Cape May Brewing boasts about awesome new grain mill

Cape May Brewing Co.’s (CMBC) new brew house — capable of producing 15,000 barrels (or 472,500 gallons) per year — is on its way. But before any beer can be made, grain needs to be milled. And thanks to the delivery of a Hungarian Roppi 1100 machine – which can process 2,425 pounds of grain per hour – Cape May Brewing is geared up and ready to go.

“Think of it this way,” said CMBC Brew Master Brian Hink, expalining to the layperson why this is such a big deal. “When you’re making coffee at home, you don’t just dump beans into a machine because you’d get a little bit of flavor and a little bit of color to your coffee, but it would be weak. You have to use a grinder to crush them up first.”

The mill does a similar thing to grain – grinds it up into a rough flour called grist — so that the entire beer-making process can begin.

This equipment is all part of the brewery’s ongoing expansion that will bring the year-round employee count up to 25. They may have started small, on a handmade, 12-gallon brewhouse in 2011, but Cape May is working to become one of Jersey’s largest craft beer producers.

For more on all things Cape May, be sure to check out the brewery’s website.