Artisan Beers of Buti - How they are born
The strategic location in the Tuscan village of Buti is fundamental. The village is located at the foot of Mount Serra where the essential element of every beer, water, gushes out. In addition to this, the passion and commitment that we put into every phase of the process produces the final result, a unique and natural craft beer.
The grinding of malted barley
The reduction of malted barley into flour is carried out by the milling machine. The coarse flour is mixed with water by dropping it into the baking vat/mixing vat.
Mixing the beer
The activation of the enzymes responsible for the demolition of starch and protein starts with the mixing of the ground cereal with hot water. The enzymes are already found inside the malt. During the mashing process they break the starch chains and reduce them to simpler forms, becoming sugar molecules. For this reason, mashing is also called saccharification.
Natural filtration
At this point, vats with double bottoms are used. A natural filtration is carried out through the bed of threshers. The objective is to obtain a must free of impurities and rich in sugars. The grains are abundantly rinsed after filtration, thus obtaining a residue rich in sugars. Nothing is discarded, the residue is accumulated in special containers and used for high-quality food fodder.
The boiling of the must and the hops
After filtration, the must is boiled. Normally the boiling time does not exceed 90 minutes. The duration is determined in relation to the beer to be brewed. The boiling serves to:
- To sterilise the wort to neutralise all microorganisms.
- To promote the transformation of the alpha acids of hops into iso-alpha acids, thus allowing the release of bitter substances that bind to the wort and give the bitter component to the beer.
- This phase also allows the evaporation of unpleasant aromatic substances.
The handling of hops - the "whirlpool" system
The wort gets to contain several impurities after boiling. The "whirlpool" method is then carried out, which consists of creating a vortex in the centre of the boiling pot. This makes it possible to collect the proteins and residues in the centre of the vat in order to promote decantation.
Cooling and oxygenation of the must
The must is low in oxygen after boiling. In this phase it is transferred to the fermenters and then cooled through a plate heat exchanger. The temperature is chosen according to the type of fermentation chosen, high 18° - 25°, low 7° - 15°. To oxygenate it, pure oxygen or sterile air is blown in. At this point the fermentation phase can begin with the insertion of yeasts.
The fermentation phase of the must
First an aerobic phase (with the presence of air). It is used with yeast to make an exponential multiplication.
Then an anaerobic phase, the yeast acts on the fermentable sugars present as ethyl alcohol and CO2. The yeast strain influences the fermentation temperature which can vary from 6° to 30° C. After 3 - 7 days 90% of the fermentation process is carried out. The beer enters the secondary fermentation phase. The temperature drops and the turbid components are decanted. In addition, the yeast contributes significantly to the taste of the finished beer.
The final stage of beer production - maturation and stabilization
Finally, the process of transforming the wort into beer ends with the maturation and stabilisation phase. The kegs and bottles are taken to a temperature-controlled cell. The fermentation is reactivated with the addition of fresh wort or sugar. The desired level of gassing is thus reached. After this phase the wine is transferred to a second cold room where stabilization takes place and the craft beer is refined for a period of 3 or 4 weeks. Finally after all this it can be tasted and drunk.
The ingredients of our craft beer
Water is definitely the main ingredient in beer. Mount Serra, at the foot of which is Cascine di Buti, provides us with this precious element in abundance. If a beer is of good quality, it owes it above all to water. The characteristics with which it must be endowed are essentially linked to pH. Everything else is important, but secondary. In conclusion, our ingredients are:
- Water
- Malt
- Hops
- Yeast
Nothing else to get a great craft beer!