HOW BEER IS MADE
1 barrel = 31 gallons = 2 kegs = 13.78 cases of 12-oz. bottles
Basics of brewing
MILLING: Barley malt is weighed and crushed for starch conversion.
MASHING: Barley is mixed with hot water, extracting fermentable sugars.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Greg Yount, brewer at Brew Moon, mixes some mash with hot water to create a batch of his Moonlight Lager. After hand-mixing for several minutes, he closes the tank door, and the mash is mechanically mixed and heated.
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LAUTERING: Sweet, nutrient-filled wort is separated from grain husks.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
At Sam Choy's Big Aloha Brewery, assistant brewer RJ Manson removes spent grain from the mash tun, where the cracked grain is strained.
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BOILING: Liquid is boiled for 90 minutes, creating sugars; hops are added for bitter flavor and aroma.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
The mash tun is hopped, with the reaction visible inside the kettle, at Keoki Brewing Co.
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WHIRLPOOL: The whirlpool clarifies the solution by separating out protein and hops particles.
HEAT EXCHANGE: Liquid is rapidly cooled to fermentation temperature.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Garrett Marrero, above, stands amid the kettles at Maui Brewing Co., which hold the wort at temperatures varying from 198 degrees on the right to 38 degrees in the middle.
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FERMENTING AND CONDITIONING: Yeast is added. The yeast converts the sugar solution into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas. After fermentation the beer is chilled and stored for additional clarification, flavor maturation and long-term stability.
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Ananda is one of six fermenting tanks at Maui Brewing Co. Owner Garrett Marrero gives the tanks names instead of numbers.
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BRIGHT BEER: Beer is transferred to special tanks for additional maturation.
PACKAGING: Beer is filtered, if desired. The beer is bottled or canned, pumped into kegs or used immediately in a brewpub.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Greg Yount, brewer at Brew Moon, connects a hose to a tank that filters beer.
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MULTIMEDIA
The beer-making process at Honolulu's Brew Moon
A tour of Keoki Brewing Co.'s Lihue facilities
George O'Hanlon of the Liquor Collection gives some flavor to basic beer terminology
TYPES OF BEER
Ales: They are made at warm temperature for two weeks. The result is sharp and fruity.
Lagers: They are made at cool temperature for six weeks. The result is smooth and mild in flavor.
INSIDE A COMMERCIAL MICROBREWERY
Larger breweries use the same process as people making home-brewed beer, but their sophisticated equipment controls hundreds of variables so every batch of beer tastes the same.
Sources: Star-Bulletin, Kona Brewing Co., Carolina Brewing Co., Beer Advocate, Big Rock Brewery, Brick Store Pub, Corvallis Brewing Supply, Euromonitor International, How Stuff Works, Sun Sentinel
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