How Beer is Made

Beer is one of the world’s most popular and oldest beverages – but how is it made?

Beer’s basic ingredient is malted barley (malt) - that is special low nitrogen content barley which is made to germinate before being lightly kilned (baked) to dry slowly to keep the enzymes formed during malting active.

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  • Step One: Mashing

    At our breweries, malt is crushed and warm water added to re-activate enzymes that convert starch in the malt to sugars in a process called mashing. The mash temperature is progressively increased at a set profile to achieve the desired sugar composition.

  • Step Two: Wort Separation

    Next, the mash is filtered in a lauter tun, or mash filter, separating the malt husks and leaving sugary syrup now called wort. The wort is ready to be moved to a boiler where hops are added to supply bitterness (only after boiling), flavour and aroma to the beer.

  • Step Three: Wort Boiling

    The boiling concentrates the wort through evaporation, precipitating out protein (tub) and sterilising the brew. The hops and trub are removed in a whirl pool and wort cooled and the yeast is added so fermentation can begin.

  • Step Four: Fermentation and Maturation

    After fermentation, the yeast breaks down sugar, forming carbon dioxide and alcohol, while adding vital beer-flavouring components. The yeast is then removed, and the ‘green beer’ liquid is transferred and placed in cold storage to ‘smooth’ and ‘mellow’ the beer product, known as lagering or maturation.

  • Step Five: Filtration and Packaging

    Finally the unfiltered beer is filtered, final carbonation levels are adjusted then the beer is stored in ‘Bright Beer’ tanks ready for packaging. The brewer completes final quality and taste checks before the beer is packaged on site in bottles, cans or kegs.