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The Copper
(Boiling Vessel)
Micro Breweries in this country generally have a combined Copper
and Hop Back. Ours is no exception.
Once the vessel is full to the
required level and specific gravity, it is allowed to boil for 1 hour. The
Copper is heated by two 18 KW heaters (imagine what the meter looks like when
all 36Kw is on line !). Just at the start of the boil the main charge of hops
are added through the manhole cover in the top.
The purpose of boiling
is mainly to sterilise the wort but many other chemical reactions occur at the
same time. Some of which include reduction of pH and the production of colour
(mainly due to caramelisation) and of course the hop bitterness is imparted
into the wort. At the end of the boil further aroma hops are added and after a
suitable stand, the wort is recirculated through the mesh plate at the bottom
and returns tangentially at the top. This aids wort clarification and the hops
are retained on the mesh plate
The wort is then pumped through the heat
exchanger (to cool it down to 18-20 deg C) into the required fermenter. Spent
hops are bagged up and used for garden fertiliser.
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