This Picture is Pure Michigan; New Fermenters Head To Kalamazoo
How more Michigan can a photo be than this one? New fermenters are heading for Kalamazoo/Galesburg to brew beer for Michigan's biggest brewer.
A Facebook post mentions Two Heated Ale and Hopslam by name in a post about these fermenters, but Bell's makes enough beers that it could be any one of many that will be brewed in them.
Doing a quick google search, you see fermenting tanks are not cheap, looking at what pops up. However, being a neophyte, it's hard to tell how what's shows up on a Google search translates to what a big brewery such as Bell's uses to make its product.
Just trying to figure out a measure such as "BBL" is a bit confusing. According to indiebrewco.com, "Breweries are defined by what size brew house they have, as it is the main factor that determines how much beer they can produce. In the U.S., beer volume is measured in barrels (bbl). One U.S. barrel is 31 gallons."
So, if these 7, 8, or 10 barrel fermenters go for somewhere in the range of $6,000 to $8,000, (though maybe you can get a deal on ebay) imagine what an 800 barrel fermenter goes for.
And if you're next logical question is "what does a beer fermenter do?" Well, says, Grainfather.com, "Fermentation is the process by which yeast converts the glucose in the wort to ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide gas -- giving the beer both its alcohol content and its carbonation."
But here's something to think about: The process is all about heating things up and then cooling things down to maintain a consistent quality. I'm sure to the people, like at Bell's, who do this everyday, it's second nature, but to keep up the quality, this is the beer equivalent to rocket science. Seems like that's a reason right there to raise a glass.
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Gallery Credit: Katelyn Leboff