The Virtual Tour!
The Grain Room
This is where it all begins. Every year we bring over one hundred tons of malted grain into the grain room. And it's not just all one type...different beer styles use different grains. For example, Upland's signature Wheat Ale is brewed with 50 percent malted wheat. The other 50 percent is malted barley, the primary grain used in most craft-brewed beers.
The barley itself comes in different styles as well: 2-row and 6-row are the main varieties, and each of these can be roasted to varying degrees yielding Pale, Black, and Chocolate to name a few. Regardless of the type, one thing all these grains share is that they are malted. Malting is a process whereby the grains are allowed to partially germinate before being quickly dried, or kilned, at up to 160 °F. This is done to allow the grain to create certain enzymes which would not otherwise be available. The longer a grain is kilned, the darker and more "roasted" the grain becomes. These darker grains impart different flavors and, of course, colors to the beer. Bad Elmer's Porter, for example, uses a much darker malt than our Pale Ale.
Once we have selected a beer style to brew, we begin grinding these different malted grains in specific proportions according to the unique Upland recipe for that beer. After grinding, the malted grain is deposited in a hopper with a direct feed into the Brew House. Although some beers require more, at least 1400 pounds of grain are used per brew. At Upland, our malted grain is held to the highest standards for quality and consistency. Doing so ensures a good mash (the next stop on our tour) and allows us to provide a better beer for you.
On to the Brew House!
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