The Virtual Tour!
Fermenters
The final stop for the wort before it is turned into beer. Here at Upland we have four primary fermentation tanks: FV1, FV7, King, and Kong. FV1 and FV7 both have a 30 barrel capacity, while our two largest fermenters, King and Kong, weigh in at 60 barrels each. Each of these tanks is filled with wort transferred directly from the Brew House.
But there is one more important addition: yeast. As you may know, brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae or S. uvarum) is the single celled microorganism which is responsible for fermentation. It converts those sugars we spent so much effort extracting into carbon dioxide, energy, and - most importantly for us - alcohol. In short, without yeast the wort would remain sweet and never turn into beer.
After each brew, the yeast is harvested from the beer and transferred into an easily moveable 7 barrel (217 gallon) metal tank known as a grundy. This grundy is then hooked up to the transfer hose which takes the wort from the Brew House to the fermenter. A known quantity of yeast (dependent upon the batch size and beer style) is added into that wort as it moves between the two vessels. This process is known as pitching.
Once the transfer is complete, all we have to do is wait. Other than the occasional temperature adjustment, the yeast will be happy to do their work without any further input from us. A full fermentation usually lasts from five to seven days, although some higher gravity brews may take longer. After this time, the yeast is harvested and the beer is ready to be transferred to the Cellar for clarification and conditioning.
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