Standing on the operating table, Wu Yang poured the barley and oats into the saccharifying pot. After one or two hours, the fully saccharified malt will be rinsed and filtered in hot water to obtain the strong aroma of wort , and then add hops to the wort and boil it. After cooling, pour it into the fermentation tank . 20 days later, this craft beer called "Chocolate Milk Stout" will be sent from his winery to nearly 100 bars across the country...
In 2017, out of love for craft beer, Wu Yang quit his stable job and founded a small winery with his friends, becoming the chief brewer. In the past five years, he was "playful" in the eyes of his friends. He not only sold the craft beer he made to many provinces and cities across the country, but also won many top domestic and world competitions, and gained a high reputation in the industry.
Wu Yang said that as a Tianjin baby, he has been constantly researching and hopes to make a craft beer that can represent his hometown, so that more people can feel the enthusiasm of Tianjin from their taste buds.
Brewing "Xiaobai" won the first place
33-year-old Wu Yang has a Tianjin native's love for life engraved in his bones. After graduating in 2010, Wu Yang chose his favorite financial industry and earned more than 10,000 yuan a month. In the eyes of many people, he lived a very comfortable life.
Wu Yang
Wu Yang brews craft beer
Wu Yang made craft beer
"After getting off work, sometimes I have to have a drink with my friends, and I have to drink some wine, and I basically drink beer." In 2016, at a small gathering with my friends, Wu Yang tasted craft beer and was fascinated by its taste.
Around 2010, the concept of "craft beer" was introduced to China from European and American countries. Unlike industrial beer, craft beer has more diverse tastes and tastes. By around 2013, local craft beer brands such as " Panda Craft " appeared in China, but it was not until around 2016 that craft beer gradually became popular.
Since that attempt, Wu Yang has begun to focus on buying and tasting craft beer. "At that time, the price was cheaper than a few years earlier, but it was still much more expensive than ordinary beers." The unit price of a bottle of craft beer ranges from about 30 yuan to 50 yuan, and some may reach one or two hundred yuan, or even more expensive. Wu Yang's expenditure on purchasing craft beer exceeds 2,000 yuan every month.
In 7 months, Wu Yang tried more than 300 kinds of craft beers and also visited forums of all sizes, but he was becoming increasingly unsatisfied.
Wu Yang said that at that time, most of the imported craft beers arrived in China by sea, and it was difficult to achieve the cold chain transportation , which ensures the best taste of craft beers, and the time limit within 6 months. In order to achieve higher pursuit of taste and taste, at the end of 2016, Wu Yang spent nearly 10,000 yuan to buy a set of home brewing machines and brewing materials such as malt and hops, and began to try to brew beer by himself.
Filtered malt
Add the wort to the hops to continue to boil
In March 2017, Wu Yang heard about the Brewing Masters Cup competition, and then he took his third pot of craft beer to participate in the competition. Finally, his works stood out among more than 100 craft beers and won the first place in the Kunming competition area of the "non-American IPA" category.
"I was very excited at the time and felt that I was quite talented." This gave him great confidence, Wu Qing said with a smile.
A crazy decision
After winning the award, Wu Yang became more obsessed with brewing wine. He brewed a pot of wine every one or two days, compared the taste with the imported craft beer he bought, and asked friends to try it together.
"During the day, I have to brew it after I go home at night. A pot of wine takes six or seven hours, and sometimes I even have to stay up late."In May and June 2017, Wu Yang, who could not take care of both, made a bold decision - to resign!
When talking about his choice, his wife Liu Shengnan could not understand at the time, "The floor was filled with wine. I looked annoying, but he was happy, and my parents and I could only support it. "After obtaining the consent of his family, Wu Yang vacated a free bungalow in his home, moved all the brewing tools, and took out another 35,000 yuan, purchased a larger home brewing equipment, and started a craft beer studio.
At that time, customers who came to buy wine were introduced by friends, and some wine friends in the craft beer circle. When they were good, they could earn 6,000 or 7,000 yuan a month, but they had to take into account sales and brewing. Wu Yang obviously felt a little overwhelmed. In early 2018, he and three good friends who were associated with wine obtained various certificates and jointly opened a craft beer brewery. He also became the chief brewer of the winery and only needed to concentrate on developing new works. Control product quality.
In the winery of nearly 1,000 square meters in Xiaodian International Contemporary Art District, Wuyang Beichen District, a group of brewing equipment with a daily output of 1 ton is constantly working, and 30 fermentation tanks with a capacity of 500 kilograms to 1.5 tons are arranged in a row around the brewing equipment. Standing on the operating table, Wuyang is watching the temperature count value installed on the pipes between the containers and adjusting the equipment parameters while observing the situation inside the sugar-shaping pot, filter colander and two boiling pots. Add cold water or hot water, and how many hops are added, everything is in his control.
"There are many factors that affect the taste and taste of craft beer, with more than a hundred malt species, two or three hundred hops, the flavor of yeast itself, the softness and hardness of water, and the sparks collide between different raw materials, which also bring different enjoyment to the taste buds. "Wu Yang said, picking up the cup and picking up some wine from a fermentation tank. The color is very similar to coffee. "This is a new product we launched and can be filled and shipped. ”
bar opened by Wu Yang and his friends
Wu Yang's bar displays craft culture
makes a name for himself in the world's top competition
Lager , Al, Pearson, IPA, Shitao , Gus...When chatting, some professional terms always pop up in Wu Yang's mouth, he exported a copy from his mobile phone for a long time The information on this article introduces the styles of various craft beer.
Wu Yang said that there are more than 100 styles of beer segmentation. The beer we are currently common and well-known at present are basically American light lager style. This is a beer improved by the United States. Because the flavor is not outstanding and refreshing, it can be accepted by more people, so the popularity rate is higher.
"Craft beer has always been more popular in European and American countries. Under the epidemic, China's craft beer has also ushered in opportunities. "Wu Yang said.
In 2021, he and his partners brewed 8 craft beers, crossing the ocean to participate in the German Eurostar Beer Competition, which is the top three world-class competition in the world. In the end, their works won 2 gold medals and 1 bronze medal. "90% of the referees in that year were Germans, and Gus itself is a style of German origin. The 'Haihe Gus' we made won the gold medal under the evaluation of the German judges, which is a particularly great affirmation. "Wu Yang's face was full of pride. This year, they delivered their craft beer to the US Beer World Cup, and the probability of winning this competition was only 1%. "We won a silver medal in the United States, which is also the highest award in China that has won in this competition."
In recent years, Wu Yang has developed many representative works, such as "Watching Tea Pearson" with tea aroma, "Chocolate Milk Stout" with milk taste, and " Evolution Theory Tumor IPA" with slightly bitter fruit aroma...
Now, Wu Yang and his partners have more than 20 varieties, which can reach a production of 30 tons per month. It not only supplies his 8 bars in Tianjin, Beijing, Chengdu and Jinan, but also supplies nearly 100 bars in many provinces and cities in China. His craft beer has been recognized by drinkers, and their brand awareness is also among the best in the country.
Small winery has nearly 20 fermentation tanks, with a monthly output of 30 tons
The craft beer business is getting bigger and bigger, and Wu Yang and his partner's family also come to help. Liu Shengnan quit his original accounting job and became a brewing clerk, and another partner's mother became a brewing housekeeper.
With family helping to share the work, Wu Yang spends more time on brewing, "We Tianjin people like to enjoy life, and there are also a variety of food and drinks. If possible, I want to make a craft beer with Tianjin characteristics, so that more people can fall in love with craft beer, and they can also go to Tianjin through my craft beer. ”
Jinyun News Reporter Bao Yan
