Our production | KARLUV PIVOVAR

PROCESS OF PRODUCTION

Our brewery employs the classic, old-fashioned method of brewing beer - the method of bottom fermentation. After brewing for 8 to 12 hours, the fermentation and ripening process can take 32 to 46 days.

01 / 07

PROCESS OF PRODUCTION / The heart of brewery

Our brewery has 8 copper vats that can brew beer with a total capacity of 1800 hectoliters. Beer is brewed in them for 8-12 hours at temperatures from 6 to 12 C, depending on the type of beer. Beverage circulation cycle - every two hours, beer is poured into the adjacent vat through an initial filtration process to remove spent malt and hop ingredients from the beverage.

BOTTOM (cold) fermentation TECHNOLOGY. What does that mean?

The technology of bottom (cold) fermentation is a process of producing alcoholic beverage in which fermentation takes place at low temperatures from 4°C to 16°C. This method preserves the aromatic properties of the raw material and helps to obtain a beverage with milder flavor and aroma. Low temperature slows down the fermentation process, which helps to maintain the taste and reduce the formation of by-products.

The difference between bottom (cold) fermentation and top (German brewing technology) fermentation is that in low temperature the fermentation process takes place at lower temperatures, whereas in top fermentation it is usually higher (18°C to 25°C). But the low temperature fermentation ensures a slower fermentation process which preserves the aromatic properties of the raw material and gets a drink with milder aroma and flavor than the top fermentation.

02 / 07

INGRIDIENTS / Žatec hops.

We use only real Czech hops, grown all in one place, on plantations near the town of Žatec, cultivated over several centuries by the best brew masters in Czech Republic.

A brief summary of the hops used in brewing.

Žatec hops – a sort of hops growing in the Žatec region, Czech Republic. It’s characterized by a high content of oils and is used in brewing to give beverages characteristic aroma as well as bitterness. Žatec hops is known as one of the most prestige hops and widely used in craft and industrial brewing all over the world.

Žatec hops remain the key ingredient in creating Pilsner, which is the most common type of bottom fermentation beer in Central Bohemia. This type of hop continues to play a significant role in the production of classic Pilsner. Today, it accounts more than 96% of the total Czech beer production. The production of 1 liter of beer requires just 4 hop cones.

03 / 07

PROCESS OF PRODUCTION / Maturation process

According to the bottom fermentation technology we use, beer ferments and matures from 32 to 46 days, depending on the type of beer and required technological strength and density of the beverage. At the first stage, the fermentation takes place in open copper vans and the maturation happens in closed zinc tanks..

The technological process of fermentation and maturation of beer.

The wort ferments in the fermentation area for about a week. Then it is transferred to the next stage of fermentation, where it is poured into open tanks (copper tanks). After the fermentation process is completed, the "young" beer is obtained and placed in special containers (zinc tanks) for maturation at a temperature of about one degree. This is where the final stage of fermentation takes place, in which beer is saturated with carbon dioxide and the tannins are removed.

It’s aged in cellars from 20 days to 6 months, depending on what strength you want to obtain. Some brewers use a yeast fungus in the maturation, which prevents oxidation processes and the formation of oxidation products undesirable for beer.

04 / 07

PROCESS OF PRODUCTION / Quality control assessment

Every 24 hours, the chief specialist of production quality control, Mrs. Markéta Mozhálková, evaluates the process of maturation during fermentation. Organoleptic control is a mandatory type of control of this process.

Beer quality control. What is that?

The production of beer is considered one of the most technologically complex processes in the food industry. Brewers must consider a lot of nuances and control every step of production to obtain a high-quality drink.

The quality of newly brewed beer is assessed by organoleptic and physic-chemical properties, which include the presence of a characteristic aroma, the required CO2 content, color saturation, sufficient product clarity, and taste.

05 / 07

PROCESS OF PRODUCTION / Filling.

The capacity for filling beer into packaging containers is very high. Today our can filling line is 10,000 units per hour and our glass bottle filling line is 5,000 units per hour. We fill tin cans of 0,33 l, 0,5 l and 5 l; glass bottles of 0.33 l and 0.5 l.

Modern German equipment for beer filling.

We use modern German bottling lines in metal and glass packaging from one of the world's leading manufacturers of production equipment, KHS GmbH (Germany).

06 / 07

PROCESS OF PRODUCTION / Packaging process.

We have fully established the packing of all our products into cardboard trays and closed boxes. All products are securely protected from any damage and deformation during shipment over any distance.

Packing automatization.

The whole process is automized. We do not use any manual work when packing piece products into cardboard boxes and pallets.

07 / 07

PROCESS OF PRODUCTION / Ready product.

As a result of the hard work of our team, we are proud to offer you real Czech bear made with the heat of our hearts and full confidence in the fact we give you the best drink in the world. This is our “calling card”, a product that our grandfathers made, our fathers brewed, and we are worthy continuators of the history of our people.

Products