Compressed air and microbreweries: a perfect partnership responsible for over 11% of today’s beer market. From grains to hops, filtering systems to—you guessed it—compressed air for bottling, craft breweries pick their ingredients and equipment with care and precision to ensure a high-quality product.
Looking to join the ever-growing ranks of craft brewers or simply fascinated by the artisanal brewing process? No matter your motivation, our infographics have just what you need to slake your thirst for knowledge:
From Brewery to Bottle: Air Compressors In Beer Production by Quincy Compressor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Craft brewers start their process by selecting from different malts/grains to give each brew a unique flavor. Barley is the most common, with millet, corn, rice, oats, wheat and rye as popular alternatives. Together with hops, water and yeast, the grain undergoes a multi-step process that will result in a unique microbrew.
For barley-based brews, the general process looks something like this:
- Malting – The grains are soaked for 40 hours before drying in a kiln.
- Milling – Next the grains are cracked so they’ll absorb the water needed to extract their sugars.
- Mashing – More water is added and the milled grains soak for 1-2 hours.
- Lautering – This step of the process separates the sweet wort from the grains.
- Boiling – Next the wort is boiled and hops are added.
- Cooling – The wort is then cooled in a whirlpool.
- Fermentation – The cooled, hopped wort is left alone, allowing yeast to consume the sugar released earlier in the brewing process, turning it into alcohol.
- Conditioning – To settle the yeast and thicken the proteins, the beer is cooled to near freezing.
- Filtering – A key step for flavor stabilization.
- Bottling – Finally the beer is transferred into bottles or kegs for distribution.
Most breweries make use of compressed air for bottling beer, using it to power the bottling machinery. Interested in using compressed air in beer production? Our local distributors can help you in adding an air compressor to your brewery.
Best of the Breweries by Quincy Compressor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
As of 2014, there were roughly 3,500 craft breweries in the U.S. (a 19% increase from 2013). To help you navigate such a long list of options, we’ve compiled a “best of the breweries” list:
The Calling
Dry, bitter, fleetingly sweet: this golden pale ale is brewed with American hops. The Missouri based Boulevard Brewery Co. offers free daily tours and a tasting room with their beers on tap.
The Mad Elf
A holiday special, this ruby red ale contains cherry, clove, cinnamon and cocoa. Pennsylvania based Tröegs Independent Brewing is dedicated to using local ingredients and making a positive impact on their community.
Mother of All Storms
The Kentucky bourbon barrel aging process makes or breaks this November special. The Pelican Pub’s taproom is located on Pacific Beach, the same stretch used in the The Goonies.
Moose Drool
This smooth caramel and chocolate brown ale is more appetizing than its name suggests. Big Sky Brewing Co. also hosts a summer concerts series that appeals to Montana natives and tourists alike.
Hoppy Blonde
This hoppy ale owes its unique flavor to a blend of mango, blueberry, lemon and pine. Colorado based New Belgium Brewing Company is unique as well, boasting a production facility that is 90% wind-powered.
90 Minute IPA
Dogfish Head can easily backup their claim to having the best India Pale Ale in America with this IPA. Brimming with flavor, the dry hopped 90 Minute IPA contains notes of brandied fruitcake and citrus.
Check out our complete guide on crafting beer and spirits and be sure to contact your closest Quincy Compressor dealer to get the best air compressor installed for your brewing system today!