HAVE you ever wondered how your favourite pint of bitter or bottle of beer is made?
If so, then perhaps a brewing experience day might be of interest to you.
The number of UK breweries that offer this opportunity is relatively small, yet here in Brentwood we are fortunate enough to have one on our very doorstep.
For £99, you can spend an entire day with Brentwood Brewing Company helping to make your very own beer – and what's more, you even get to take an 18-pint carton of it home with you.
On Thursday, the Gazette visited the microbrewery, based at Frieze Hall Farm off Coxtie Green Road, South Weald, to take part in a brewing experience day.
We were joined by four members of the public: retired civil servant Ted Howson, 67, from South Hornchurch; accountant Mark Eade, 34, from Upminster; business consultant Steve McMurtary, 61, also from Upminster; and his son Dave McMurtary, 28, a transport consultant from Farnham in Surrey.
On a chilly morning, we were met by head brewer Sophie De Ronde, a 29-year-old with more than five years' experience in the industry, who revealed that we would be making Indian Pale Ale, or IPA for short.
First up, we were given the task of opening and tipping 13 25kg bags of crushed pale malt into an electronic mash tun.
Malt is made from barley, a cereal crop which is grown in farmers' fields across the UK and throughout Europe and North America.
To make malt, barley is warmed in water at a temperature of 15C in order to stimulate germination of the grain.
During this process, starch in the grain is broken down into sugars, which give the malt its sweet taste.
The malt is subsequently heated in a kiln, with the temperature determining whether the product will be pale, black or somewhere in between.
After adding the malt to the mash tun, we measured out 630g of calcium chloride and 150g of calcium sulphate, compounds known collectively as brewing salts.
Once the salts were added, the masher was turned on, heating the malt for an hour and a half with water at a temperature of 65C to produce a light, sugary liquid called sweet wort.
To produce 2,500 litres of beer, the brewery uses 3,000 litres of water, to which a mixture of sulphuric and phosphoric acid is added in order to reduce its alkilinity.
Once sweet wort has been produced, hops, which in the UK are mainly grown in Kent, are added to give the liquid more flavour.
Following this, yeast, a single-celled fungus, is introduced to the mixture to convert fermentable sugars such as glucose and fructose into ethanol, better known as alcohol, in a process known as fermentation.
This process can take several days or even weeks, following which the beer is ready to be put into barrels and taken to pubs for patrons to enjoy.
Speaking at the end of the day, which ran from 8am until 5pm, Miss De Ronde said: "These experience days are an extra source of revenue for the brewery and I enjoy being able to share my knowledge with the people who come along.
"People absolutely love it and it is really satisfying to see them learn what goes into making their pint."
Miss De Ronde, one of six staff at the brewery, added: "When people go away from here they have new thoughts about beer and what goes on behind the scenes."
As for my fellow brewing assistants, they were all united in their enjoyment of the experience – particularly the mid afternoon tasting session.
Mr Howson, who makes his own home-made beer, said: "I have learned that to be a successful brewer the main ingredient is patience.
"I have picked up quite a few tips and the day has added immensely to my limited knowledge."
Mr McMurtary senior said: "When my son bought me this experience day it sounded like hard work but it has been very informative and enjoyable."
The experience did not, however, give him the urge to try home brewing.
"It is not something that I want to do," he said.
"I think I would miss the social aspect of drinking if I brewed my own," he said.
His son Dave said: "The day has been interesting and has given me an insight into how a brewery works.
"I was surprised at how small it is and how few staff it has."
He added: "You can drink a pint in 30 seconds if you really want to but the time that goes into it is a lot, lot more."
Meanwhile, Mr Eade said: "I have learnt a huge amount about what goes into brewing and it has been very enjoyable.
"It was quite physical and I think I have earned my beer today."
