Welcome back to Master Mixology with Discovery Place Science! This video series explores the intersection of science, history and alcohol, plus the occasional adult beverage demonstrations (and non-alcoholic modifications!). 
 
In recognition of National Beer Day in April, Discovery Place scientists visited Charlotte brewery Noda Brewing Company for a deeper look at the science behind beer brewing. Noda Brewing Company opened in the Queen City in 2011 and now offers beer in its taprooms, at the airport and in stores across the Carolinas. 
 
In this episode and part two of Master Mixology: Beer Science, we hear more from Chad Henderson, head brewer and co-owner of Noda Brewing Company. In the content below the video, read some of the Q&A included in this episode. 

Q: What different scientific processes and procedures do you use as a brewer?  

Chad: Every single bit of the process that we do in this system, and in all the tanks that they actually ferment, all is rooted in science.

Everything from getting the actual product – because there’s a fair amount of science in the process it takes to get to us – from malting grains to cultivating the hops to selecting the specific yeast strands. When we get over here, we have to really look at what kind of goal mashing temperatures we look at for correct enzymatic processes.  

There’s never a point where we’re not checking quality control, and that’s probably the biggest challenge as a production brewery is to not just make good beer but to make it consistently and keep it evolving in a progressive way.  

Q: How is beer different from liquor or wine?

Chad: The general rule of thumb is every naturally occurring alcoholic beverage like wine or beer or cider or mead is essentially yeast fermenting some sort of sugar in a liquid median.

With wine, you’re fermenting grape juice. In mead, you’re fermenting honey. In cider, you’re fermenting apple juice. With beer, you’re fermenting the starch chains from mostly barley (basically grain), in a nutshell.    

Q: What kind of advice do you have for homebrewers?   

Chad: I say the best thing you can do is ask other people around you that are homebrewers. In Charlotte specifically, there’s great homebrewing communities that have people that have been doing tons of experimentation for longer than we’ve been around as a brewery.  

There’s also tons of great forums online and literature out there like “The World of Homebrewing.” Charlie Papazian’s books in general are really good places to start and even going on YouTube tutorials just to get the general basics down.

When you’re reading step-by-step, sometimes it’s hard to visualize what everyone’s talking about. Looking at a video of someone actually doing it could be a good way to get your bearings on each recipe.

Did you miss Beer Science, Part One? Watch it here and learn more about the science behind beer brewing.