.
This grain is called Two Row Pale Malt* and is imported from Canada, Germany, and Michigan.
The Two Row Pale Malt is stored in a room that is both temperature and humidity controlled.
This keeps the malt at a desirable consistency and allows it to be stored longer. When it is time
to start making beer, the malt bags are cut into and dumped into a Grain Crusher. This machine
crushes the malt into tiny pieces allowing the sugars to be separated away from the grain husks.
The crushed malt then takes a trip up an auger to the Grist Case where it is held for around a day
before it is used. This is a triangular storage box that hangs above the Grist Tank or Mash Tun
so the crushed malt can easily be added to the next step.
When it is time to add the malt into the Grist Tank, the bottom hatch of the Grist Case is
opened allowing a certain amount of crushed malt to enter. 160 °F water is added into the grist
tank and is allowed to boil for two to three hours depending on the type of beer being made.
This boiling absorbs all of the sugars present and also gives the color of the beer. The grist tank
has a false bottom which allows the water in the tank (now called wort) to drain out the bottom
to be transfer to the next step. The false bottom also acts like a filter only allowing the wort to
drain though. This will be done a few times with the same malt to get the most flavor out of the
grain. As Michael Snyder (the owner) said
“Think of the grist tank as a coffee maker. You add the coffee grounds
into the filter and then run hot water over it to get the flavor out of the coffee
beans. Well if you use the same grounds to make 3 pots of coffee, the stronger pot
will be the first pot and the weakest will be the last. We then take these 3 pots of
coffee and put them together to get a full flavored brew”.

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This process makes the liquid look like beer, but it doesn’t contain any alcohol or hops yet. The
wort is then moved onto the Lauter Tun, Wort Kettle and Whirlpool tank. This is one tank that
does all three of these steps due to space and a budget of the brewery.
Now that the wort is in the Lauter Tun, it is checked to see if it has enough sugar to move
on. One Love Brewery does this by tasting a sample of the wort as well as compares the color to
a table. When the wort gets approval, it is heated back up to boiling temp and hopes are now
added; this part of the process is the Wort Kettle. The wort is boiled for 90 minutes where hops
can be added at different time to get different tastes and aromas. When hops are added at the
beginning of the boil, taste is created. And when hopes are added at the end, aromas are added.
Once the 90 minutes are up for the boil, the hops have to be removed from the wort using a
Whirlpool. There are two nozzles angled at 30 degrees inside the tank pumping the wort to spin
it in a vortex. This vortex makes the heavier hops go to the middle (also known as TRUB*) the
liquid wort stays on the outside. As this happens the liquid wort gets sucked out of the tank and
gets put though a heat exchanger. The left over TRUB is sent to local farmers to feed their
livestock.
The heat exchanger brings the 212 °F wort down to 60 °F in a few seconds. This is an
important step as it makes the proteins clump together so that they fall out of solution before it
reaches the fermentation tank. Also when the proteins fall out of solution, it makes for a clearer
beer that doesn’t look so foggy. The heat exchanger also has a tube where the wort can be seen
to show what it looks like. After the wort passes though the heat exchanger, it goes into the
fermentation tanks where brewer’s yeast is added. The yeast that is added will sit in the beer for
1-3 weeks at 65 °F depending on the type of beer being made. During that time, the yeast will
eat the sugars produced by the Grist Tank and produce alcohol as a bi-product. After the 1-3

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weeks, most of the yeast will have dies and sunk to the bottom of the fermentation tank. Since
no filter will be used to get the remaining yeast out the beer, a seaweed extract is added. This
seaweed extract is negatively charged and attaches to the positively charged yeast partials.
When this happens this sinks to the bottom of the tanks leaving a fairly clean brew. At this point
the liquid can now be called beer. It has the flavor, aroma, alcohol, and color but still is missing
one thing which is carbonization. To get this carbonation the bottom of the fermentation tank
has to be opened to drain all of the yeast. The clean beer can now be moved into the
conditioning tanks.
The conditioning tanks are in a refrigerator that stays around 42 °F. Here, One love
brewery forces the 𝐶𝑂2
into the top of the tank forcing it down into the beer. This method is
called assistic 𝐶𝑂2
pressure. They prefer this method over the other way which is to put the 𝐶𝑂2
in the bottom of the tank and aerate it up though the beer. This aeration releases the aromas of
the beer giving the drinker a less full body taste and smell. It sits inside the conditioning tanks
for 2 weeks before it is connected straight to the taps at the 7th
Settlement restaurant. There is
now bottling here and the only way to take home their beer is by a growler*.
Large Breweries
The large Breweries have all of the same tools and equipment that the micro-breweries have
but they have it on a much larger scale. A tour to the Budweiser plant will show the mass amount of
beer that they make in a day which is 13,698,630 gallons for all of their plants. This turns out to be
around 5 billion gallons of beer a year. The process for one of these plants starts the same way that a
micro-breweries do and that is with clean filtered water.
Figures 3-7 were all taken at the Redhook brewery in Portsmouth NH.

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The Equipment Needed
 Mash Tun
 Lauter Tun
 Wort Kettle
 Whirlpool
 Wort Chiller
 Fermentation Tank
 Conditioning Tank
 Ingredients
 Lab Equipment
 Filter
Micro-brewing starts off by passing the water it uses though a
professional grade filtration system to get any contaminates present out
such as chlorine and bacteria. This water is then put into the Mash tun
(Figure 3) which is similar to the pot on the stove. The Mash tun then
heats up the water so that the barely and grains can be put in. The water
gets heated up to different stages at different times of the boil so that the
starches in the grain can turn into sugars. The temperature ranges from
104 °F to 170 °F during this process. The amount of sugar converted
from the starches is a direct correlation to the amount of alcohol in the end product. The mash
process takes about 2-3 hour and will give you most of the color in the beer at the end.
When the mash is all done cooking, it will be transferred into the Lauter tun (Figure 4)
though a set of filters. These filters will allow the newly formed liquid to go through with some
Figure 3

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particles still levitate. The head brewer can take a look and sample of
this liquid at this point to see if it is a worthy batch. If this liquid
passes inspection, it will start its process in the Lauter tun. The Lauter
tun is a large tank that separated the rest of the floating particles out of
the liquid. It does this by using a false bottom to catch these particles.
After this stage, the liquid is now called wort and has the color of beer
but doesn’t have the alcohol, carbonation, or flavor yet. The wort then moves onto the wort
kettle to get cooked with hops.
The Wort kettle (Figure 5) is where the wort gets heated back
up to boiling point where hopes and spices are now added to get the
flavor of beer. The boiling excretes the flavors from the spices added
into the wort. This wort after a nice soak of a few hour needs to be
cooled using a wort chiller. This wort chiller cools the boiling liquid
quick to preserve the flavors that have been added. The temperature
goes from 203 °F to 68 °F in a matter of a few minutes. This cooling rate of change is a lot more
efficient than one that you would find at a home-brewers place. This chilled wort is now
pumped into the whirlpool to separate the hops and spices from the wort.
Figure 5
Figure 4

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The whirlpool (Figure 6) is a tank that will separate the solids from the
liquid to prepare the wort for fermentation process. The wort inside the tank
will spin creating a vortex effect. This will make the solids clump together
in the center of the tank as the rest of the liquid is pumped out and put into
the proper fermentation tanks. These fermentation tanks are quite large but
are very small compared to the macro-breweries.
The fermentation tank (Figure 7) is where the wort goes to get the alcohol content. At
this point the wort looks and smells like beer but no alcohol or carbonation is in the liquid yet.
Yeast is added to start the process of making alcohol. This wort is then left inside these tanks for
7-30 days depending on the type of beer being made. After the desired amount of days
fermenting, the beer is now considered to be beer although no
carbonation is in it still. This is where the brewer can add sugar to let
natural carbonation occur or inject the beer with 𝐶𝑂2
. Bottling will
take place after all the beer is carbonated and ready for the consumer.
The bottling line is a major mechanical engineering
achievement with so many moving parts working together. Bottles
are brought into the plant in boxes on pallets. These pallets are then put into a machine that
removes the bottles from the boxes and places them on a conveyor line. The bottles then move
though the stations, first getting cleaned and sanitized. After they are sterol, they move down the
line to get filled and caped. This station moves very fast and can fill around 10,000 bottles a
day. The filled bottles then move to the wash station where the excess beer is washed off. They
Figure 7
Figure 6

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then gather on a wide portion of the track to allow the bottles to cool down and dry from the
wash. It is important that they are cool and dry so that the labels will be able to stick to the
bottles, which is the next step. At this point the bottles have beer in them and they have a label
to show what is in them. From here they are then but in boxes and then on pallets to be stored in
a large fridge. The beer will stay in the fridge until it is ready to be shipped to retailers.
Technology
Home Breweries
Homebrew technology is the most basic type of brewing. Many home brewers choose to
purchase premade malt so that they do not need a malt mill, which will be discussed later. Home
brewers use a large pot called a brew pot on a stove, fairly simple thermometer, and a timer for
their mash and boil into wort.
Simple brew pots are just large kitchen pots. More advanced brew pots feature a built in
thermometer, as well as a drain on the bottom of the pot for transferring the wort to the
fermentation bucket while minimizing risks of contamination.
Home brewers use a wort chiller to cool their wort at a controlled rate. Controlled cooling
makes the beer more clear and reduces chances of contamination. The most basic chiller is filling
the sink with cold water and placing the brew pot into it to cool. There are a few other ways to
cool wort in a more controlled manner however. Simple wort chillers are a copper tube wrapped
in a coil. The home brewer attaches a one end of the tube to a cold water source, such as their
sink faucet. The other end features a return line to the drain in the sink. This simple type of
chiller is placed inside the pot after boiling. More elaborate wort chillers use an opposing-flow
type heat exchanger. In this system, the cold water flow remains the same. The hot wort and cold

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water run in opposite directions, in separate tubes or chambers which share a wall for
conduction.
A 5 to 20 gallon bucket with a cover is generally used as a fermenter. The cover has a
few features that make it special. It has a one way valve called an air lock to allow air to escape
during fermentation. Some fermentation buckets also have a blow-off valve which consists of a
large tube running from the cover to a container of distilled water. The end of the tube is
submerged in the water to prevent contaminants from entering the fermenter. This blow off tube
allows foam to escape safely, to prevent it from clogging the air lock. When the air lock gets
clogged by foam, the fermenter pressurizes and the cover can pop off, creating a spray of beer
foam.
Home brewers use a hydrometer, which measures the specific gravity of a liquid.
Knowing specific gravity or relative density at the start of the fermentation process allows
the brewer to determine when the fermentation process is done. It also allows them to calculate
the percentage of alcohol per volume.
Larger scale home brewers will make stainless tanks as fermenters which can feature the
air lock, blow off valve, and a drain on the bottom of the tank. This drain lets the brewer transfer
their beer into a bottling container or bucket without contaminating the brew. Bucket brewers use
an auto-starting siphon to transfer the fermentation bucket to the bottling bucket without
contamination. Home brewers tend to prefer larger bottles (20 oz.) to speed up their bottling
process. There are many different style cappers that home brewers can purchase to cap their
bottles. Some home brewers bottle their beer in old soda kegs called Cornelius kegs. They
typically use phosphoric acid to sanitize their equipment. All of the equipment through the
process is sanitized.

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Many resources are available online. Homebrewtalk.com is a good community forum
with loads of information about home brewing. There are also online brewing calculators that are
fast and easy resources for calculating gravity points, IBU’s* and percent alcohol per volume.
Micro-Breweries
Micro-breweries use similar technologies to home breweries, since the process is quite
similar. The technologies serve the same purpose but are a bit bigger and more advanced. Micro-
breweries use a grain crusher or malt mill to grind the grain that they purchase. Many micro-
breweries use an auger to transport their malt from the malt mill into their grist case. An auger is
a motor driven screw inside a tube that can be used in many applications of transporting raw
materials upward. The grist case is typically made of stainless steel and has a conical shape to
guide the malt into the grist tank or mash tun. The grist case features a door on the bottom of the
cone that can be opened to let the malt out into the mash tun.
The mash tun is made of stainless steel and features one or more heating elements, for
boiling the wort. There are temperature sensors to provide feedback to a programmable logic
controller. The controller adjusts the temperatures of the heating elements according the
feedback it receives from the temperature sensors. The controller can also run the boil for set
amounts of time, which gives makes the process easier for the brewers. The mash tun features a
false bottom, which allows the brewers to screen the malt from the wort as the wort is being
transferred to the Lauter tun. The mash tun has a valve that lets the brewer easily transfer the
wort to the Lauter tun.
The Lauter tun is also made of stainless steel. Since microbreweries are so small, often
times their Lauter tun needs to perform multiple functions. It has to be used as a wort kettle, so it

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features heating elements as well as temperature sensors that communicate with the controller
mentioned in the mash tun paragraph. The Lauter tun also typically features a whirlpool. The
whirlpool uses a pump to draw wort from the sides of the bottom of the tank and force it back
into the sides of the top of the tank at a thirty degree angle to a tangent line of the outside of the
tank. The Lauter tun also has a sanitization cleanout for easy removal of the TRUB. Some
microbreweries use pressure sensors at the top and bottom of the tank as feedback for the
whirlpool pump control system, and integrate it into their controller, but this is not always worth
the extra cost for micro-breweries. Finally, the Lauter tun has a valve to let the wort out into the
fermentation tank.
During the transfer to the fermentation tank, the wort is cooled using a wort chiller. This
is typically a water-to-water heat exchanger where cold water is used to take the take the heat
from the wort. As mentioned earlier, the chiller cools the wort from boiling to around 60 degrees
very quickly.
The fermentation tank is stainless and features a blow off valve and an air lock just like
the home brewers use for pressure relief. It can have temperature sensors as well as pressure
sensors if the microbrewery wants to collect that sort of data on their beer. Brewers use
hydrometers to determine when it is time to transfer to the conditioning tanks. Some micro-
brewers use spectrometers, which help them analyze the color and clarity of their beer.
Again, both the fermentation tank and conditioning tanks feature valves to make the
transfer between tanks easy. The conditioning tanks are where the beer goes for carbonation.
Micro-breweries sometimes do a partial carbonation in the conditioning tanks, so the tank
features a carbon dioxide system that pressurizes the tanks during conditioning to add

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carbonation to the beer. These tanks feature an output to a tap for serving or bottling the finished
beer.
The wort tun, Lauter tun, and fermentation tanks feature a conical bottom to allow for
easy cleanout. The tanks for a small brewery or brewpub are generally around four or five feet in
diameter, and are about six to eight feet tall. A batch of beer is around 50 gallons. Larger micro-
breweries have up to 1300-gallon batches so the tanks are much larger. Many micro-breweries
don’t keg or bottle their beer and only sell growlers from a brewpub. Other micro-breweries do
keg and bottle their beers and sell it in grocery stores in their local area or through various co-
ops.
For sanitization, different microbreweries go different directions. One Love Brewery uses
halogenated acid, which is an iodine solution that breaks down in vinegar, which makes it
environmentally safe. Passivation is caused by an acid wash, which means the sanitizing solution
removes free iron particles that are hanging out on the surface of the tanks, which ultimately
improves the lifespan of the tanks. Other breweries can choose harsher chemicals, but the
process for cleaning remains the same. Micro-brewers have lots of experience and education in
brewing and usually develop their own spreadsheets for quantities of ingredients and boil times
for their beers.
Macro-Breweries
Macro-breweries or large breweries have similar tanks to a micro-brewery, with slight
differences. Where automated control of the tanks was optional with the micro-brewery, it is
mandatory for the macro brewery so their tanks must have several temperature sensors as well as
pressure sensors. They can also have hydrometer and spectrometer sensors for checking on the
beer and knowing when to transfer it without having to take it from the tank. The tanks are much

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larger than the tanks the micro-breweries use. They also have a wort kettle, Lauter tun, and
whirlpool as three separate tanks where many microbreweries just use one tank for those three
operations. In addition to having more sensors, the tanks also feature insulation to help prevent
heat loss during boiling operations.
Macro-breweries have very extravagant bottling processes. They use automated
machines that clean the bottles and fill them very quickly. Bottle handling machines are very
impressive to see. Many macro-breweries also have a fleet of trucks for delivery, which can be
another feat of technology and organization in itself.
Types of Breweries
In order for someone to consume a nice cold beer it must first be brewed. This process is
done in what they call a brewery. A brewery is a building or establishment for brewing beer or
other malt liquors. The diversity of size in breweries is matched by the diversity of process,
degrees of automation, and kinds of beer produced in breweries.
Home Breweries
Home Brewing is where it all began. It is defined as the brewing of beer, wine, sake,
mead, cider, perry and other beverages through fermentation. This would be on a small scale as a
hobby for personal consumption, free distribution at social gatherings, amateur brewing
competitions or other non-commercial reasons. Home brewing has been around for thousands of
years. Americas brewing landscape began to change by the late 1970s. On the shelves and in the
bars mostly consisted of light lager, leaving the imported beer slightly out of the picture. These

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Low calorie light beers soon began to drive and shape the growth and nature of the American
beer industry. This began the increase in home brewing. Activity inspired beer enthusiasts were
starting their own small companies, intending to reintroduce the public to more flavor and to the
traditions of beer. A home brewery usually will brew just for the love and passion behind making
and enjoying there own beer. At times it is possible for one to at most, break even with the
expenses of brewing. With help from John Palmer, as seen in the Figure 8, the home brewing is
reasonably inexpensive and almost anyone could give it a try.
Figure 8
Micro Breweries
A microbrewery is a limited production brewery, typically only producing specialty beers
and often selling its products only locally. Much of today’s most fascinating beers come from
these breweries. Today there are approximately 426 microbreweries in the United States, loosing
and gaining many of them every year. These microbreweries are mainly different from the larger
brewing facilities because they only produce a fraction of beer a year. Microbreweries can turn
out 15,000 or fewer barrels a year each holding approximately 31 gallons of beer. What these

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companies lack in quantity they make up for in quality. Microbreweries for the most part make
more than one kind of beer. The main theme of beer brewed in microbreweries still revolves
around five basic types. Lager is a type of beer that originated in Germany. It contains a
relatively small amount of hops and is aged from approximately six weeks to six months to allow
for sedimentation. In summation this is a light-bodied beer, which is fermented in a closed vessel
using yeasts that sink to the bottom of the brew. Pilsner is a light, golden lager having a very
strong flavor of the hops. It is said to have a flowery aroma with a dry finish. Ale is a type of
beer that is fermented in an open vessel using yeasts that will rise to the top of the brew. This
type is darker, heavier, and bitterer than the average beer. Porter is made from unmated roasted
barley. It is bittersweet ale made by drying at a high temperature. The final main theme is a Stout
beer. This is a very dark, rich brew that is made with highly roasted malts. It almost has a
hoppier, maltier flavor.
Brew Pubs
As microbreweries kept growing, brewpubs
were born. A restaurant-brewery that sells 25% or
more of its beer on site is called a Brewpub, as seen
in figure 9.
Figure 9

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These casual eating-places, where a small amount of beer was brewed on the premises,
were slowly transformed into three categories.
1. First there are the places that brew their own beer on the premises of the restaurant or
pub.
2.The type is where the actual pub or restaurant is owned and operated by a separate
microbrewery.
3.Lastly the owner of the restaurant or pub gets their beer from a local microbrewery,
rather than having their own.
When Brewpubs have their own small scale microbrewery, a trained brew master will
make small batches of fresh beers for in house consumption or limited commercial distribution.
These brew master’s work within the confines of the pub-style restaurant in order to provide
customers with unique beers on tap. The majority of beers brewed among these brewpubs may or
may not be named after the brew master. The brewer could use his mood at the time of brewing,
his pets, or his family in the naming of beers. This naming can possibly be the greatest exertion
of creativity in a brewer’s working life. The brewpub brew masters also typically have a lively
seasonal schedule that can change the entire spectrum of beer styles. Throughout the year it can
be expected to find imperial stouts and barley wines in the winter. In the summer a kolsch and
wheat ales can be found, and of course almost a mandatory Octoberfest in September. It is
possible to also see a maibock in the springtime, which is a very strong lager that is traditionally
brewed in the fall and aged through the winter for consumption in the spring.

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Craft Breweries
Craft Breweries are similar to microbreweries, but they are slightly larger in size. A craft
brewery brews no more than 2 million gallons of beer per year and is also owned independently.
The craft beer is a beer that is brewed in batches with the finest quality ingredients. This is done
on a limited basis or may be a seasonal brew. A craft brewery has a set limitation on the
techniques of their beer production. These craft breweries beer must contain at least 50 percent
traditional malt, instead of all oats, barley and wheat. A large percentage of these beers are
European style such as ales, stouts and porters. One of the most well-known craft brewers is the
makes of Samuel Adams; The Boston Brewing Company.
Macro Breweries
Macro brewery is the final category of brewing. A microbrewery is a large national or
international brewery that produces and distributes sizeable amount of beer. This name refers to
the most commercial and popular beers like those made by Anheuser-Buch. A macro brew mass-
produces beer made in very large quantities. This is sold for generally a cheaper price and is
made for distribution in stores nationwide. These macro breweries tend to produce beers with
much less taste compared to the microbreweries. These beers are not as rich and full as the
smaller breweries because mainly of the mass production that is made. There is such a large
variety of beer consumers that purchase their beers that the breweries must produce a generic
beer that everyone will enjoy. With their production quantity so high, the taste will also be
slightly less because of the cost to brew. The production costs are increased exponentially
compared to smaller breweries in which cheaper ingredients must be used to keep the production
costs as low as possible. In return to the beer being slightly duller than others, and also produced

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with cheaper ingredients, the overall costs will be less for the public. This low cost seems to
make the beer that much more popular for distribution.
Economical
Value of Distribution
Distributors allow for adequate pricing, high efficiency, high profits and a large
selection for the consumer. They provide over 130,000 full time jobs with benefits, along
with part-time and seasonal jobs. With the multiplier effect, this produces more than
345,000 jobs in the US. The multiplier effect is described as an increase in spending that
causes a substantial increase in profit that is much greater than the initial spending
amount. With the multiplier effect, distribution contributes to large investments. It is also
used for capital assets in warehousing and equipment. Distribution helps with the local
economy such as taxes, fees, and consumer spending by limiting the amount of transactions
for a shipment of beer. Limiting the amount of transactions helps to keep the prices lower
for the intended stock. Distribution factors for $10.3 billion in federal, local and state taxes
which is funding for 400 million hours of public school teachers or 400,000 miles of
highway maintenance for the year.
Distributors also provide logistics and expertise with the beer making
process. They have the opportunity to experiment with natural resources and sustainable
solutions to make the process more environmentally friendly.

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Direct and Indirect effects
Distribution directly affects jobs, payroll and output that are created by the
individual distributor. The number of full time jobs in each center plays a role in the
economy by giving thousands of jobs. The estimated value of these jobs is about 130,000
jobs throughout 3,300 distributor establishments. This accounts for $10 billion in salaries,
as well as $22 billion in production.
Advantages of Distributors
Distributors allow for fair pricing of the
product. For this to happen, fewer transactions are
required as explained above. In Figure 10, separate
interactions between the breweries and retailers
take place within each delivery period. Interactions
include separate ordering, billing, marketing,
transporting and merchandising. With a distributor,
only 15 transactions take place; without the distributor, the number of interactions
dramatically increases to 75. With this type of system, it wouldn’t be possible for smaller
more local breweries to get their product out.
Choices for the different types of beer would be
limited if a brewery didn’t rely on a distribution
center. Figure 11 shows how it works with a
distributor. With the help of a distributor, each
brewery and retailer only has to deal with one
Figure 10
Figure 11

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process which helps with efficiency and cost. They also deal with the tax collection and the
licensing fees.
A distribution system allows for a large variety of product and easy access to
multiple brands throughout different retailers. This minimizes the negotiation between
suppliers and retailers about the cost. Craft brewers are then enabled to get their product
out to areas they wouldn’t usually be able to. The craft brewers then have a chance to
promote their product and expand their market by contributing to in-store tastings.
A distribution center has access to refrigeration of the product which allows for transport
to expanded markets. Damage during shipment is also covered by the distribution
center. Being responsible for the shipment and damages keeps the initial retailer’s cost low
so they can focus on producing more product. Available refrigeration during transport
allows for inventory and space to be controlled. Refrigeration is helpful to keep the shelves
stocked with fresh inventory which ensures high quality of the product. Also, having the
ability to move stock more frequently helps with regulating it and allows for adequate
inventory of a product.
Effects
Effects
Positive
Growing up, people constantly hear about the negative effects of alcohol and are
pushed into your brain to be something that will scare you into not drinking. However,
there can be many positive effects that accompany moderate beer consumption. Keep in
mind, one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men are the most you

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should consume to keep a healthy lifestyle. Beer, when consumed in moderation, helps
with stronger bones. It contains high levels of silicon which promotes bone
health. However, drinking more than two drinks a day has the exact negative effect,
causing an increased risk for fractures. A stronger heart is also a positive effect because of
the raised levels of HDL. HDL is the “good” cholesterol that helps your arteries from getting
clogged and also helps by preventing blood clots. Preventing blood clots lowers the risk of
stroke by allowing the blood to flow from the heart to the neck and brain. Beer
consumption aides in kidney health; the risk of kidney stones had dropped by 40 percent
based on the assumption that beer’s high water content keeps the kidneys working.
Alzheimer’s disease along with dementia had been lowered by about 20 percent
compared to non-drinkers. Older women who had one drink a day have been tested to be
about 18 months below their actual age compared to mental skills of non-drinkers.
Beer can also be used in cooking. Beer used as a marinade for steak was found to
eliminate up to 70 percent of HCAs. HCAs are heterocyclic amines which are produced
when the meat is cooked at high temperatures. HCAs are found to be mutagenic and are
linked to the formation of cancer cells. They form when amino proteins, creatine and
sugars react with high temperatures. Studies suggest that the sugars from the beer help
block HCAs from forming. It is also high in vitamin B6, B12 and folic acid which contribute
to the chemicals that transmit signals to the brain as well as the DNA makeup in your cells.
Negative
When consuming more than the recommended amount of beer per day, negative
effects becomes more prominent. Short term effects include disturbed sleep, heartburn,
stress, memory loss and impaired judgment. Although the previous short term effects

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don’t seem like a problem, they can have a long term effect. Increased consumption can
cause brain damage as well as mental health problems like depression and anxiety. Other
long term effects include weight gain, bad skin, high blood pressure, liver disease and
cancer. When drinking in excess, most symptoms tend to happen together. Someone who
drinks in excess over long periods of time usually obtains most of these long term side
effects as well as short term.
With heavy drinking, you run the risk of alcohol poisoning. With alcohol poisoning,
you run the risk of being put into a life-threatening situation such as vomiting and
blackouts. When you are brought to an emergency room, there are many different steps
the nurses and doctors have to take; the different types of processes can take up a lot of
time and money.

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REFERENCES
APPENDIX A: Glossary
2 Row Pale Malt- Is one of the more common types of malted grain. It is grown in a few parts
of the world including the upper USA, Germany, and Canada.
TRUB - Is the name for hop waste after it has been taken out of the wort.
IBU’s- A measurement of bitterness.
Growler- Is a Glass Jug that contains 66 fl oz of beer. It is used to buy beer out of a
tap which usually means that it is not sold in stores.
Wort - The liquid extracted from the mashing process during
the brewing of beer or whisky. Wort contains the sugars that will
be fermented by the brewing yeast to produce alcohol.
Fining - a substance used for clarifying liquid, esp. beer or wine.
HDL- High density lipoprotein - a type of cholesterol involved in aiding memory
function.
HCA- Cause changes in DNA that may increase the risk of cancer

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APPENDIX B: Work Cited
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Supplies. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
"Alcohol and Your Health." Drinkaware.co.uk. Drinkaware, Mar. 2014. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
B, Katie. "Beer: 5 Benefits and 5 Disadvantages." HubPages.com. HubPages, 24 May 2008.
Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
"Beer Brewing Process." How Beer Is Made: The Brewing Process. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar.
2014.
"Brewing Process - Brewery Equipment." Brewing Process - Brewery Equipment. N.p., n.d.
Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Bowker, K. (2013, August 28). Bringing local flavors to your pint. Retrieved from
http://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/bringing-local-flavors-to-your-pint
Fahrendorf, Teri Fahrendorf. "Efficient Grain Handling Systems." N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar.
2014. <http://www.terifahrendorf.com/Grain-Handling-Systems.pdf>.
Fried, Eunice. ""American Microbreweries", Small, Local Breweries "American
Microbreweries", Small, Local Breweries, Brew Pubs Popular with Beer Lovers Seeking
More Flavor, Variety. Story by Wine Writer Eunice Fried; Travel Article from Travel
Classics. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.travelclassics.com/library/american_microbreweries.shtml>.

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"How Can I Make My Beer Clearer or Brighter?" Www.midwestsupplies.com. N.p., n.d. Web.
31 Mar. 2014. <http://www.midwestsupplies.com/media/pdf-
printouts/clear_brighten_beer.pdf>.
Latham, William, and Kenneth Lewis. "America's Beer Distributors." NBWA.org. National Beer
Wholesalers Association, 2013. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
"Microbrewery Equipment." , Pub Brewery Equipment, Bottling Plants, Kegging Lines. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://www.brewplants.com/>.
"Midwest Supplies Home Brewing & Winemaking." - Homebrewing and Winemaking. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
National Cancer Institute. "Chemicals in Meat Cooked at High Temperatures." Cancer.gov.
National Cancer Institute, 15 Oct. 2010. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
"One Love Brewery Tour." Personal interview. 8 Mar. 2014.
Palmer, J. (2006). How to brew. Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications.
"The Portsmouth Brewery: Beermaking, Step by Step." The Portsmouth Brewery:
Beermaking, Step by Step. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
"The Seaweed Site: Information on Marine Algae." The Seaweed Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar.
2014.
"Redhook Tour." Personal interview. 22 Feb. 2014.
WiseGEEK. N.p., 4 Mar. 2013. Web. 4 Apr. 2014. <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-
macrobrew.htm>.
How To Brew. John Palmer, 2 Feb. 2008. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

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<http://www.howtobrew.com/equipment.html>.
"ProBrewer.com: An Online Resource Serving The Beer Industry." ProBrewer.com: An
Online Resource Serving The Beer Industry. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.probrewer.com/>.
Samsa, Ashley L. "6 Health Benefits of Drinking Beer." Care2.com. Care2, 16 Mar. 2013. Web.
01 Apr. 2014.