Microbrewery - Behind the Scenes

Our shiny new microbrewery at Unity Place, Milton Keynes, is truly up and running! And let’s just say, things are getting seriously delicious. Under the expert (and very watchful) eye of Ben, our Lead Brewer, we’re turning surplus bread into some tasty beers. We recently joined him for a brew day, with photographer Joanne Segars snapping away, to get a behind-the-scenes peek at Ben’s daily life.

Spoiler alert: there’s a lot of bread and even more beer.

9am: Mashing in - Bread + Barley = magic

On a brew day, Ben will start by adding in the raw ingredients to the mash tun - the malted barley and yummy surplus bread crumb. We replace around 20% of the malted barley with unsold bakery bread. And are looking forward to working with the on-site bakery, the Baker’s Room to use all their leftover loaves. 

Bread is packed with starches, which are broken down to simple sugars by enzymes (Amylase) in the malted barley. We still use some malt because it contains trace minerals that balance the pH in the process and micro nutrients which are important for the yeast, and its physical attributes such as the husk also help to prevent a stuck mash. It also has a unique flavour profile which is important for the finished beer.

 

The malted barley and bread crumb is mixed with hot water in the mash tun to create a thick, porridge-like consistency. For the next hour or so, this steeps in the hot water (usually around 63-68°C). During this time, Ben monitors temperature closely to ensure consistent sugar extraction and checks measurements, and samples the mash for quality.

 

11am: Lautering – Separating the Good Stuff

After the mash has completed, the liquid, now called “wort”, is separated from the grain in a process called lautering. The wort is drained, leaving behind the spent grain. Ben carefully recirculates the wort through the grain bed to clarify the liquid before transferring it to the brew kettle. As the wort is being transferred to the kettle additional hot liquor is added to the mash, called the sparge, in order to extract the most amount of sugar possible from the grain. 

 

 

12:30pm: Boiling - Let's Hop to it! 

Once the wort is in the kettle, Ben starts the boil, which typically lasts 60 to 90 minutes. During this stage, hops are added at various points to create bitterness, flavour and aroma. Plus they help preserve the beer!  The brew-bloc’s efficient heat control ensures a steady rolling boil, essential for sterilising the wort and extracting the hops' full flavour. Hops added at the beginning of the boil will add bitterness, while hops added closer to the end contribute more to aroma and flavour.

 

1:30pm: Whirlpool and Time to Chill

Once the boil is complete, the wort is transferred to the whirlpool section of the brew-bloc system. Here, Ben will spin the wort to collect any leftover solids (hop particles, proteins, etc.) in the centre of the kettle, making it easier to remove. Next comes cooling, which is a crucial step to prepare the wort for fermentation. Ben runs the hot wort through a heat exchanger to bring the temperature down quickly to the desired fermentation temperature (usually around 18-22°C for Ales, or lower for Lagers). The brew-bloc system ensures rapid cooling, which helps maintain the quality and integrity of the beer.

 

2:30pm: Yeast + Time = Beer

Once cooled, the wort is transferred to the fermenter, where yeast is pitched (added). The yeast will begin converting the sugars from the malt into alcohol and carbon dioxide over the next few days or weeks, depending on the beer style. At this point, Ben’s job shifts from hands-on brewing to monitoring fermentation. Temperature control is key here, and the fermenters are equipped with cooling jackets to maintain the optimal environment for yeast activity. Ben will check gravity readings daily to measure how much sugar has been converted into alcohol, ensuring the beer ferments to the desired strength. Once he is happy, the beer is filtered and packaged into our reusable stainless steel 30 litre kegs.  

 

 

4 pm: Cleaning – Brew, Rinse, Repeat

Brewing is a time-consuming and intensive process, but it’s also cyclical. After the wort is safely in the fermenter, the cleaning process begins again (poor Ben!) He will clean the equipment, including the kettle, mash tun, lauter tun, and any other tools used during the day. Proper cleaning and sanitisation are crucial to keeping the equipment in tip-top condition and avoiding contamination in future brews.  

 

Most of the delicious beer crafted at Unity Place goes to quench the thirsty customers on site either at Unity Sky Lounge, Dipna Anand Kitchen & Bar or the Urban Food Market. So if you live in Milton Keynes or are ever in the area, make sure to stop by for a cheeky pint or two!

We’re also getting experimental, and recently brewed a killer West Coast IPA for the London Craft Beer Festival – it went down a storm. And trust us, we’ve got some exciting things brewing for the future. Stay tuned. Cheers!

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Unity Place: www.unityplace.co.uk

200 Grafton Gate, Milton Keynes. MK9 1UP