Brewing Macardles...

Macardles Ales is brewed much as it was in the last Millennium continuing a long established tradition. The process begins with the cleaning and weighing of the the two initial ingredients: roast barley and malt. They are passed on to the mill to be crushed and then mixed with the flaked maize to produce the 'grist'. The grist is fed into a 'mash tun' and mixed with hot water at about 65° C. After 1 and half hours of mashing the brew is then 'sparged and underlet'. Now the brewer begins to 'run off the mash'. A sweet liquid or 'wort', filters into a giant Kettle where the hops are added. Four types of hops are used 3 giving bitterness, one giving aroma. The wort is boiled in a process called 'copper up', to sterilize the brew and release the hops distinctive flavour. Next comes the 'castin' or movement from the Kettle to the Whirlpool where the wort is clarified by rapid rotation to remove the 'trub' (or solid residues). After the wort is cooled and aerated, the yeast us 'pitched in line' to collection vessels. Once the gravity is adjusted, the brew on to fermentation vessels, where the yeast converts the wort sugars to alcohol. After the yeast has been removed by the centrifuge, the wort is collected in storage vessels. Here, copper finings are added which help to coagulate (or settle out) the residual proteins. The brew is now filtered into Bright Beer Tanks where the carbon dioxide and nitrogen levels are adjusted. Finally, the beer us ready to be packaged and pasteurised; two processes which take place simultaneously. Macardle Moore's ales are packaged in both kegs and 'small packs' which are bottles and cans. The ale is now ready to be delivered; once instilled with the pride and confidence of its makers and guaranteed to please, as it has done for generations.