Nothing satisfies quite like a beer at the end of a productive day. Here at tekMountain, our entrepreneurs are fortunate enough to have a company brewery on site. The beers on tap change weekly, and are always kept chilled ready to refresh.
If you've had the chance to indulge at the Mountain, then you can thank Jeff May, the wizard behind the brew magic. Of course Jeff isn't actually a wizard; he's an electrical engineer by trade, and a brew master by choice. Nor is the brewing process magic, the process is actually science, which Jeff has mastered as a hobbyist home brewer over the past 15 years. But beer brewing isn't all fun and games, the entire process of brewing requires meticulous sterilization, cleaning and maintenance of equipment. Jeff is “tekMinded”, and his attention to detail is reflected in his beer art.
“Cleaning cleaning, clean clean clean, working in a brewery is a cleaning job, you just happen to make some beer while you’re there”, Jeff informs me.
Any unintentional impurities could spoil the batch of sweet beer nectar before it ripens. Regular tap water contains varying amounts of impurities and additives that affect the flavor, and can also alter the brew as it ferments. Different styles of beer from around world are largely dependent upon the water profile of their origin. Jeff recognizes this dilemma,
“I don't even risk it here...I take all the water that comes in and it goes through a five stage reverse osmosis filter system and I collect 25 gallons at a time in that cistern... and so that's pure water that is stripped of everything, there is nothing in that water. I've even got a water test kit and it comes up zeros across the board. Then I build it up from scratch, so whatever type of beer I'm making, I will add different salts to the beer and I'll add calcium and carbonate and magnesium and all those things to create a custom water profile. Because different beers, especially from different parts of the world require different mineral content.”
By mimicking tap water profiles of areas that his various beer styles originated, Jeff is able is to produce beers that hold true to the flavor of the style origin. Throughout the brewing process Jeff leaves nothing to chance, including his ingredients. Jeff purchases the ingredients for his brews primarily at Wilmington Homebrew.
“Every opportunity I have to either buy ingredients or equipment, I try to buy it from local people first… There’s very few things that I’ve had to buy online. Upper management here is all about supporting local and I’m glad they’re like that. So I buy the grain and the yeast and all that kind of stuff, I go down and get it every week. That way I know it’s fresh.”
So when you try our own beers here at tekMountain Brewing, you can be sure that you are tasting the finest quality product that Brew master Jeff can produce (which says a lot). If are curious about brewing, Jeff invites everyone to check for upcoming events on the chalk wall in the Brewery or on his Facebook page 'tekMountainBrewing'.
By: Kyle Swain, tekMountain Team Member
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