First, the grain is germinated in water, and, after sprouting, is roasted,
a process called malting. The processed malt is then added to water,
creating mash, which is then boiled, a procedure called brewing. Once
the spent grains are drained away from the brewkettle after brewing, the
remaining product, or wort, is pumped into large open vats. Yeast is then
added to the wort, which this exhibit gallery will show visitors as being
the last major step in this phase of the brewing process.
In ancient societies, brewing had been the domain of
women. This is not surprising considering brewing is
essentially a cooking process, and was in medieval
times mainly conducted at home. This portion of
the museum will allow visitors the opportunity
to actually "see" how brewers convert the
ingredients they learned about in the previous
gallery into beer.
More than simply displaying photos of a brewery,
or showing the equipment in the brewing process, the
gallery will allow visitors to "walk" through the brewing
process. By following the same paths that ingredients travel
on the route to becoming beer, visitors will have the opportunity to
explore the interior of a brew kettle and see how beer is "made" from the
"inside-out".
Visitors will also learn how technology has changed and improved the
brewing process. Pasteurization, top and bottom fermentation processes,
mechanization, refrigeration, and today's computer-assisted brewing are
just a few examples of the technological changes that have combined
to produce a product much different than the beer brewed in kitchens in
colonial America. Visitors will view images and textual explanations on
kiosk stations in this area of the museum.
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