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English Views: 18 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-07-17 Origin: Site
The fermentation process is an important step in the brewing process. Before you start brewing a new beer, it is best to choose a fermentation method and decide what kind of beer you want to brew. Top fermentation and bottom fermentation have very different end products. Therefore, before you do this, you need to understand the difference between top fermentation and bottom fermentation and related information.
The ingredients and process of brewing beer are simple. First, a grain (usually barley or wheat) is germinated, a process that changes the microstructure of the protein, starch granules and cell walls. The germinated grain is then broken up to make the sugars more accessible.
The broken grains are then boiled and soaked in filtered water to release all the sugars into the water. This sugary grain water is called "wort." Yeast is added to the wort, and the real brewing process begins.
Top fermentation is fermentation with yeast that allows the beer to accumulate at the top of the tank and float on the liquid. Top fermentation is usually faster, but the fermentation process can take at least a week or more. Top fermenting yeast needs to be kept at a higher temperature than bottom fermenting yeast, around 60 to 75°F (about 15 to 23°C). IPAs and stouts are other common types of top fermented beers.
Bottom fermentation is the process of yeast settling to the bottom of the tank. The yeast particles will drift downward, starting at the top and eventually clumping together at the bottom. The main difference between top fermentation and bottom fermentation is the fermentation time. Bottom fermented beers take longer to ferment, usually taking more than a month to complete. Bottom fermentation occurs at lower temperatures, between 42 and 54°F (about 20 to 13 degrees Celsius). Lager is the most common type of beer that is bottom fermented.
Top fermentation takes place at high temperatures, between 60 and 75°F, while bottom fermentation takes place at lower temperatures, between 42 and 54°F.
Ale yeast (the yeast used to top-ferment beer) tends to rise to the top of the fermentation vessel, while lager yeast settles to the bottom of the fermentation vessel.
Top-fermented beers have richer flavors and aromas. They are rich in fruity esters and spicy phenolics. The taste is light and refreshing, yet full and complex, with notes of caramel, nuts, and spices.
Bottom-fermented beers tend to have a milder flavor and are generally cleaner and more refreshing.
Top fermentation: such as pale ales, IPA, dark beer, porter, wheat beer and Belgian beer.
Bottom fermentation: such as pilsner, Munich Heller, Dortmund, bock.
Top fermented beer has a finer foam, while bottom fermented beer has a clearer and longer-lasting foam.
Top fermentation uses ale yeast strains, bottom fermentation uses lager yeast strains.
While top fermentation is the most common brewing method, it may not give you the results you want. You need to keep in mind the temperature requirements of the fermentation process and how to maintain it. DEGONG offers high-quality jacketed fermenters for this purpose. Jacketed fermenters make it easier to regulate and maintain the desired temperature during the fermentation process.
