Pumps make beer possibleHappy Saint Patrick’s Day (weekend)! Also known as the holiday where overgrown people from their mid-20s to late 30s try to relive their college years by getting belligerently drunk and violent.
Good times!
I’ve written a little bit about the history of Saint Patrick’s Day in the past. This time, I want to tie the history of this most enjoyable of holidays into pumps. Without pumps it would be much more difficult to enjoy the magical elixir we most closely associate with this holy day: beer. Here’s a very special edition of Pumps Make It Possible.
How Beer Gets Made
Of course, before the beer can get pumped into your glass, brewers actually have to, you know, make the beer.
Whether you consider yourself a craft beer connoisseur who only imbibes IPAs or a weekend warrior who just likes to throw back a few cold ones with the boys, you have probably given at least some thought as to how you get your tasty beer. You know it involves hops and grains and the vagaries of something called the 'fermentation process,' but how exactly does it all fit together?
It's actually a pretty straightforward process that dates all the way back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Perhaps the famous "Egyptian walk", was created when Hotep was drunk during the equivalent of a St. Paddy's day celebration. Cereal grains (most commonly barley) with certain sugars are the base ingredient. The grain is malted, a multi-step process in which it is soaked in water, spread on a floor for a few days and then dried at a high temperature for hours.
-The end result of a long processThe grain is milled and then mixed with hot water in a process known as mashing. The purpose of the mashing is to create sugars for fermenting. The liquid is then moved to a tank or kettle where it is boiled with hops. The hops add the bitter taste that offsets the natural sweetness of the milled grain. The liquid is then cooled in a heat exchanger before yeast is added. The liquid (also called a "wort" at this stage) then goes into a fermentation tank where more yeast is added. After fermenting and conditioning for a set period, the beer is then carbonated, filtered and stored. It is now ready to drink.
The entire process is a little more complicated then that and modern techniques may vary by brewer, but for our purposes, those are the basics. First We Feast, did an interesting step-by-step guide with animations if you want a more detailed look.
But what about the pumps?
How Pumps Give Us Beer
As with any other type of fluid, whether it be groundwater or wastewater, beer at rest needs to be compelled to move from its source, typically a casket or keg. But unlike with water transport, the liquid is meant to retain something of its original state. Taste, flavor and freshness are paramount, particularly in a draft beer system. That is why home brewers and barkeeps alike make sure they have a quality beer pump to transport the beer to the tap in such a way that it still tastes great in your glass.
Beer pumps are powered by compressed air or high pressure gas (such as CO2) which acts as a propelling force to move the beer. The gas that powers the pump and the gas that actually comes into contact with the beer, are separate. Note that excess CO2 should be properly vented.
-Pumps make sure beer tastes the same at the tap and in your glassBrewers will often set a preferred PSI pressure rating which is ideal for moving beer without effecting the carbonation level or spoiling the beer. Depending on the necessary configuration of pump and keg, the beer can be moved in runs that are either long or short, horizontal or vertical. The important thing is that you use the correct pressure setting for moving the beer. Also make sure all fittings are tightly attached and that the beer lines are periodically cleaned.
Goulds Water Technology makes beer pumps and PumpProducts.com might be adding some in the future. In the meantime, I hope you now have an appreciation for how important the humble pump is for giving you something that you probably enjoy with great enthusiasm. Just when you thought pumps were boring.
Here's to beer, the cause of (and solution to) all of life's problems. Plus let's not forget, here's to the pumps that make it possible. Enjoy the holiday.
Do you have any ideas for future editions of "Pumps Make It Possible?" Let us know in the comments.
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