How Is Beer Made?

Step 1. Malting

The malting process is the most important part of producing a good beer since it involves soaking and then germination of barley grains to later convert their starches into sugars which can be fermented using yeast to then produce alcohol.

The malting process usually consists of three stages: steeping, germination, and kilning.

Steeping

The steeping stage is the first step in the malting process. During this stage, the barley grains are soaked in water for a specific amount of time, which usually is 2-3 days, to help them increase their moisture and stimulate germination.

The steeping stage helps the grain to be hydrated and to trigger the germination process. Once the moisture content of the grain increases, enzymes will happen and it will break down the proteins and starches of the grain.

Germination

During the germination stage is where the barley grains will begin to sprout, and the enzymes in the grains will now then convert the starches into sugars. This process typically lasts around 3 to 5 days.

The germination stage is carefully monitored in order to ensure that the grains will sprout evenly–avoiding it to be dry or too wet. And once the germination is complete, the cured sprout will stop growing, and it will preserve enzymes for brewing or distilling.

Kilning

The kilning stage imparts the aroma and flavor to the malt depending on the temperature and the drying process time. This stage is a crucial part since kilning affects the taste, aroma, and color of the malt.

Malt can also be kiln at different temperatures to produce a wide selection of malt flavors and colors. The kilning process usually takes place inside a kiln, and the temperature must be between 80 to 85 degree Celsius or 176 to 185 degrees of Fahrenheit.

Step 2. Milling

The milling process of beer production is also known as the grinding or crushing process because it involves grinding up or crushing up grains used to make beer into smaller pieces to help it create a more uniform mixture.

Milling plays an important role in the brewing process since it exposes starches within the malted barley to hot water that allows enzymes to convert them into starches which will be fermentable sugars. The grist is then mixed with hot water in a vessel known as a mash tun, which controls the temperature.

All in all, it is considered a crucial step in producing beer because it’s what makes it easier for the enzymes in the grains to break down the starches during the mashing process.

Step 3. Mashing

The mashing process of the beer is also crucial in producing an excellent and delicious beer because it involves steeping the grains in hot water to release the sugar that will be fermented later on by yeast to help create the alcohol.

During the mashing process, the mash is heated to around 150-160°F, which will help activate the enzymes inside the malt that will break down complex carbohydrates into simple sugar, such as maltose and glucose, that are often dissolved in hot water.

Once the mashing is done, you have to wait for at least a period of time–like an hour, to allow the enzymes to create their magic, which results in a sugary liquid sweet known as wort. After the grains are separated, the lautering process should be done.  

Lautering

It is part of the mashing process, separating the sweet, sugary liquid from the spent grain husks. It is usually done with several steps, such as the few liters of the word being recirculated back to create a clear, filtered wort.

Step 4. Boiling

The boiling process of the beer requires a severe amount of attention. During this process, the liquid extracted from the mashing process earlier, or as they call it, the wort, is now boiled for about an hour or two.

The purpose of this is to extract the flavor and aroma within the hops since hops are the essential ingredients in beer. Which provides bitterness, zest, and flavor to the finished product, and when you boil it, they release alpha acids, which complete the bitterness of the beer.

Boiling can also help volatilize the essential oils in the hops, and as a result, the beer will have more aroma to it.

Step 5. Fermenting

Fermentation is a natural process where the maltose sugars that are extracted from the malted barley are now converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide with the help of the yeast. The yeast is added after the boiling process, and it is left inside to ferment for several days up to several weeks, depending on the beer you produce.

This process usually takes place at a controlled temperature that varies depending on the beer brewed. It can take up to several days, weeks, and even years, depending on the type of yeast used in the beer brewing.

Step 6. Finishing

The Finishing process of producing beer–also called the conditioning process or the lagering process is the last part of beer brewing. After the fermentation of the beer, it is now transferred to another vessel to be prepared for the finishing touches. It will now undergo a conditioning process to help the flavors further develop and allow the yeast to settle.

This stage can last up to a few days or a few months still, depending on the type of beer you are producing once it is done, it is now ready to be packaged in bottles, cans, or kegs, and it is now ready to be shipped to particular consumers or distributors.