How we make our beer

Read about the brewers who make this happen

The Brewhouse

The custom-built brewery -- the very first brewing system designed by stainless steel fabricator J.V. Northwest (Portland, Oregon) -- is glass-enclosed so patrons can watch the brewing process in action. John and Reid Martin believed that high-quality stainless steel equipment would produce better brews. They contracted with J.V. Northwest and Dr. Michael Lewis, Professor of Brewing Science at UC Davis, to design and build a state of the art seven-barrel brewery. "We were the first craft brewery on the West Coast that wasn't built out of old dairy tanks and 55-gallon drums," explains John.

The Martins were also the originators of the use of serving tanks in the United States, and the first in the World to use cylindro-conical fermenters in a brewpub. Amazingly, the Triple Rock brewing system is now, 23 years later, considered "bronze-age" technology compared to what's now available, but it still produces clean, consistent and top quality beer (it's just a little more work for the brewers than those new-fangled "push button" brewing systems).

Brewing Philosophy

When Triple Rock started it only had enough tankage to be able to serve a pale ale, a red ale and a porter, and sometimes a fourth specialty brew. Since then, the Martins have added more fermenters, serving tanks and refrigeration space in order to keep 10 to 12 brews on tap at all times. The brewing philosophy at Triple Rock is to provide the public with superior products, and the best rotating variety of brews in the state! More than 40 styles of beer are made annually, and many are made just once a year. So, if you miss visiting Triple Rock for a couple of weeks, you've missed the chance to enjoy some great brews!

Originally, all beer was served by the pint only. It's amazing to think now, but the Rock was one of the first pubs in the US to offer beer in the now standard pint "mixing" glass. Back then, most people thought beer by the pint was just too much beer (maybe it was too much, when the only choices were Bud, Miller and Coors). Nowadays, you can also get half-pints and pitchers when at the Rock, or one-gallon beer "cubes" to-go. You will also find Triple Rock beers on tap at a few select East Bay pubs, and at major East Bay events, such as the Downtown Berkeley Jazz Fest, the "How Berkeley Can You Be?" Festival and the North Berkeley “Spice of Life” Festival.

The Triple Rock brewers use only high-quality malts from the US and England, pelletized and whole-flower hops from Washington, Oregon, and England, and English ale yeast. Need some live yeast for your home brewing? Give the brewers a call and they'll be happy to provide you with as much as you need (BYOContainer).

Brewing Process

TThe brewing process begins by crushing two-row malted barley and other specialty grains in the roller mill. The cracked malt, called "grist," is then mixed with hot water in the mash tun, which enables enzymes in the barley to convert starches into fermentable and unfermentable sugars.

The brewing process begins by crushing two-row malted barley and other specialty grains in the roller mill. The cracked malt, called "grist," is then mixed with hot water in the mash tun, which enables enzymes in the barley to convert starches into fermentable and unfermentable sugars.

The resulting sweet liquid, called "wort," is drained by the traditional gravity method into the boil kettle. During the 1-1/2 hour brew, hops are added at various times; resins and oils in the hops contribute to bittering and aromatic qualities in each ale. When the boil is complete, the hopped wort is cooled and pumped into fermentation tanks. Yeast is added ("pitched") and fermentation begins within hours. During fermentation, the yeast converts fermentable sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Unfermentable sugars remain, providing the finished beer with body and "mouthfeel." The active ferment lasts three to five days. After the beer has reached a specific gravity, the tank is sealed off to allow the final fermentation and conditioning to naturally carbonate the beer.

Once the beer has reached its finishing, or terminal, gravity, it is filtered and stored in "bright beer" serving tanks directly connected to the bar taps.