GRAIN TO GLASS
Malted Barley
Our journey begins in Norfolk with finest Maris Otter ale malt from Crisp Malting Group. Crisp only supply 100% Maris Otter, unlike many other maltsters who blend theirs with inferior grains. At Lincoln Green, we believe only 100% Maris Otter gives our core range the unmistakable malty backbone we require.
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Once we've extracted all the sugary sweetness, we pass the spent grains to Sam, a local farmer in nearby Selston, who feeds them to his cattle.
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Water
Let's just pause to reflect on the amazing compound that is water.
It's the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere, and the fluids of most living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients.
And most important of all, it makes up 95% of beer, so it stands to reason that we need to take it seriously.
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At Lincoln Green, we use Severn Trent's finest ground source water, carbon filter it to remove impurities and then treat it to suit the beer style we're brewing. Hard water makes a great base for hoppy pales, whilst soft water helps smooth out dark porters and stouts.
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Not all water is equal, but then neither is all beer.
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Hops
Our hops are sourced by Charles Faram, established as hop suppliers for over 150 years. The company, which was originally based in Worcester, now resides in the small hamlet of Newland, situated at the foot of the picturesque Malvern Hills.
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We use a hops from the US, England and Eastern Europe, blending varieties to create both traditional and contemporary beer styles.
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Our hops are ordered on a 'just in time' basis to ensure optimal freshness and they're stored in cold room conditions to protect their vital aromas and flavours.
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Yeast
The unsung heroes at Lincoln Green are the tiny living organisms that work day after day, hour after hour, to convert the sugars we've extracted from our malted barley into alcohol.
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Our strain is cropped after each brew and carefully stored before pitching once more. We refresh our yeast strain regularly, with our friends at Brewlab in Sunderland supplying us with fresh batches - this ensures our beers reach our customers with the consistency of flavour that they've come to expect.
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With the support from Alison Hedley at Brewlab, we've developed a small laboratory on site which allows us to carry out microbial checks throughout the brewing process so that we know our equipment is scrupulously clean and review the viability of our yeast to check its health.
Cask Conditioning
Cask conditioning is the process in which beer retains yeast to enable a secondary fermentation to take place in a cask in the pub cellar.
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Conditioning is a complex business and the term covers the chemical, biological, and physical changes occurring from when the beer leaves the fermenting vessel in our brewery and is racked into a cask, up to the time that it is dispensed from the cask into a glass ready to be served to the drinker.
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Aromas and flavours develop throughout this time and the skill of the cellar man will determine the optimum point for a beer to go on sale.
Next time you take a sip of your favourite Lincoln Green beer, consider the labour of love that's gone into making it.
From grain to glass, each step is has been carefully crafted by a wonderful collaboration of suppliers, brewers and publicans, working together in harmony to create the perfect pint.
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That's why it's called craft beer.