We run a fully automated brewhouse with a capacity of 6-7 brews per day, which means we can produce 40,000 litres of beer every day.
The brewhouse
The place where beer is brewed is the heart of our brewery.
We designed our brewhouse by ourselves, so that it would meet our needs and wishes to the full. The Pivovara Medvedgrad brewhouse can produce 6,000 litres of wort, which will become beer, per one brew. Our automated brewery uses brewing software that has enabled us to improve the control of the whole process, to maintain certain standards consistently, and to be able to carry out 6-7 brews simultaneously every day. Copper details in our modern design of the brewhouse are a reminder of our tradition.
The brewing of beer in the brewhouse is a process that takes 6 – 8 hours. It consists of mashing (when malt is mixed with hot water to release sugars necessary for fermentation); lautering (the separation of wort from the spent grain, which is later sold to local farmers as first-class animal feed); boiling (to sterilize the wort and to add hops), and whirlpooling (the separation of residues from the wort and, if needed, additional adding of hops). After this, the wort is cooled down before being transferred into fermenters.
The cellar
Magic happens in the fermentation and conditioning cellar as the wort becomes beer.
After the brewing process is over, the beer is cooled down and yeast is added so that in the following days it could turn wort into beer (alcohol and carbon dioxide, actually) by feeding on sugars. Depending on the type of beer that we are brewing, ale or lager yeast is used. After about one week of fermentation, the yeast will have done its job, producing a beer that will be left for conditioning over several weeks, to let flavours and aromas build.
Hops are added to certain beers in the form of dry hopping, when hops are added directly into the conditioning tank as a way to impart specific irresistible aromas to the beer.
Medvedgrad’s cellar contains beer tanks of 3,000, 6,000, 12,000, and 24,000 litres, in which beer is fermented and conditioned.
Filling
A proper filling process is crucial for obtaining high quality beer.
With the use of a state-of-the art beer filling line, we have been able to speed up and improve considerably our beer packaging process, and with the dissolved oxygen levels reduced to the minimum we have also extended the beer's best-before date. Kegs of 10, 20, 30, and 50 litres are machine-filled with draught beer. Pivovara Medvedgrad's beers are not filtered, so to ensure their consistency and high quality, we use the separation centrifuge for beer clarification.
Quality control
Every stage of our beer production process is overseen by our laboratory.
The laboratory has modern equipment for quality control in beer production. Physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of beer are analysed every day to secure a high-quality level of the final product. Consistency in the quality of Pivovara Medvedgrad's beer is a result of constant supervision of the production process, during which we monitor its colour, the alcohol, CO2, pH, and bitterness (IBU) levels, and the microbiological stability of beer.
The cold chain
Cold storage and distribution
The management of the beer production process does not end with the filling. It is important to secure adequate storage and distribution conditions before the beer is offered for consumption. Our natural, preservative-free beers always need to be stored at cool temperatures and preferably in dark environments.
Ingredients
Water, malt, hops, and yeast – our beer knows natural ingredients only.
Take a tour of the Brewery
Come and visit us at the Pivovara Medvedgrad brewery to learn more about the place where your favourite beer comes from. Learning, fun, and tasting all at the same time! To book a tour, please write to:
tour@pivovara-medvedgrad.hr