Brewing process

By using the simple ingredients of water, hops, malt and yeast, we brew beers full of flavor every day that everyone can enjoy. Sander and Ronald started brewing in the kitchen in 2010. VandeStreek beer is now an ever-growing group of professionals and fanatics who are busy perfecting our beers every day.

When making a recipe, we start from the taste that we ultimately want in the glass. If we are looking for a lot of mouthfeel, the thought immediately goes to oats and wheat in the malt dump. If we brew a bitter beer, the amount of hops in the kettle will increase. If it is an IPA, then we decide how many grams per liter we will dry hop. Not only the ingredients are part of the recipe, the brewing process itself can also be adjusted per recipe. For example, we can carry out certain steps longer or shorter and the temperature can be adjusted during all steps to influence the taste of the beer.

To come up with a new recipe, of course, we also have to get inspired. That is why we often organize tastings in the brewery where the craziest beers pass by. VandeStreek beer recipes are still made by Sander and Ronald, just like when they started brewing in the kitchen in 2010.

During mashing, warm water is mixed with the ground malt. During the mashing process, the proteins and starch from the malt are converted into sugars by enzymes in the malt. By continuously stirring the batter, the temperature is evenly distributed, the enzymes can do their job and we mix it into a kettle full of cereal porridge. The ideal temperature during this step is between 62 and 72 degrees Celsius.

When all the sugars have been converted, we heat the whole thing to 80 degrees – which stops the enzymatic process. Once this temperature is reached we are ready for the next step.

The clear sugar water that comes out from under the filter plate flows to the boiling kettle. We boil most of our beers for one hour. Unwanted aromas evaporate during cooking, the whole becomes sterile, proteins clump together and hops are added for the first time. The hops that go into the kettle provide the bitterness of the beer.

Before the wort we have now can become real beer, we cool it back to the desired temperature for fermentation. For lagers we cool to 10 to 15 degrees. Top-fermented beers are cooled to a temperature between 18 and 24 degrees.

The water that we use for cooling is heated during cooling and collected in the hot water tank. We use this water as mash water for the next batch.

We determine the fermentation temperature depending on the yeast strain we use and the recipe of the beer. At this temperature we let the yeast do its job. After about 1 week, the fermentation is usually finished and we cool the whole thing to 2 degrees Celsius. This process is the same for all our beers, whether they are heavy in alcohol or Non Alcoholic.

IPAs and other hoppy beers are also dry hopped during fermentation. We then add hops to the fermenting beer so that extra flavor can come from the hops in the beer.

Cooling the beer down to 2 degrees Celsius after fermentation is called lagering. During storage, unwanted substances that have arisen during fermentation are cleared away. These evaporate or are actively cleared away by the yeast. This period of cold maturation also allows proteins, yeast and hops to settle to the bottom of the tank.

After lagering, we prepare the beer for filling. In some breweries beer is then filtered, but not with us. We dislike filtering beer, because when filtering you also remove flavorings from the beer. To ensure that there are no pieces in your glass, all our beers go through a centrifuge; also called separator. During this process, all liquids, such as hop oil, remain in the beer and only the solid parts are thrown out of the beer by a strong centrifugal force.

The last step before you can drink our beer is that we have to fill it. We do this in bottles, cans or kegs. When filling, we ensure that as little oxygen as possible reaches the beer. As soon as the beer is filled, the quality unfortunately deteriorates. By adding as little oxygen as possible to the beer in the packaging, the beer can be stored better.

The best packaging for beer is a keg. This means that as little oxygen as possible reaches the product per liter. As a consumer, it is best to opt for canned beer. A can does not let in any light and the headspace can easily be made oxygen-free.

What is often forgotten when describing the brewing process is the people needed to carry it out. Our brewhouse and brewery are virtually non-automated, so it mainly comes down to human work. Samples are taken from all tanks every day for measurement, tasting and analysis.

When a beer is ready, it is prepared for filling by one of our production staff. It takes great care to taste the right amount of CO2, the right clarity and the last time before filling.

The filling is also not automated. Empty bottles or cans are placed on the line manually. Filling is automatic, although the machines must be continuously monitored. Finally, the bottles or cans are put into boxes by hand and then placed on a pallet.

As you can read, it takes a certain type of person to be able to work with us. Would you like to be involved in the brewing process every day? We are often looking for talent.