IN PART 1 WE TALKED ABOUT OUR MASH PROCESS. THIS TIME WE’LL LOOK AT FERMENTATION AND BEYOND…

YOU CAN’T RUSH THESE THINGS. IT TAKES TIME TO FERMENT, TO CONDITION AND TO CREATE FLAVOUR. THERE ARE SHORTCUTS AND EFFICIENCIES THAT OTHERS TAKE. BUT THESE AREN’T FOR US. THAT’S WHY WE FERMENT AND CONDITION OUR UNFILTERED LAGER FOR A FULL 42 DAYS. THIS LONG PERIOD OF CONDITIONING ALLOWS THE SEDIMENT TO SETTLE NATURALLY SO WE CAN LEAVE OUR LAGER COMPLETELY UNFILTERED. FILTERING BEER STRIPS OUT FLAVOUR AND BODY – AND WE RATHER LIKE THESE THINGS IN OUR LAGER.

NOW, YOU’RE PROBABLY THINKING THIS SOUNDS LIKE AN EXCELLENT BEER BUT HASN’T IT GOT ALCOHOL? WELL, YES, IT DOES, BUT HERE’S THE SCIENCE BIT. WE TRIALLED ALL THE PROCESSES FOR MAKING ALCOHOL-FREE BEER: BREWING TO A VERY LOW ABV WITH A SMALL MALT BILL; AND VARIOUS METHODS FOR REMOVING ALCOHOL AFTER BREWING.

BUT OUR PRIORITY WAS, AND ALWAYS WILL BE – FLAVOUR. THAT’S WHY WE TESTED AND CHOSE TO USE A PATENTED VACUUM DISTILLATION PROCESS. TYPICALLY, ALCOHOL EVAPORATES AT ALMOST 80°C BUT RAISING THE TEMPERATURE OF BEER LIKE THIS RESULTS IN BURNT AND OFF FLAVOURS. BY USING A VACUUM, WE ARE ABLE TO HALVE THE EVAPORATION POINT AND THEREFORE AVOID THOSE FLAVOUR DISTORTIONS. THE RESULT IS ALL THE FLAVOUR AND JUST 0.5% ABV.

AND THAT’S IT. A BRIEF WINDOW INTO SOME OF THE PROCESSES WE USE TO CREATE LUCKY SAINT.