Beer brewing @

Varnish Software

Beer brewing @

Varnish Software

Motivation

• Who doesn’t like beer? (Answer: about 15% or so)

• Cost are reasonable (~$1000 for basic equipment)

• Craft beer is very expensive in Norway

• People seem to think it is fun

What is beer?

CC-BY-SA 2.0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barley#/media/File:Barley_(Hordeum_vulgare)_-_United_States_National_Arboretum_-_24_May_2009.jpg

BY-SA 2.0 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Water_drop_impact_on_a_water-surface_-_(1).jpg

CC-BY-SA 2.5 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer#/media/File:Hopfendolde-mit-hopfengarten.jpg

CC BY-SA 3.0 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker%27s_yeast#/media/File:20100911_232323_Yeast_Live.jpg

Short overview of the brewing process

Step 0: Recipe formulation

• We started off with kits with malt, hops and yeast

• The we modified the kits

• Then we made our own recipes

Step 1 - Mashing

• Take crushed grains and steep them in warm (~55-69° C) water for an hour

• The warm water activates enzymes in the grains

• The enzymes break down starches to sugar

• The result is sweet wort

Step 2 - boiling

• We take the wort and boil it

• This will sanitize the beer

• Hops are added - these turn bitter when boiled

Step 3 - cooling

• The wort needs to cool down to around 8°-18° celsius

• This should happen quickly

Step 4 - fermentation

• Yeast is added to the wort (pitching)

• wort —> beer

• The most critical step

• You make lager or ale - depends on the yeast strain and the fermentation temperature

• We use a slightly modified fridge for temperature control

• Hops can be added - “dry hopping”

Step 5 - bottling

• Beer is transferred to bottles

• Sugar is added to the beer

• The bottles are capped

• CO2 is caught inside the bottle and carbonates the beer

• Beer is ready after ~two weeks

Step 6: Drinking beer

• At all company internal parties we serve our own beer

Lessons learned

Eat while brewing

• Brewing takes quite a few hours

• We order pizza :)

Move if necessary

• Make sure you can brew at the office

• If not possible: Move to a new place!

Lessons learned• Success rate is 90% or so

• We’ve dumped one batch (50 liters) of beer - we have no idea what went wrong - software is easier to deal with

• As we progress - beer quality seems stagnant

• Electricity is a risk factor - 32A @ 230V currents are not to be frowned upon

• Building physical equipment is fun!

• Beer brewing is mostly about washing up

• Brewing on carpet is …. not that smart.

• All in all - it’s been a lot of fun

Q & A

https://www.varnish-software.com/about-us/beer-brewing