As you may remember from Surf’s Up: Seabright Brewery, Hapa’s Brewing recently spent a weekend in beautiful Santa Cruz, CA. In addition to paying a visit to Seabright Brewery, we had the pleasure to meet with the good folks at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery. The brewery boasts a seven barrel system that we got to see up close and personal.
The brewing process starts at the grain mill where malted barley is ground up for the mash. The grain is then transferred to the mash tun where a water heater is used as a hot liquor tank. Wort is then extracted and pumped to the lauter tun before making its way to the boil kettle. This step is employed by the brewery to ensure only clear wort is added to the boil.
Mash tun Boil kettle (left) and lauter tun
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery uses two conical fermentation tanks to create their liquid gold. From there beer is moved to one of several bright tanks where it is chilled and carbonated. When the beer is ready to be served it is pumped into kegs and served in the brewery’s bar.
Fermentation tank (right) and bright tanks
After seeing where this delicious elixir is made, it was our pleasure to try a flight of Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery’s finest. The flight included a wheat beer, a pale ale, an amber ale, an IPA, a brown ale, an imperial stout, a coffee porter, and a seasonal ale. All the beers were wonderful and we compelled to leave with a growler of their brown ale.
Tasting flight
Santa Cruz is an absolute must for anyone planning a visit to Northern California. Between the beaches, the restaurants, the Boardwalk, the wineries, and the breweries, the city has something for everyone. While you’re there be sure to stop by Seabright Brewery and Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery. Tell ’em Hapa’s sent you!