11th April 2013: Brewing redux; centuries of brewing art and science in 45minutes by Andrew Barnett aka Barney

Barneys Beer

Name of speaker and subject:

Andrew Barnett aka Barney
Brewing Science

Title of talk:

Brewing redux – centuries of brewing art and science in 45 minutes

Bullet points of what you would like to cover:

  • A bit about me, Barney’s Beer & Summerhall brewery
  • Understanding the science & history of brewing process – through everyday objects
  • Malting & mashing
  • Wort boiling & cooling
  • Fermentation

Suggested you-tube links, websites and / or texts wherefurther information may be found:

  • barneysbeer.com
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-L-783RE1I

A few words about you and your passion:

I started working in a brewery even before I was old enough to drink legally, my dad worked for a brewery too. After a few years as a brewery dogsbody I went to night-school in order to get onto the Heriot-Watt brewing & distilling course in Edinburgh. Other than a few short stints as a musician and a spell in advertising my working career has been in brewing & distilling companies. In 2010 I quit a job for an international spirits co to set up my own business. Brewing seemed the obvious choice. In 2012 I moved into the home of Barney’s Beer  – Summerhall. Which was a brewery site itself from approx. 1704 to 1909.

A few lines about the history of your subject:

Brewing changed radically during the industrial revolution. It was at the forefront of science & technology in the 18th & 19th centuries.

Anything else you may want to say:

While brewing science can be complex – it’s a mash-up of microbiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, engineering, physics, a lot of the principles are seen in every day things in our kitchen.