Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 06:25:25 GMT Server: Stronghold/2.0.1 Apache/1.2.0 Connection: close Content-Type: text/html BIG ROCK BREWERY: Brewery Tour
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Brewery Tour

Big Rock's brewery, a state-of-the-art facility, ranks as one of the most modern breweries in North America. Big Rock was the first brewery to use sterile multi-micro filtration technology that ensures a lond shelf life (6 months) without pasteurizing the beer. Our bottling and canning line utilize a double evacuation filler that remones virtually all oxygen from the packaging. This results in beer of exceptional taste, freshness and stability without additives, preservatives or pasteurization.

Alberta's warm days and cool nights produce the finest 2 row malting barley in the world. The most popular variety, called Harrington, is used exclusively in Big Rock Beers and is in great demand as a source of malt throughout the Americas and Asia.

Handcrafted Beers
Big Rock produces pure malt ales, in several classic styles, using only traditional brewing methods. The beer contains no preservatives or additives and is unpasteurized.

THE MILL ROOM
The brewing process begins in the mill room where the malted barley is carefully cleaned, screened and crushed. Each brand contains a specific proportion of regular pale malt, as well as caramel and roasted malts, as determined by the Brewmaster. In addition to malted barley, malted wheat and rye are used for some brands. This ground malt or grist is then transferred to the mash tun.

THE MASH TUN
The addition of brewing water to the ground malt at a specific temperature is called mashing. It is during this part of the process that the starch present in the malt is converted into maltose and other fermentable sugars. Each Big Rock brand has a different mashing program, which contributes to the unique malt flavour and full body of our beers.

THE LAUTER TUN
The separation of the liquid extract or sugar from the remaining solids occurs in the lauter tun. The sugar solution of wort is filtered through the grain bed and transferred to the brew kettle. At Big Rock, only clear wort is run to the kettle, ensuring optimum flavour and stability of the final product.

THE BREW KETTLE
It is during the kettle boil that hops are added to provide the characteristic bitterness and aroma. While many commercial beers use only one hop addition or hop extracts for economic reasons, Big Rock beers have as many as four hoppings during the extended boil. The different combination of aroma and bitter hops added to each brand, results in the unique flavour of Big Rock beers.

THE WHIRLPOOL
Following the kettle boil, the hot wort is transferred to a special vessel through a tangential entry designed to cause the liquid to accelerate around the perimeter of the tank, much as a centrifuge would do. This further clarifies the wort by depositing the hops and coagulating proteins, referred to as trub, in the centre of the tank; and results in a cleaner, fresher flavour in the final product.

FERMENTATION
The Wort is cooled, aerated and yeast is added during the transfer from the whirlpool tank to the fermenter. Big Rock uses only custom designed stainless steel, vertical conical fermenting vessels. The wort is fermented under sterile conditions to a specific end gravity to produce the required alcohol. Carbon dioxide produced during the fermentation process is at first vented to atmosphere to release any unwanted volatile aromas that occur at the beginning of fermentation. Near the end of the process, the vessel is closed and the carbon dioxide is allowed to remain in solution in the fermenting beer. This natural means of carbonating the beer results in a clean, smooth flavour. At the end of fermentation, the beer is chilled to 0 C, the yeast is removed from the conical bottom, and the beer is stored in the same sterile vessel until filtration.

FILTRATION
The beer is then double filtered prior to packaging. First, by means of a Filtrox sheet filter which removes the yeast and any other suspended solids that are present, and then through a Multi-Micro filtration system rated at an absolute filtration value of 0.2 microns that effectively removes any beer spoilage bacteria that might be present. Big Rock was the first brewer in North America to use this technology to eliminate the need for pasteurization.

PACKAGING
The sterile filtered beer is then packaged aseptically into either kegs, bottles or cans. Both the bottle and can filler use the latest technology to eliminate the inclusion of air during the filling process, by means of a double evacuation system. This allows Big Rock beers to maintain their fresh flavour and extended shelf life for periods approximating those of conventional pasteurized beers.

PREMIUM QUALITY
The quality of beer is generally evaluated by measuring it's performance in terms of physical stability, microbiological stability and above all, flavour stability.

Big Rock uses only the finest ingredients, traditional brewing methods and the latest technology to produce ales that exceed industry standards for all quality specifications.

Physical stability is achieved naturally through proper mashing, lautering and boiling procedures, not through the use of additives and preservatives.

Big Rock does not pasteurize it's products, a process which cooks the beer and reduces the full malt flavour. Microbiological stability is not accomplished by means of bulk or flash pasteurization, but rather through aseptic yeast handling and fermentation procedures and sterile cold filtration.

Flavour stability is the result in extraordinary dissolved oxygen control. The Brewing industry recognizes That the level of oxygen in the beer is the most significant factor in changing the flavour of beer and has set target specifications for optimum control in the brewing process and in the package. The industry target S26value for dissolved oxygen in a Bright Beer Tank is 250 PPB, and the target for a 341 ml bottle is 350 PPB. In large plants with outdated equipment and high speed fillers, even these value cannot be achieved. At Big Rock, average values for our BBT's is 130 PPB and our packaging values in the bottle are less that 250 PPB.

What this means to the consumer is that the quality and flavour of the beer will be virtually unchanged during it's recommended shelf life. This is accomplished without pasteurization which significantly alters the taste and flavour of a beer.

Big Rock's unique brewing process has made it one of the most acclaimed beers in the world. Freshness, quality and taste made from pure, natural ingredients chacterize all Big Rock products and are the reason it is one of the fastest growing breweries in North America.



Big Rock Brewery
5555 76th Ave S.E., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Phone: 403-720-3239, Fax: 403-236-7523
ale@bigrockbeer.com

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