Ah yes, cleaning. A word that strikes fear in the hearts of many. People tend to avoid thinking about the dreaded task, but brewers keep it at the forefront of their mind day in and day out. Keeping it clean is one of the not-so-flashy, but ever-essential parts of the brew process.
Here at 22 Northmen Brewing, we have a thorough Cleaning in Place (CIP) procedure that requires every individual part to be taken off the tank to be cleaned and rinsed one by one.
Then, things really get steamy. Part of our process involves sanitizing with you guessed it — steam. Our beloved steamer, Cleveland, gets the tank up to 200 degrees and we let it go to work for 20 minutes.
Cool things to know about steam cleaning:
- saves water
- sanitizes more effectively
- avoids use of chemicals
- saves energy
People in the craft beer industry joke that brewing is 90% cleaning. It’s certainly a huge part of the operation, and something we pride ourselves on. Our extremely thorough cleaning regimen holds the health and safety of our customers to the utmost importance, and results in higher-quality brew for all.
At 22 Northmen, we act carefully, with intention, to give you the best possible product. Our dedication to quality manifests itself in every single part of the process — from cleaning and preparing our equipment to the final pour.
Join us in the taproom soon and taste the difference for yourself. You’ll likely see us cleaning the brewhouse through the glass window behind the bar. To learn more about our commitment to quality, visit Brewing with Intention.
