Friendly brewers give her the grains and have shown her how different grains alter the flavor. Her favorites, so far, are grains from the lighters ales, which she described as tasting like Grape Nuts cereal. The grains add flavor and make the texture hearty - and they never touch alcohol. Brewers put up to 500 pounds of malted, cracked barley in a vat called a mash tun. Depending on the style of beer, malted wheat grains might be added.
Hot water is mixed with the grains, pulling out the natural sugar and flavor.
Then, the water is drained into another tank for the next stage of the beer process. The hot, puffed grains are removed while they're sweet and soft and before fermentation begins. Atomic Ale and Rattlesnake Mountain give the rest to area farmers for animal feed. The rolls replaced bread sticks as an accompaniment to dinner salads and soups. The brewpub orders about 400 rolls a week.