We Finally Have "Mama Bear"

Mama Bear, is the name of our newest “brite” beer tank.  She can hold 60 barrels, while Papa Bear, the “brite” tank next to her, can hold 120 barrels.  And yes, we have 2 Baby Bears.  Each one is a “grundy” tank capable of holding 6 barrels.

Contrary to common sense, a “brite” tank didn’t get its name because it is bright.  After fermentation and aging (which can take 2-8 weeks), the beer is filtered to remove any remaining yeast and proteins.  This clarified beer is known as bright beer because of its non-cloudy nature.  Essentially, bright beer is beer in which yeast is no longer in suspension.  Clearing yeast from beer can be done through filtering or by waiting for the yeast to drop naturally (“dropping bright”).  The bright beer is stored in a bright beer tank, often called a “brite” tank, serving tank or secondary tank, so it can further mature, clarify and carbonate, as well as being stored for kegging, bottling and packaging.  What sets a “brite” tank apart from a fermentation tank is the ability to be very cold and hold pressure while allowing beer to properly carb up.

These two “brite” tanks and our two “grundy” tanks provide our brewers with increased flexibility and capability to store, mature, condition and create a vast variety of traditional and unique beer styles to better serve our customers.