After all of the mash is pumped into the Wort Kettle from the Mash Tun, heat from a precisely controlled gas flame is raised until the wort begins to boil. During the boiling process, proteins bump into each other, clump together and tend to coagulate and fall to the bottom of the Wort kettle. This is a process called the hot break, and the result is called flocculate. Controlling this process is very important in the hazy appearance and the final taste of the beer.
Early in this process, we add certain hops for bittering purposes. The barley malt is so sweet, that it would be undrinkable without the counter-effect of hop bittering. Of course, the choice of which hops to use is very important and one of the reasons Diamond Knot Beers taste sooo good.
Toward the end of the wort boil, more hops are added for the finish. These
finish hops are to impart aroma, or nose, to the final beer.
Sometimes, depending on our goals, we will pump the wort through a Hop
Back on the way to the Fermentation Tank. This adds both
hop flavor and acts as a slight filter to keep hop leaves out of the final
product. We always pump the wort through a Chiller,
which is a simple heat exchanger, to cool the wort before it enters the
Fermentation Tank. This is to lower the wort temperature to
a level where the yeast can be safely added, since yeast cannot grow or
ferment in high heat.
Check out our Brewery Tour pages for photos of this process.
