How beer is made here in Brewery Nova Paka

Malt production

Malting barley, which is bare of undesired admixtures and sorted out according to the size of grain, is stored on barley loft for the period of at least six weeks. Such mellow barley is soaked in soaking steep tanks for two days, when germination starts. It is realized in heaps for the period of 5 – 7 days. The heaps are turned about twice per day, which eliminates the possibility of intergrowth of germinating caryopses. The process of germination results in so-called green malt, which shall be dried in a malt-kiln; afterwards, the malt is relished of roots. Further on, degermed malt is cooled and is transported to the malt loft, where it rests for six weeks before the processing takes place.

 

Beer brewing

Mellow malt is relished of dust and is crushed to malt pollard. It is further processed in a steam-heated tank provided with a high-performance mixer. During this process, beer wort is made, which shall be filtered through suspended solids, so-called spent grains - which is a waste created in the beer production.
Further on, beer wort is brewed with hops. The resulting product of the hops brewing is hopped wort, which is cooled in the final process to the initial fermentation temperature 8 – 10°C.

Beer fermentation

The main fermentation takes place in open fermentation tanks, which are filled with cooled wort, which is partially fermented with brewery ferments. The main fermentation process lasts 7 – 12 days, depending on the grade of produced beer. During this process, the maximum temperature of fermenting wort is maintained at 11°C. After the completion of fermentation, the tank content is cooled to 5 – 7°C and young beer is moved to the lager cellar in butts.

Beer final fermentation and ageing

Final fermentation and ageing of beer take place in the lager cellar. The cellar is equipped with lager tanks, which are built into cooling boxes that are cooled to 0 – 1°C. Ferment ferments even at low temperature and the resulting processes create characteristic relish of beer. The present foggy particles, which are formed, sink to the bottom of the tank, which stirs the beer. Final fermentation and ageing last from 5 to 8 weeks, depending on the beer grade. After the final fermentation process, beer is filtrated with the use of a diatomeous filter. Such treated beer is pumped into pressurized tanks and prepared for tapping into the required container.

Beer tapping

Beer is tapped into glass bottles, which have been perfectly cleaned both from inside and outside. The inspection equipment inspects quality of washing and eliminates the bottles, which are mechanically damaged or imperfectly cleaned. After being filled with pasteurized beer, the bottles are closed with crown cap and are subjected to automatic inspection of fullness. PET bottles are flushed out with drinking water at first and then pre-filled with carbon dioxide in the filling mono block - like the glass bottles. Afterwards, they are filled with pasteurized beer and closed with screwing cover. The labelling machine provides glass bottles with a label with the date of filling and the PET bottles with a label with the "Best before" date. Then the PET bottles are packed into multi-packs, which are loaded onto a pallet, while glass bottles are stored in bottle crates and cardboards. KEGs are treated with the same care.

Laboratory

The Brewery in Nová Paka, as a food-processing plant, complies with the conditions established by the Act on foods. Not only final products but also production inputs and paths, where the product or its part gets in contact with the surroundings, are subjected to laboratory inspections every day. Suppliers and production process inputs are subjected to tenders, when any particular company shall declare unobjectionable health and hygienic properties of its products by means of applicable declarations and certificates pursuant to the applicable legal standards and regulations, which also correspond to the legislation of the European Union. The plant - operation and its products are controlled by the responsible national institutions. (Czech Agriculture and Food Inspection Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Hygienic Station.)