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Quality
To meet the high standards for quality that we set for ourselves, Briess has developed a company-wide Total Quality Management System that encompasses all areas of operations including:
- Security
- Food Safety
- Quality Control
This integrated system assures that we meet and exceed industry-accepted standards set forth in the quality programs we employ. Major components of our Total Quality Management System include:
- Good Manufacturing Practices
- HAACP
- Security
- Extensive rodent and pest control
- State and federal audits
- Voluntary audits by third-party auditing agencies
- Multi-faceted Quality Control Program
The Briess Quality Control Program begins with an aggressive purchasing program that establishes specifications and requires that only high quality raw materials are sourced.
When sourcing malting barley, only AMBA/BMBRI recommended varieties are considered. For every lot of grain we purchase, a pre-shipment sample of barley is tested and frequently pilot malted and pilot brewed to determine how it will perform
in the brewery. Samples are taken again when the raw material is received. Testing is conducted in the Malthouse Lab, one of two fully-staffed and equipped labs that conduct critical components of the Quality Control Program.
Throughout the malting process, the green malt is regularly checked physically, organoleptically and chemically by the maltster and quality control specialists. Adjustments
are made throughout the process to optimize the finished malt quality.
When malting is complete, daily productions are stored in individual holding
bins until lab technicians analyze the finished product. In addition
to chemical and physical evaluations, sensory evaluations are conducted on both the malt and wort produced from it by trained specialists to assure the flavor and aroma profiles are consistent
with the malt type. The malt is then transferred to an aging silo containing malt
of similar specifications.
When a shipment of malt is prepared, a sample is again tested by lab technicians. The shipment is held until it is released by the lab.
Malt destined for the extraction process is treated by the Extract
Plant Lab in the same manner that malting barley destined for the malting process is treated
by the Malthouse Lab. A "pre-shipment" sample is tested, and the testing process
continues throughout the extraction, packaging and shipping process.
Production and shipping samples are retained for at least six months.
From time to time, samples are randomly selected and evaluated to verify prior results.
Briess subscribes to the ASBC Malt Check Service which provides quarterly
samples for analyses. Briess laboratory results are compared to 61 other laboratories
which check the accuracy of testing results and assures that equipment is properly calibrated at all times.
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