1. Barley malt

The malt is supplied by the malt house. There, the barley from the fields is allowed to sprout and then dried at different temperatures. That is what makes the different colours of malt and thus the different colours and flavours of our beers. During this process, the malting barley is converted to barley malt. It is very important for Edel Pilsener to be brewed with 100% barley malt. That means that we only use 4 ingredients: barley malt, spring water, (aroma)hops and Meens yeast.

3. 100% Pure natural mineral water

The Netherlands only has a few official natural springs. Alfa is the only brewery in the Netherlands that has 100% pure, natural spring water from a spring that is officially approved by the ministry. That means that the water meets the strictest requirements set by the Directive on Natural Mineral Waters and Spring Water. The approval is preceded by extensive physical and geological research. The water must meet a set of strict criteria. These criteria include e.g. a healthy composition, origin from an underground water source and natural purity. Certified spring water is what gives our Alfa Beers their sparkling, fresh quality. This water, which is over 6,000 years old, is filtered through layers of chalk and marl and is so pure that it goes straight from the spring into the hop boiler. It’s all natural – which you can taste! We only get a limited amount of this spring water per year, which is why each bottle has its own unique number and why we have a limited brewing capacity.

4. Mashing – Traditional Decoction Method

The purpose of mashing is twofold: to dissolve substances that are directly soluble in water and to make insoluble substances soluble (and thus fermentable) through enzymatic activity. Soluble substances include sugars, amino acids, minerals and some vitamins. Insoluble substances include the starch, fat and proteins. During the temperature increase, there are several rests that strongly affect the flavour and quality of the end product.

We have used the traditional decoction method at Alfa Beer since day one. This brewing method is the authentic way to make beer, but does require an extra boiler, very precise and dedicated brewers, more effort and more specific brewing expertise. We have always upheld this brewing method because it makes for better beer. And we will never compromise on that.

5. Filter tank (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 substances have to be separated. This is done by filtration or by clarification, in the filtration clarification tank. The wort is then processed further to make beer. The draff is perfect for use as cattle feed. Therefore, many farms want to buy Alfa’s draff.

6. The gift of hops: Tettnanger

Not all hops are the same. At the very top of the list of aroma hops is the world-famous Tettnanger hop from Tettnang. And that just happens to be the kind of hops we use at Alfa. This precious type of hops is what determines the subtle finish of our beers. And the best part is: that has been the case for over 150 years, because we still use the same type of hops that our founder Joseph Meens started out with. Coincidence? No. That’s just Alfa Beer

7. Boiling

Once the mash has been clarified, the wort is pumped into the hop boiler. This is where the actual brewing happens. After all, “brew” is etymologically linked to the word “boil”. Boiling is meant to condense the wort until the desired extract concentration or gravity is achieved. During that process, a kind of natural wort stabilisation also occurs through protein coagulation, a drop in pH, colour heightening, flavour development, enzyme destruction and sterilisation. During the boiling process, the hops can also be added.

The sterilisation and the time of hop release play an important role in the beer’s flavour and shelf life.

9. Meens yeast

The yeast that Alfa Beer uses is stored in a safe in a lab near Cologne, Germany. Meens yeast, made using our own yeast culture with a special flavour profile from 1870, is stored safe and sterile in a yeast safe in that laboratory. Once every four months, the strain is taken from the yeast – with the meticulous care of cash transport – and then cultivated in the brewery’s fermentation room.

Fermentation

Once the wort has been cooled and aerated in the mixing vat, it is pumped into the fermentation tank. Fermentation takes place in two stages: main fermentation and secondary fermentation.

Main fermentation

About 24 hours after mixing the wort, we see the first signs of fermentation. Slowly, a fine layer of froth starts to form on the green beer. The fermentation reaches its peak after 2 to 3 days. After that, the fermentation gradually decreases. The yeast slowly sinks to the bottom and the thick layer of froth collapses somewhat. Main fermentation is complete after 7 to 10 days, after which the green beer can be pumped to the aging cellar.

The yeast only sinks to the bottom with fermentation using bottom yeast. When using top yeast, the yeast remains in the froth (at the top). Hence the names of each type of yeast.

Temperature control plays a major role during main fermentation as well. A lot of heat is released during fermentation. Temperatures cannot get too high. This is why breweries used to only be able to brew during the winter months. Now the modern brewery is a year-round operation, with – depending on demand – brewing around the clock.

The theory behind fermentation is: The wort contains a certain level of malt extract, of which about 80% is fermentable. The fermentation process takes place in two stages: aerobic and anaerobic fermentation. On the first day, the yeast uses oxygen from the wort. During this time, the yeast grows and multiplies. When there is no oxygen left, the anaerobic stage starts. Now, the yeast splits the fermentable sugars, producing ethanol alcohol and carbon dioxide. At Alfa, this carbon dioxide is carefully stored and reused in the process! (as a natural anti-oxidant).

10. Lagering (secondary fermentation)

Lagering takes place in the cellars. This process is not forced here at Alfa, and takes over 5 weeks, including the main fermentation. This secondary fermentation is meant to:

• achieve the ultimate maturation of the green beer;

• saturate the beer with carbon dioxide;

• fining down the beer through flocculation of the yeast and protein haze;

• making the beer resistant to cold break haze.

11. (Final) filtration

After secondary fermentation, the beer is filtered before it is bottled. This is done through so-called Diatomaceous Earth (DE) filtration. Diatomaceous Earth is sediment from shellfish millions of years ago that serves as a filtration medium but which does not remain in the beer.

12. Cheers!

Bottling

When the beer has been filtered, it can be poured into bottles, cans or kegs. The Alfa Brewery used to fill the bottles by hand, but now it has a fully automated bottling system, which is able to fill a large number of bottles an hour. In fact, the filling machine is a conveyor belt where the bottle undergoes several operations. The returned bottles come in in crates, which are emptied automatically. Then, the bottle goes into a bottle rinsing machine which also removes the old labels. Returned bottles are cleaned and refilled an average of 30 times during their lifespan.

After cleaning, with complex inspection machines that check for e.g. soil contamination, errors in the mouth of the bottle etc., a conveyor belt moves the bottle to the filling carousel. In this carousel, the bottles are pressurised with carbon dioxide, filled with beer and sealed with crown caps. Then, labels and separate neck labels (the seal stickers) are attached. Furthermore, a unique number is printed on the back label! The final inspection machine checks the filling height, presence of the label and the number of bottles per crate.