The brewing process.
The basic building block of beer is two-row barley malt, which has been prepared for use in brewing at a malting house.
Various specialty barley malts, such as Vienna, chocolate and black patent, are used where dictated by stylistic considerations and add color, flavor and texture to the finished beer. Wheat, oatmeal and rye also can be selected for use by the brewer, again depending on the style of beer being brewed.
The barley malt is cracked, and this grist is poured into the mash tun. Hot water is added, creating the thick, porridge-like mash. When the optimal temperature of the mash is reached, the flow of water is stopped and the mash allowed to rest. During this time, starches in the grains are converted into simple sugars and absorbed into the water. Later, yeast will transform these sugars into alcohol.
At the completion of the mash, the liquid (now called wort), is transferred into the brew kettle and boiled. During this time the hops are added. Hops are the ideal bittering agent for beer, serving to balance the sweetness of the barley malt and to add flavor and aroma to the beer.
When the boil has concluded, the wort is pumped through the wort chiller. It is necessary to cool the wort because yeast cannot survive in excessive heat.
Once cooled, the wort is poured into the fermenters and the yeast is pitched. Fermentation begins soon after, and typically lasts from four to six days.
When the initial fermentation has subsided, the beer is racked into Brite tanks, where final conditioning, settling and carbonation take place, usually in a time span of two weeks.
The finished beer is then pumped to the serving tanks or kegged, tapped, poured, and enjoyed by the consumer.