Pre-Investigation #2- Brewing Equipment and Brewery

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Microbiology and Chemistry of Beer

University of South Florida
Fall 2015
Markos Perez

Pre-Investigation #2- Brewing Equipment and Brewery

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The basic brewing process from start to finish is actually quite simple. Obviously
depending on the equipment the person is using or the type of beer they want to brew some steps
or procedures could be altered but there are general steps in the brewing process that most should
follow. Before the brewing process can begin there is certain equipment that must be used. Basic
equipment that must be used is a large pot which should generally be at least 3 gallons, tubing
and clamps to siphon and bottle the beer, a thermometer, and an airlock/stopper to fit your
fermenter (Smith, 2009). Also, you need a sanitation solution to keep everything sanitized. After
your beer is made you might want to bottle it up into individual bottles so for that you will need a
bottle filler, bottles, bottle caps, and a bottle capper so that you can securely cap your bottles for
future drinking purposes (Smith, 2009).
Once all these pieces of equipment are gathered you can begin the basic brewing process.
The brewing process basically consists of 5 steps. Step one is brewing the beer. In this step the
malt extract and hops are boiled together with water for about an hour to sterilize the extract and
release the bittering qualities of the hops (Smith, 2009). The time quantity, an hour, can change
on the certain type of beer you are brewing causing it to be a longer or shorter time. Sometimes
grains are put in the mixture before to the boil to add more color and flavor. Step two is cooling
and fermenting. In this step the boiled mixture from step one is transferred over to a fermenter
and water is added to get it to the desired 5 gallon size (Smith, 2009). Once this mix reaches
room temperature the yeast is added so that the fermentation process takes place. The fermenter
is topped with an airlock to prevent bacteria from getting inside and it ferments anywhere from
1-2 weeks (Smith, 2009). Step three is priming and bottling. In this step the fermented beer is
siphoned to another container where sugars like corn sugar are added to the beer and then it is
bottled (Smith, 2009). Step four is aging, one of the most important parts of the process. Once
bottled the beer should sit for 2-6 weeks letting the yeast ferment the remaining sugar and
causing carbon dioxide to give your beer just the right amount of carbonation and bubbly (Smith,
2009). Now step 5, the last step, is the most enjoyable because its drink! After this whole process
you can drink your beer and enjoy it. Some critical points that exist during this brewing process
would have to be the timing. Whether you let the malt extract and hops boil for an hour or 3
hours makes a big difference and how long you let your beer ferment also drastically changes the
taste and flavor of your final product (Smith, 2009).
Now when it comes to a home-brewery and a professional micro-brewery there are a few
differences. Most of all its usually the equipment they use. The large professional microbreweries use large stainless tanks and high-pressure boilers while the typical home brewerys
equipment is plastic buckets, glass jugs and common kitchen tools (Cadmin, 2012). Also, the
purpose behind brewing is most likely different. Most professional breweries make beer for the
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Pre-Investigation #2- Brewing Equipment and Brewery

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larger scale sales and marketing to make money and sell it to other large companies. A lot of
home breweries are for hobby, for people to make small batches of a certain beer they like, or
even to save money because making your own beer comes out cheaper than buying it by the
bottle at the stores (Cadmin, 2012).

Green Bench Brewing Company in St. Petersburg, FL is a beautiful and very successful
brewery. Back in the early 1900s over 2,500 green benches lined downtown St. Petersburg
making tourists feel welcomed and was a symbol of hospitality in the city (Green Bench). When
the founders of the brewery were looking for a name they looked no further than the image of the
green benches calling their brewery Green Bench Brewing Company. The owners are Steven
Duffy and Nathan Stonecipher, both St. Petersburg natives and went to high school and college at
the University of Florida together (Green Bench). Over the years they became great friends that
enjoyed the craft of brewing beer and after a lot of thought and planning opened Green Bench
Brewing Company in the heart of St. Petersburg. The faculty is St. Petersburg first microbrewery.
They have a 15 barrel brew house that sits within a 6,000 sq. ft. warehouse building (Green
Bench). They also have five 15 barrel fermenters and plan on adding more in the near future.
Green Bench Brewing Company also has a 1,500 sq. ft. tasting room with a large observation
window that looks out into the brewery (Green Bench). In addition to all that, they have a 6,000
sq. ft. beer garden that adjoins the tasting room and people can seat under covered patio or out in
the sun if they please (Green Bench).
The brew master at Green Bench Brewing Company is named Khris (Green Bench). He
has won many state medals in brewing and is very popular amongst brewers in the area. When it
comes to the beers sold at the brewery they are wide ranged and the variety is wonderful. Some
beers sold at the brewery would include Green Bench IPA, Sunshine City IPA, Maximo Milk
Stout, Middle Eastern Brown Ale, and Stay Dry Stout just to name a few (Green Bench). Some
marketing strategies or practices that seem to set Green Bench apart from other brewers is that
they have a great faculty, they favor their products to the general public with such large brewing
rooms and tasting rooms, and also they market themselves by providing events at their faculty to
sell their products (Green Bench). Some upcoming events include Ramzys Pitas on the Run,
Second Friday Soul Nights, and Engine 53 Food Truck (Green Bench).

Pre-Investigation #2- Brewing Equipment and Brewery

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APA References List

1. Cadmin, B. (2012, November 7). Home-brew vs. Micro-brew | Bozeman
Brewing Company. Retrieved from http://bozemanbrewing.com/homebrew-vs-micro-brew/
2. Smith, B. (2009, January 10). How to Brew Beer: 5 Steps for Making Beer
at Home Part 1 | Home Brewing Beer Blog by BeerSmith. Retrieved from
http://beersmith.com/blog/2009/01/10/how-to-brew-beer-5-steps-formaking-beer-at-home-part-1/

3. Green Bench Brewing Co. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://greenbenchbrewing.com/