Brewing methods

Beer is produced through steeping a sugar source (commonly Malted cereal grains) in water and then fermenting with yeast.

In 19th century Britain, technological discoveries and improvements such as Burtonisation and the Burton Union system significantly changed beer brewing.

[7] Commonly, the barrels used for this had previously aged red wine (particularly cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and pinot noir).

They attempted to redefine the term to include a forced, wood flavouring process that only they use and that the rest of the industry doesn't recognise as barrel aging.

[12][13] Burtonisation is the act of adding sulphate, often in the form of gypsum, to the water used for the brewing of beer, to bring out the flavour of the hops.

In 1822, the method had been copied by the Burton upon Trent brewer Samuel Allsopp, who got a more hoppy tasting version of the beer because of the sulphate-rich local water.

Introducing magnesium sulphate into the brewing water, or "liquor", creates a rounder, fuller taste that enhances other flavours in the beer.

Invented in the 1830s, the Union system is a row of wood casks connected to a common trough by way of a series of pipes.

During the early 20th century it was the most popular method of clearing trub (inactive yeast and excess, staling and haze-forming protein from the malted barley) during fermentation for English ales.

[28] Brakspear state that some of the flavour common to its beer is due to a combination of its very old complex multi-strain yeast and the dropping method which encourages it to produce the butterscotch-flavoured compound diacetyl.

Cooled wort, the liquid extracted from malted barley, is fermented in the lower chamber, while the yeasty head settles on the deck above.

A modern innovation is the so-called 'Round Square' pioneered by the Black Sheep brewery, which is built from stainless steel.

The round shape makes it easier to clean out (a task that requires personnel to physically climb into the vessels) between brewing cycles.