Wagner Brewery

Design.

Beer is worthy of inspired design just like any other bold creative expression. Beer design is primarily recipe design - which includes selecting the right grain, hops, yeast and water. The best brewmeisters approach this step with an adventurous spirit and a mischievous desire to throw caution to the wind.

Grain is the heart of beer. At far left, "base" grains are the bulk of the grain recipe, providing a neutral foundation. A large variety of "specialty" grains add character, color and body to the beer. Although the grain bill is typically 100% malted barley, wheat and other more exotic grains can add secondary character.

Hops add natural bitterness, wonderful aromas, interesting tastes and help preserve beer. At near left we store 8 varieties of leaf hops purchased fresh the week of the single yearly hops harvest, then vacuum sealed and frozen. This care is important to preserve the delicate hops potency. Each hop variety has a unique bitterness profile.

Yeast strain selection has a dramatic affect on beer. Broadly, there are ale yeasts and lager yeasts with scores of variety in each category. Yeast is a living thing (a single-celled fungi) and for each batch of beer goes through a lifecycle often described in four-stages: Lag Phase (consumes oxygen and prepares food reserves to reproduce), Growth Phase (uses stored foods to asexually bud new cells), Fermentation Phase (consumes sugar and gives off alcohol, CO2 and other goodies) and Sedimentation Phase (prepares for hybernation).

Water is much more than just water when it comes to brewing. A specific target water chemistry tailored to each brew is helpful to ensure the creation of the full hop bitterness profile, the formation of a thick head and the elimination of certain unwanted tastes. Most brewers needn't worry about this if they have "normal" water. But those with hard water need to make corrections - and the water at our home is incredibly hard.

The brewmeister's art is knowing the character of the endless varieties of all of these ingredients, and how to combine them to sculpt the perfect beer.

Bulk purchase of brewing ingredients is important to the avid brewmeister to reduce the per-batch brewing cost down to around 25-30 cents for 12 ounces of light ale or lager. Common grains are bought in 55 lb bags. Hops are bought by the pound, not the ounce. Yeast is harvested and propagated. In this way the home brewer can create beer every bit as good as commercial craft beer (often better), at around 1/5 the cost.

The brewing impulse can strike with a burning urgency, so buying in bulk assures the brewmeister that all ingredients are at hand for an immediate response. Simply fire up the brewing equipment and pull from the brewing larder the precise ingredients needed for the next savory brew. Just as the painter needs oils close at hand and the musician the Steinway tuned and ready, the brewer, also an artist, must have all tools poised to respond with immediate creative vigor when the brewing muse demands expression!

Ferment.

A brewer doesn't really make beer, they make sugar water from grain, thereby settings the stage for the real worker: the yeast. Fermentation is a process where yeast gobbles up sugars in the sweet grain water (wort) and gives off alcohol, CO2, and interesting flavors. Brewing takes about 5 hours. Fermentation takes around 1-2 weeks.

Managing the fermentation is a brewmeister's art. This includes selecting yeast strains, cultivating them for maximum virility, providing the right yeast environment to ensure full fermentation (temperature profile, fermentation duration, yeast nutrients, etc.) and re-invigorating the fermentation process if something goes astray.This is a picture of a 6 gallon carboy filled with a fermenting stout. Note the thick head of foam (kreusen) atop the brew. Plastic buckets are also a common container for fermentation and is what we use most often.We nearly always use a "closed" fermentation process, as do all Western brewers (no air is allowed into the fermenter, but CO2 is allowed to escape). This helps assure that airborne contaminants are kept at bay so that the final beer is predictably good. Ale yeasts ferment typically in the 60-70 degree F range (convenient since this allows fermentation at room temperature). Lagers ferment in the 45-55 degree F range, and are then "cold crashed" to 35 degrees for lagering, a process to finish fermentation, clarify and condition the beer. A fridge can be easily converted into a fermenter by adding a simple heating source and an external temperature controller that can be dialed into the optimal fermentation temperature.

But "open" fermentation is a refreshing change. In open fermentation we let into our brew whatever airborne microbial goodness is naturally present - a traditional method used in Belgium. We did that with Chicha Arboreña, a traditional Peruvian beer. We simply took the bucket of wort and placed it in the orchard with cheese cloth over the top. This kept out insects, but allowed all of the wild yeast from the orchard to slip in as it so desired. Yes, this process produces less predictable results (who knows what yeast is flying around the orchard), but predictability isn't always the desired end. Sometimes it is nice to make a smiling nod to spontaneity and a respectful bow to Mother Nature, trusting that together they can make a great brew without my oversight.

Condition.

One of the best ways to make beer taste better is pretty simple: wait. Commercial brewers often won't do this since "time is money". They want to move from grain to shipped bottle in less than a month. This waiting, called cold conditioning (which is basically lagering), should be done at cold temperatures (33-45 degrees F).

The impact of cold conditioning is significant, but a bit hard to explain since it is all about taste. The best I can tell you is that it harmonizes and smooths the various taste components of your brew. It can take off the rough edges - like gently mellowing the orange zest taste in my winter spiced ale and bringing a depth to Extra Special Bitters (I find I really must cold condition ESBs). Lagers are nearly always cold-conditioned, but I like to cold condition just about everything, including ales - and the kegerator is available to do that. Some like to cold condition simply to clarify the beer (suspended solids will sink to the bottom of the keg). What I've found is that you simply can't hurt a beer by cold conditioning it, and in nearly all cases you will improve it.

Our basement brewery. The fridge at the far left is a fermenter with a dual external temperature controller able to signal the fridge to turn on if the temperature gets too warm, or to start a warmer if the temperature gets too cold. Beer can be cold-conditioned in either the fermenter or keezer (the chest freezer with taps seen at right) but it is best to use the keezer since that can easily be dialed in to temperatures around 39 degrees F. Many of us don't like to wait, but enlightened brewers are patient. They understand that impatience gets in the way of quality and is an unnecessarily self-imposed disquieting choice. Patient brewers plan their brew schedule in advance to create bounteous supply to match expected demand.

For instance, I need to start my Oktoberfest brew in April/May for October drinking, and will concoct another winter spiced ale in the summer. I also need to watch the keg levels of the beers that I want to keep continually on tap (like Stan's pale ale and Corby's Kolsch). From a demand perspective I've noticed the need to plan for Tess's parties with friends since they provide me with a wonderful keg-draining service. When supply becomes too great (which is most typical), I simply ramp up my BottomlessBrew giving - a true delight. When supply becomes too low, I simply ramp up my brewing - also a delight. Ah, so important in life to craft such ways that yield delight no matter the circumstance! In many ways this process is like a wonderfully extended creative breath - a naturally balanced inflow and outflow (sorry for going Zen).