Four Peaks Brewery - Tempe, Arizona

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Brewmaster - Andy Ingram

Our brewery has a yearly production capacity of 10,000 barrels of beer (that's 20,000 kegs). We have a 20 bbl. brewhouse with nine 40-barrel fermenters and one 60-barrel fermenter for producing all of our distribution and in-house beers. Our most recent installation is an SMB bottling machine -- look for Kilt Lifter and 8th Street in bottles around AZ.

It all starts at the (1) silo, where up to 40,000 lbs. of two-row malted barley is stored. Malted barley, or malt, is used in all beers so storing it in bulk is a necessity. The malt is then (2) milled with specialty grains which add unique color and flavor profiles to the beers. The milled grains, or "grist", is collected in a (2) hopper where it is weighed by computer for each specific batch.

Once weighed the grist is augured over to the (3) mash tun where it is combined with hot water. Over the course of an hour the starches in the grist are converted to sugar. When conversion is complete the liquid, or "wort" (pronounced wert), is separated from the grist and slowly drained, or "lautered." The remaining grist is rinsed, or "sparged," to collect any remaining sugars en route to the (4) brew kettle.

Once the (4) brew kettle is filled it is brought to a boil. Bittering hops are added in the beginning of the boil while hops used for flavor and aroma are added later or at the end of the boil. The boil lasts around 90 minutes. When completed, the boiled wort is whirlpooled to settle out any solids. After settling the wort is pumped through a (5) heat exchanger to cool it as quickly as possible before reaching the uni-tank (6) & (7) fermentation and conditioning vessels. At this point yeast is added to initiate fermentation. During fermentation yeast ingests the sugars and as a waste product creates alcohol and CO2... It's true, one yeast's waste is another man's treasure.

For our ales, fermentation takes place for 10 to 14 days at 68f. It is then cooled to 38f and this conditioning allows the yeast to drop out of suspension and to smooth out some of the beer's rough edges. When conditioning is complete the beer is filtered by a (8) diatomaceous earth filter.

This filters out the yeast and any other particles to produce a crystal clear beer en route to the (9) serving tanks. In the serving tanks the clear beer is carbonated and deemed ready for consumption at the (10) tap or it is kegged or bottled for distribution.

Quality Control is of utmost importance to us at Four Peaks Brewing Company. Our expertise is vital in correctly managing our yeast due to the complexity of the special English strain that Four Peaks uses. For that reason Four Peaks employs a part-time microbiologist to run lab tests on all aspects of the brewery.

Packaging and Distribution Four Peaks beer is packaged in half barrel kegs (15.5 gallons), quarter barrel kegs (7.75 gallons), sixth barrel kegs (5 gallons), and 12 oz. bottles and distributed to bars, restaurants, and resorts around Arizona through Alliance Beverage Distributing Co. All of our kegs are new, stainless steel straight-sided Sankeys with Micromatic valves.

Four Peaks uses reverse osmosis to strip its contents free of contaminants. Naturally occurring salts and chemicals are then added back into the water to emulate the great brewing waters of Europe. For example, we use a Burton water for our 8th Street Ale and our Hop Knot IPA. This is a very hard water from central England where Bass and Double Diamond brew their famous pale ales.

At Four Peaks, our award- winning beers adhere to the strictest quality control standards to ensure the best tasting, freshest beer around. It isn't easy, but the good things rarely are.... We hope you enjoy our beers as much as we do. Cheers....

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