This is how the unique taste of Alfa Beer is created
Alfa Beer Brewing Process
The foundation of pure craftsmanship
1. Barley malt
The malt is supplied by the malthouse. At the malthouse, barley from the fields is first germinated and then dried at different temperatures. This process creates various types of malt, resulting in the different colours and flavours of our beers. During this transformation, brewing barley becomes malted barley. It is essential that Edel Pils is brewed with 100% barley malt. This means we only use four ingredients: barley malt, spring water, hops, and our own Meens family yeast strain.
Fine work for great beer
2. Milling
The whole malt kernel cannot be used directly in the brewery. First, the malt must be milled, a process distinct from grinding or crushing. Milling is a purely mechanical action but is vital for the natural conversion during mashing, filtration, and the qualitative composition of the wort, fermentation, and beer quality. The goal of milling is to reduce the endosperm in the malt kernel while keeping the husk as intact as possible so that the husk layer can later serve as a filter. Milling is done using a six-roller mill. The distance between the rollers varies, as does the rotation speed of the different rollers.
Pure spring water, the soul of our beer
3. 100% naturally pure spring water
There are only a few official springs in the Netherlands. Alfa is the only brewery in the Netherlands with 100% naturally pure spring water from an officially recognized source by the Ministry. This means the water meets the strictest regulations of the Natural Mineral and Spring Water Decree. Extensive geological and physical examinations precede this recognition. The water must meet several stringent criteria, such as having a healthy composition, originating from an underground water reserve, and possessing natural purity. This certified spring water is decisive for the sparkling and fresh taste of our Alfa Beers. This water, over 6,000 years old, is filtered through chalk and marl layers and is so pure that it goes directly from the spring into the brewing kettle. Pure nature, and you can taste it! The quantity of this spring water is limited per year; therefore, each bottle has a unique number, and our brewing capacity is restricted.
Authentic and uncompromising
4. Mashing - traditional decoction method
The purpose of mashing is twofold: to dissolve substances directly soluble in water and to make insoluble substances soluble (and thus fermentable) through enzymatic action. Soluble substances include sugars, amino acids, minerals, and certain vitamins. Insoluble substances include starch, fats, and proteins. During the temperature increase, several pauses occur that significantly influence the taste and quality of the final product. These include the protein rest (50°C), β-amylase (64°C), and α-amylase (74°C) phases.
We have been applying the traditional decoction method at Alfa Beer for many years. This brewing method is the authentic way of beer preparation but requires an extra kettle, highly precise and dedicated brewers, more effort, and more specific brewing knowledge. We have always remained faithful to this brewing method because it produces superior beers. We will never make any concessions in this regard.
From malt to value
5. Lautering (clarification)
At the end of the mashing process, the mash consists of a mixture of undissolved substances (spent grain or draff) and dissolved substances (wort). After mashing, these two components must be separated. This is done by filtering or clarifying in the lauter tun. The wort is further processed into beer. The spent grain is excellent as animal feed. Many agricultural businesses are eager to use Alfa’s spent grain.
Hops with history and character
6. Addition of tettnanger hops
Not all hops are the same. At the top of the list of aroma hops is the world-famous Tettnanger hop from Tettnang. And that happens to be the hop variety we use at Alfa. This noble hop variety determines the subtle finish of our beers. And the best part; we’ve been using the same hop variety for over 150 years, the same one our founder Joseph Meens started with. Coincidence? No. It’s typically Alfa Beer.
Boiling for character and quality
7. Boiling
After the mash has been clarified, the wort is pumped into the brew kettle. Here, the actual brewing takes place. After all, the word “brewing” is etymologically related to the word “boiling.” The purpose of boiling is to evaporate the wort to reach the desired extract content or original gravity. Additionally, a natural wort stabilization occurs through protein coagulation, pH reduction, color enhancement, flavor development, enzyme destruction, and sterilization. During boiling, hops can also be added.
Sterilization and the timing of hop addition are important for the shelf life and taste of the beer.
pure beginning for pure beer
8. Whirlpool
REMOVING HOP RESIDUE
The wort must now be filtered. The hot trub and hop residues must be removed before cooling and fermentation, as they would otherwise slow fermentation and negatively impact the color, taste, and foam quality of the final beer. This is done using the whirlpool.
COOLING & COLD TRUB REMOVAL
After the wort is clarified, it is cooled — an essential step, as the yeast added later cannot tolerate high temperatures. The wort is also aerated to ensure the yeast receives sufficient oxygen.
At Alfa, we use a plate heat exchanger, which consists of a series of stainless steel plates with alternating flows of wort and cooling water.
Yeast with a story, fermentation with craftmanship
9. Meens yeast strain
The yeast used by Alfa is stored in a secure vault at a laboratory in Cologne. The Meens yeast strain, developed from our own culture and carrying a unique flavor profile since 1870, is kept under sterile conditions in this yeast vault. Once every four months, the strain is retrieved — with the care of a cash transport — and propagated in the brewery’s yeast lab.
FERMENTATION
Once the wort has been cooled and aerated in the pitching vessel, it is pumped into the fermentation tank. Fermentation takes place in two phases: primary fermentation and secondary fermentation (lagering).
PRIMARY FERMENTATION
About 24 hours after pitching, the first signs of fermentation appear. A fine foam slowly forms on the young beer. After 2 to 3 days, fermentation reaches its peak, then gradually slows. The yeast sinks to the bottom and the foam layer subsides. After 7 to 10 days, primary fermentation is complete, and the young beer is transferred to the lagering cellar.
This downward movement of yeast is typical for bottom fermentation. In top fermentation, the yeast remains at the top in the foam layer — hence the names.
Controlling the temperature during fermentation is crucial. Fermentation generates heat, and excessive temperatures can affect quality. This explains why, in the past, brewing was only done in winter. Today, modern breweries like ours operate continuously, brewing around the clock as needed.
Fermentation Theory:
The wort contains a certain level of malt sugar extract, around 80% of which is fermentable. Fermentation occurs in two stages:
• The aerobic phase (yeast consumes oxygen and multiplies)
• The anaerobic phase (yeast breaks down sugars into alcohol and CO₂)
At Alfa, the CO₂ is carefully captured and reused in the process — a natural antioxidant!
Patience in the cellar, perfection in the glass
10. Lagering (secondary fermentation)
In the lagering cellars, the beer undergoes secondary fermentation. At Alfa, this process is not rushed and takes more than five weeks, including primary fermentation. The purpose of lagering is:
• Final maturation of the young beer
• Carbonation of the beer
• Clarification by flocculation of yeast and proteins
• Increasing resistance to chill haze
Clarity through nature and time
11. Final filtration
After secondary fermentation, the beer is filtered before packaging. This is done using a diatomaceous earth filter. Diatomaceous earth is the fossilized remains of microscopic shellfish and serves as a natural filtering medium, without remaining in the beer.
Filling with precision and pride
12. Cheers! Bottling
Once filtered, the beer is ready to be filled into bottles, cans, or kegs. While bottling used to be done by hand, Alfa now uses a fully automated filling line, capable of filling thousands of bottles per hour.
Essentially, the filling machine is a conveyor system that handles each bottle step-by-step:
• Returnable bottles arrive in crates, which are automatically emptied.
• Bottles are washed and stripped of labels. A returnable bottle is cleaned and reused on average 30 times.
After washing and inspection (checking for contaminants or defects), bottles move along a conveyor to the filling carousel. There, they are:
• Pressurized with CO₂
• Filled with beer
• Capped with a crown cap
Next, the bottle is labeled, including a neck label (seal) and a unique number on the back label. A final inspection checks fill level, label presence, and crate content before the beer is ready for distribution.
