Behind the bar: Burnish Beer Company prepares for Oktoberfest
SALISBURY, Md. — A local brewery is preparing for its Oktoberfest celebration and offering a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into the beer-making process.
“A brew day is a single day, and then fermentation takes anywhere from two to three weeks,” said Mathew Shockley, brewer and co-owner of Burnish Beer Company.
Brewing is a detailed and time-consuming process that begins with a grain called malted barley — barley that has just begun to grow.
“They halt that process by cooking it, by kilning it, and all of a sudden you have all of these little sugars inside this little seed that have just been locked into place,” Shockley said. “When we crush the grain, we unlock those sugars and starches to enzymatic activity.”
Next, the sugary liquid, known as wort, is strained and brought to a boil. This is where hops come in.
“These cones are actually the flowers of the female plant,” Shockley said. “It’s the pollen inside these little cones that lends itself to creating the flavors and aromatics that we perceive in beer.”
Hops can even be smelled while still on the vine, helping determine the flavor profile of the finished beer.
“American hops in particular are really well known for their very citrus-forward attributes,” Shockley said. “They remind you of fresh oranges, grapefruit, lemon and lime.”
After being harvested, hops are processed into pellets and added to the boil kettle.
“The original goal behind hop usage was as a bitter component to counteract the sweetness of the beer once it ferments,” Shockley said. “Those two flavors and profiles balance one another.”
The sweetness from the malted barley mingles with the bitterness of the hops during brew day, filling the air with distinct aromas.
Virgil Shockley, Mathew’s father and co-owner of Burnish Beer Company, said, “Just the smell — I mean, you can just sit there and sniff, sniff, sniff. That’s Shine or that’s Roy Light.”
The next step is fermentation, where yeast is added and alcohol and carbon dioxide are created.
“Once the yeast has done their job and they’ve created the appropriate amount of alcohol for the beer, we transfer it,” Mathew Shockley said, noting the fermentation process takes up to three weeks.
Thanks to TV magic, the next step will be revealed tomorrow.
