Jon Davis, who has worked at La Brea Bakery since 1991 and created many of their popular breads, has taken up home brewing beer as a hobby. Brewing beer is similar to baking bread in that it involves combining water and grain, adding yeast, and allowing fermentation. However, beer goes through a mashing process involving higher temperatures to extract starches that yeast converts to alcohol, rather than being baked like bread. Jon prefers kegging his home brew and carbonating it with added carbon dioxide.

1. Home Brewing Beer

2. It’s no secret that we at
La Brea Bakery have a strong
passion for baking bread.

3. Jon Davis,
“the palate of La Brea Bakery”
has been a part of the La Brea
Bakery family since 1991.

4. He is responsible for creating
many of our most popular
loaves, including our Roasted
Garlic Loaf and Toasted
Sunflower Honey loaf.

5. He is also the driver behind
La Brea Bakery Reserve,
our new line of single origin
heirloom wheat breads.

6. It’s safe to say
Jon knows his wheat.

7. And working with wheat so
much over the years, inspiration
struck in the form of a new
hobby: brewing beer.

8. Made in his own garage, Jon has
become a fan of brewing wheat
beer made with Fortuna wheat.

9. According to Jon, brewing beer
and baking bread start with a
very similar process.

10. Water and grain are combined,
yeast is added and it is
fermented.

11. Of course, beer isn’t baked off
like bread is.

12. Instead, beer goes through
what’s called a mashing process,
in which higher temperatures
are applied to it for certain
amounts of time.

13. This process extracts the
starches that are consumed by
yeast, which then turns into
alcohol.

14. Jon prefers to keg his brew and
apply carbonation with added
carbon dioxide.

15. However, one could also bottle
their brew and create natural
carbonation by simply adding
more yeast.

16. What’s your favorite recipe to
pair with beer? Share with us on
Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram
with #LaBreaBakery. If we use
your photo, we will thank you
with bread.