preparing the mash

The second step in the day's production begins with a skilful ‘game’ that involve temperature, resting times and enzyme activity, all under the careful attention of the master brewer. This process, which changes from beer to beer, is the preparation of the mix for the mash obtained by mixing malt and water at 40° C. With the subsequent heating and of the diastase*, the majority of the insoluble starch turns to soluble starch gum and maltose: this process is known as saccarification.

Heating the mix to 52° C and then letting it rest for 20-30 minutes, releases the starch.

Raising the temperature to 62° C for another 20-30 minutes releases the maltose.

After twenty minutes rest at 72° C maximum saccarification is obtained.

To finish, the mixture reaches a maximum of 78° C with a pause of five minutes before being passed to filtering to separate the insoluble grain residue from the soluble part, the mash.

*Diastase: Enzymes formed during the germination of the barley grain and that act in the mixture as solvent and starch saccarifiers.