SUNDERLAND BEER & CIDER FESTIVAL - PART 1 - THE MAKING OF 1040

The Making of 1040 

 

Sounds like a film title , but it is in fact about a new beer, as is explained below 

 

The CAMRA Sunderland & Sth Tyneside branch beer festival will be with us soon. It will be held in The Point in Sunderland, a new venue for the branch. To coincide with the event Maxim Brewery are celebrating 10 years of brewing, while the branch has been in existence for 40 years.

To recognise these combined events an idea was hatched for a special beer brewed ; called 1040. In beer speak that means an original gravity of 1040, making it a 4% ale. In addition, the beer would be ruby coloured to recognise the 40 years.

The 1040 brew started today ( 18th Sept) so I asked if I could call in and see part of the brewing process. I had already spent a day at the brewery helping out 2 years ago **. In fact I was asked if I would like to clean some casks again, I must made such a good job last time.!  I made some excuse about having to leave as Mrs Ken's MOT was due (the car, not her !).

KETTLE BOILING

FOR THE HORSES

Anyhow, when I arrived the wort was being transferred into the kettle to be boiled with the hops, in this case Willamette and Bramling Cross hops.The used grains were transferred into a small skip to feed the local horses.

SPOT ON 1040

A hydrometer was used to show that the beer's original gravity was in fact spot on  1040 ( see picture right  as proof - you may have to look closely).

The next process was to transfer the hot liquor through a heat exchanger, used to get the temperature down to 18 deg, at which point the yeast was added and the beer pumped into a fermentation vessel to be left for 3 days. It would then be transferred into a conditioning tank to mature. 

The racking of the beer into casks would be in a week; unfortunately I will be in sunnier climes for a holiday by then. 

Nearly car checking time and I was conscious of the fact that my bottled beer stock at home was getting dangerously low. So I bought myself from the brewery shop half a dozen bottle of Maximus as a treat !

Looking forward to trying the new beer at our festival, but that's another blog.

Thanks to Glen for tolerating me for a second time 

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* A Day at Maxim Brewery