Walker Claridge, a brewer and entrepreneur, holds Northern Brewer leaf hops as he prepares a small batch of beer at the Root Cellar, a restaurant and market in Columbia, Mo. The hops will add aroma and bitter flavors to the beer. He grows other herbs and spices like anise, which adds a licorice flavor to beer, at his home greenhouse in rural Boone County.
From left, Eric Feutz, Walker Claridge, and Antonio Rainey, 15, pour the wort, a mixture of malted barley and hops, into the fermenting jars at the Root Cellar. Eric had roasted the barley malt that morning, and Walker boiled, filtered, and added hops, and finally cooled the mixture through the day.
Walker Claridge adds yeast to the future beer at the Root Cellar. Hundreds of varieties of yeast are available, each with a unique flavor. This yeast, Belgian Golden Ale from White Labs, produces beer with fruity flavor, high alcohol content (up to 11%), and cloudy characteristics.
Walker checks the beer after allowing it to ferment for two weeks. The yeast consume the sugars and nutrients from the malt and produce alcohol. Immediately before bottling, sugar is added to produce carbonation.
Having filled the bottles with fresh brew, Walker Claridge caps the bottles at the Root Cellar. The beer still won't be ready for two more weeks; the yeast still in the beer produces carbonation and aging the beer even longer produces more complex flavors up to a few years later.
Walker Claridge drinks a beer after work at the Root Cellar and tending his greenhouses. While he waits for his home brew to finish, he supports other small breweries who recognize the importance of fresh and interesting flavors.
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Photo Story - Fresh Brew
Fresh Brew