Please purchase a subscription to read our premium content. If you have a subscription, please log in or sign up for an account on our website to continue.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Welcome! We hope that you enjoy our free content.
Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribe purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribe purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Thank you for signing in! We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content.
Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Please purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Your current subscription does not provide access to this content.
Sorry, no promotional deals were found matching that code.
Promotional Rates were found for your code.
Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 56F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.
Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 81F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Brewer Alex Green carefully monitors the temperatures in the various stills while brewing at Black Tooth Brewing Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.
Brewer Alex Green opens a still to smell the contents and check the consistency during brewing at Black Tooth Brewing Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022.
Brewer Kyle Mueller preps the mashpun for brewing at Luminous Brewhouse Friday, Aug. 19, 2022.
Brew master Kyle Mueller stirs the mash for Luminous Brewhouse's Chili Ale Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. It is during this portion of the brewing process that 75 percent of the beers flavor is determined.
Brewer Alex Green carefully monitors the temperatures in the various stills while brewing at Black Tooth Brewing Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022.
Brewer Alex Green opens a still to smell the contents and check the consistency during brewing at Black Tooth Brewing Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022.
Brewer Kyle Mueller preps the mashpun for brewing at Luminous Brewhouse Friday, Aug. 19, 2022.
Brew master Kyle Mueller stirs the mash for Luminous Brewhouse's Chili Ale Friday, Aug. 19, 2022. It is during this portion of the brewing process that 75 percent of the beers flavor is determined.
SHERIDAN — How does one determine what beer tastes like? Local brewers take inspiration from the large catalog of ales created around the world. From there, brewers can either stick to the traditional style or place their own spin on it, adjusting malt, yeast and hops to reach a desired flavor.
“Tasting is subjective,” Black Tooth Brewing Company quality assurance manager Ruth Martin said. “We can apply this to food where people can eat the same dish and describe it differently.”
The process starts with an oatmeal-like mixture with the different malts. These malts include chocolate, caramel, black and pilsner malt, which is the base. Black malt is typically used in small amounts due to its bitterness, also bringing in a richer color to the ale. Most of the sugar in the ale comes directly from the pilsner malt.
Next, the malt mixture is boiled and hops are added for additional flavor. The ale is boiled again before going into the head exchanger where yeast is introduced.
The liquid then rests in a container called the whirlpool before fermentation. Finally, the ale is aerated and left to sit for a few weeks to clarify before serving the beer to customers.
Black Tooth Director of Brewing Operations Jared Long describes the art and science of creating beer.
“There are both quantitative metrics and qualitative metrics,” Long said. “A quantitative metric is how much sugar is still in the beer or how much alcohol is still in the beer. Those are going to have ramifications on what beer tastes like.”
Black Tooth aims to replicating original styles of traditional recipes, in contrast to Luminous Brewhouse where they experiment with creative ales.
Down Broadway Street, Luminous brewers create unique flavor combinations from traditional recipes. Brewers created a key lime pie ale. General Manager Jonny Law and head brewer Kyle Mueller describe the process as working in reverse. To obtain the true key lime pie flavor, the team adjusts the recipe.
“It is an art and a science but sometimes it feels more like an art,” Mueller said.
One of the most important variables Mueller focuses on when it comes to taste is texture. His goal is to create a balance between watery and grainy beer. Brewers must also watch levels of carbonation, which adds bitterness to the beer.
Smith Alley Brewing Company brewers follow the same general guidelines, directing their ale through a series of tanks where new ingredients will be implemented. Lead server Emma Miller describes the process as an exact science.
Another key variable in the brewing process is time. The time in which ales sit in designated tanks is based on the type of beer being created. American Amber Ale, for example, ferments for a week in the primary tank and two to three weeks in the secondary tank. Darker ales such as Irish stout will sit for one week in the primary tank and three to four weeks in the secondary tank.
Miller said Smith Alley’s head brewer is very particular about the beer he puts out to the customers, making sure it is the highest quality.
Local brewers agree to create these beers, it takes a bit of science and a dash of creativity to create the perfect brew.
Marly Graham is an intern with The Sheridan Press.
Marly Graham is an intern with The Sheridan Press.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.