In June 2018, Line Creek Brewery opened, the result of a dream of a group of local craft beer lovers. A welcoming place for folks to gather, love of community, camaraderie and quality craft beer became the stepping stone to building a successful business right here in Peachtree City. Their brewing process is both traditional and cutting edge, and has created a strong following, not only here at home, but in the Atlanta and Columbus markets as well. With close to 20 beers on tap and 12 different beers in cans, these brewers are in constant motion.
Lead Brewer, Spencer Moore, works daily to bring unique and tasty brews to customers. His days are long and filled with a multitude of jobs. Moore gladly welcomed us into his world so that we can experience a typical day in his shoes.
MORNING Look at the schedule and organize daily tasks for the production crew. Mashing In - the process of mixing grains with hot water. AKA our Mash. This process releases enzymes within the grains to convert any starches into sugar. This is what the yeast “eats” to produce alcohol.
Then begins the Lauter. This is the process of filtering the liquid off of the grain. The Lauter Tun is the vessel used and can be thought of like a giant colander. The liquid, called wort, is transferred off the grain and into the Boil Kettle.
Begin Sparge. This is the process in which we rinse the grains with hot water, to rinse off any residual sugars. This liquid is also lautered and transferred to the Boil Kettle.
Free Time - But, not really. We use this time to clean equipment like the Fermentation Vessel. Everything that the beer touches needs to be cleaned and sanitized. Not only does this create clean non-infected beer, but it also makes consistent beer. We also do visual inspections and taste test all other beers that are currently in tanks. This ensures every beer is on track.
AFTERNOON Begin boil. This serves two main purposes. The first is to sterilize that wort to make sure there are no bacteria or wild yeasts. The second is for flavor. Boiling itself produces and removes certain flavors, this is also where we would add the hops. Hops added at the beginning of the boil add a bittering component. Hops added at the end of the boil will give more of the flavor and aroma.
Whirlpool. This is forcing the wort in the Boil Kettle to spin in a whirlpool. This compacts any hop matter and proteins together at the bottom of the Boil Kettle so that the wort can cleanly drain off. Cast into FV. Casting refers to transferring the wort from the Boil Kettle into the FV. During this process, it flows through a heat exchanger where cold water runs through. During casting, we will pitch the yeast. This is where we add yeast to the wort to produce beer.
EVENING Yeast Cell Counts. As soon as casting is finished, we take a small sample of the wort and analyze it underneath a microscope. We count the yeast cells present to make sure enough yeast was pitched. The amount of yeast is important as too much or too little can produce undesirable flavors in the final product. Clean up. Rinsing out the Boil Kettle, putting away hoses, scrubbing the floors and turning off anything that will not be used overnight. Clock out and repeat tomorrow.
