the 3 brewers

http://www.les3brasseurs.ca/eng/index.php

derived from the 3 brewers website

How Beer Is Made

The Ingredients

The process of brewing beer requires four simple but very important ingredients: malt, hops, water and yeast.

Although all ingredients are key to the brewing process, malt is the most important with respect to weight. The 3 Brewers brewers use barley malt or other specialty malts, depending on the type of beer brewed. The alcohol content of beer is derived from the fermentation of the sugars contained in the malt.

The hop plant is another critical ingredient. Although used in very small quantities, this ingredient is key to developing the beer’s flavor. The distinctive bitter taste of beer comes directly from the essential oils of the hop flower.

Water, also essential to the brewing process, gives beer its liquid property – without water, beer would be nothing more than bread. Special care is taken to filter the water beforehand in order to remove all impurities that could affect the taste.

Yeast is introduced to complete the brewing process. The most common types of yeast are ale yeast (high fermentation) and lager yeast (low fermentation). At The 3 Brewers, ale yeasts are used exclusively in the brewing process.

Brewing Process

The Mashton

At the beginning of the brewing process, a mixture of crushed grains and water forms the mash. At a temperature close to 65 degrees Celsius, the natural enzymes of the malt transforms the starch contained in the malt into more simple sugars, or fermentescibles.

A clear and sweet juice, called the beer wort, is obtained by filtering the mash. The wort is then transferred to the boiling tank, while the leftover solid residue, or slop, will be used as animal feed.


The Boiling Tank

Once in the boiling tank, the beer wort is boiled at high temperatures for sterilization. At the same time hops is added to the brew which begins the process of developing the bitter flavor of the beer. After having reached a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius, the malt treated with hops is cooled and then aromatized further with hop cones as it passes through a special percolator. Yeast is added to the mixture which is then transferred to the fermentation tank.


The Fermentation Tank

The mixture is held for three to five days in the fermentation tank where the yeast transforms the sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide and esters that give the final product its flavor and aroma. The brew becomes naturally sparkly and at this point is called green beer.


The Holding Tank

For several days the beer rests in hermetic tanks maintained under pressure and at four degrees Celsius. Throughout the holding period the beer gradually becomes more clear and refined and acquires brilliance and fullness.

The final product, a sparkling beer with a velvety foam, can then be drawn directly from the holding tank to your glass ! This is what we call “directly from the brewer to the consumer”.

And now all that is left to do is to appreciate a fine beer… Cheers!

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i stayed for two weeks at the marriott eaten centre which is located near dundas square where 3 brewers is situated. the 3 brewers was my favorite bar for quite sometime before i moved to the residence inn. this microbrewery is serious about making quality beer. i never go back to the hotel without a steady beer buzz.