You like to drink beer, but do you know how it’s brewed?

Grain, hops, yeast & water – seems simple, right?

A number of steps make up the production process of beer – follow along below to learn more.

Step 1 – Grain Malting

The process of malting involves three main steps:

  • First, soaking the barley (also known as steeping – to awaken the dormant grain)
  • Next, the grain is allowed to germinate and sprout
  • Finally, heating (or kilning) the barley produces its final colour and flavour

Malts can be kilned at different temperatures and durations to produce different flavours and colours of the various malts. There are dozens of brewing malts – all of which can be used in different quantities to produce varying colours, flavours and aromas in beer. As an example, a dark beer such as a dry stout may have up to 15% dark malt… while a light lager may use no dark malts and simply rely on paler, less kilned malts. 

Let’s look at three different ones that we’ve used at Granite Belt Brewery:

Pale Ale Malt – also known as an ale malt, or pilsner malt – this provides the sweet base to a beer and imparts characteristics such as ‘freshly baked bread’, ‘nutty’ and ‘lightly toasted bread’.

Crystal Malt – depending on the level of kilning, crystal malt can impart flavours of  caramel, toffee, burnt sugar or dried fruits. It contributes a deep golden to reddish colour to the beer.

Roasted Barley – Provides flavours of chocolate and coffee; however, it tends to provide the more intense dry, burnt and sharper flavours associated – rather than the sweetness of a chocolate malt.

Step Two: Malt Milling

Sugar is needed to make beer, and we get sugar from sprouted barley. The fermentable sugar in the malt is contained in the outer shell of the inner core (which is starch at this time). The shell needs to be opened (with the use of milling) to expose the starch for transformation.

Step Three: Mashing

Saccharification is the mixing of ground malt and hot water to convert the starch in the grain to fermentable sugar. The common temperature range for this is between 64°C and 69°C. The mash is kept at this temperature for approximately one hour, and the maltose (sugar) is released from the grain through the action of the enzyme in the malt. At the end of mashing, the temperature of the mash is typically raised to 77°C – stopping much of the conversion of starch to sugar, and allowing for an easier draining of the liquid wort.

Step Four: Lautering

Through filtering, fresh hot water is sprayed on the mash to wash away the remaining sugar. If it’s not rinsed – a lot of sugar will remain in the malt. Filtering also improves the clarity of the wort, before it goes into the brewing kettle.

Step Five: Wort Boiling – The Key Process of Brewing Beer

A lot of interesting things take place here:

  • Boiling stops the activity of the enzyme, thus completely stopping the conversion of starch to sugar
  • Sterilises the wort – boiling wort eliminates unwanted microorganisms, leaving a clean wort for the yeast to work
  • Evaporation of volatiles – barley produces a number of compounds that can produce unwanted flavours in finished beer. Vigorous boiling of the wort greatly reduces the amount of these compounds in the beer.
  • Adding hops – hops add bitterness, thanks to the alpha-acids they contain. As well as adding hops early in the boiling process to extract the bitter compounds, hops can be added at various stages during the boiling, cooling and fermentation stages to extract different compounds that exhibit varying aromas and flavours.

Different varieties of hops can contribute a range of aromas and flavours to finished beer, including that of floral, spice, herbal, citrus and tropical fruits. Let’s take a look at some of the hops we’ve used at Granite Belt Brewery:

East Kent Goldings – This is an old school, traditional hop that’s been in use for over 200 years. Commonly used in British Ales, this hop can provide a subtle floral aroma of lavender, spice, honey, earthiness, lemon and thyme. The intensity in the finished beer depends on the quantity used and when it’s added in the brewing process.

Mosaic – A much newer hop, only released in the USA in 2012. This hop can impart flavours and aromas described as floral, tropical and earthy. More specifically – blueberry, grapefruit and mango can be detected in finished beers.

Step Six: Clarification

There are two points in the kettle where proteins coagulate. The first is the “hot break” which happens at the start of the boil – where you might see it as scum forming on the top of the wort. Second, is the “cold break” when the wort is rapidly chilled on the way to the fermentation tank and looks a bit like Miso soup. Delicious. Furthermore, in most modern breweries, a “whirlpool” is created after the boil – this helps to clear the wort. When brewers whirlpool – the wort is pumped very fast creating exactly that, a whirlpool. It allows the hops and trub to form a cone in the centre of the kettle – these unwanted solids are left behind when the wort is transferred from the kettle to the fermentation tank.

Step Seven: Cooling

After the wort is boiled, it’s understandably very hot – and needs to be cooled before the yeast can be added, so the fermentation process can begin. To do so, the clarified wort passes through a heat exchanger to cool quickly on its way to the fermentation tank.

Step Eight: Fermentation

After the wort is cooled and in the fermentation tank, yeast is added. Brewers yeast has 4 distinct life cycle phases:

  • Lag Phase – the yeast adjusts to its environment, and absorbs nutrients in preparation for growth
  • Growth Phase – yeast cells begin to divide and grow in number. During the growth phase, some flavour, carbon dioxide, and heat are produced.
  • Fermentation or Log Phase – the yeast continues to consume the fermentable sugars and produce further carbon dioxide and subsequently alcohol.
  • Sedimentation Phase – yeast flocculates and settles to the bottom of the fermenter. The beer begins to clear as it approaches the end of fermentation. 

During fermentation, different strains of yeast produce different compounds that can lead to distinct flavour and aroma characteristics. The time it takes to ferment a beer depends on several factors, including the amount of fermentable sugar available, the strain of yeast, as well as the temperature at which fermentation is carried out. The process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Step Nine: Conditioning

Fermentation leaves some unwanted sediment in the beer. At this time, it’s necessary to condition the beer to improve its clarity. In addition, the beer that has just been fermented may contain some flavour compounds not required for the beer flavour – and the conditioning process aims to minimise these. The conditioning process will store the beer at 0 to 4°C for a period of days, and sometimes months depending on the style of beer.

Step Ten: Quality Control & Packaging

When conditioning is complete, it can be packaged and sold. Before packaging and selling the beer – checks are needed to ensure the beer meets specifications. Many checks may be required, yet the main ones are:

  • Dissolved Oxygen (DO) – when the DO content in the beer is high, shelf life will be affected. A high DO content causes the beer to produce off flavours.
  • Carbon Dioxide (CO2) – Check whether the beer is carbonated correctly, according to its style.
  • Microorganisms – Ensure there are no offensive microorganisms, such as bacteria.
  • Colour and bitterness – Check whether the colour and bitterness of the beer meet specifications and expectations.

In terms of packaging – beer can be packaged in cans, bottles or kegs for dispensing through taps in a bar (as we do here at Granite Belt Brewery).

Freshness is an essential factor in the quality of beer. At Granite Belt Brewery, we believe beer is brewed purely to be enjoyed – but also, that fresh is best. Fresh beer means intended flavours and aromas are preserved and negative effects from oxidation are avoided – the key to a perfect pour, and an enjoyable drinking experience.