We begin our small batch brewing process with barley. It has been said that barley is to beer as grapes are to wine. Our Primary barley is unique Moravian two-row grown in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. It is responsible for the body and the mouth-feel of the beer. It also contributes to the beer’s color and provides the malty aroma and taste that will be balanced by our hops.

Our barley is prepared for brewing by first malting it. The malting process begins with steeping, which allows the grain to absorb water and prepares it for germination. From the steeping vessels the barley is transferred to germination beds where the barley grains sprout, activating the grain’s natural enzymes. Those enzymes help break down the barley’s complex starches and proteins into smaller components that will be ready for mashing on brew day. At just the right time we stop germination and begin drying or roasting, the malt in a kiln. Kilning can create a wide range of colors and flavors, depending on how long the grain is roasted and under what conditions. When the grain has finished roasting, it has finally become malt suitable for brewing our beer.

Prior to brewing we crush the malt in six-roller grist mill to break down the husks and expose the starch in the grain. We then combine the ground malt with water in a mash tun, continually stirring the mixture while it is gradually heated. The mashing process converts the malt’s starch to sugar and through control of this step, we regulate the composition of the brew for fermentation. At the end of mashing we separate out the grain solids. The resulting sweet liquid is called wort which we send to the brew kettle.

Now, the wort is in our 30-barrel Huppman brew kettle and it begins a slow 120-minute boil. At different times during our extra-long, gentle boil, we add hops to give our beer distinctive flavors and aromas. Hops are an essential ingredient in beer, adding bitterness in flavor and a wide range of aromas.

At the end of our boil we send the wort through a whirlpool to remove any remaining solids from the malt or hops. From there the wort is cooled and placed in a fermentation tank where yeast is ‘pitched’ in to begin the fermentation process.

Brewing yeast are living cells that, when pitched into the wort break down molecule of wort sugar into two molecules of alcohol and two molecules of carbon diox- ide – a process called fermentation. Fermentation takes place over several days. During that time, the yeast also contributes several important flavor aspects that will continue to be refined during the aging process.

After fermentation, we transfer the “green beer” into a cold aging tank where it will mature for several weeks. We refer to this as chill-lagering. During this extended cold aging, the remaining yeast settles out and the flavors mature. At the end of our chill-lagering period, we pass the beer through our small Enzinger filter, a historic and effective way of cold-filtering beer. Cold-filtering removes any remaining suspended particles in the beer that cause it to appear cloudy. Once filtered, our beer is brilliantly clear. Alcohol and carbonation levels are adjusted as the beer is moved to the bright beer tank.

From the bright beer tank our beer is sent to the small Krones bottle filler. Modern fillers can fill 2,000 bottles per minute; our filler carefully handles 75 bottles per minute. Once the bottles are filled we hand-pack them in our specially designed cases and deliver them to a handful of bars and restaurants in the Denver area. Our brewing team believes you can taste the difference that comes from being patient and respectful of a German brewing tradition that began in 1868. Our beers take longer to make, but we believe you will agree….they’re worth the wait.