Manufacturing Process Brewing can be defined as the production of beer from malted barley, hops, yeast and water,

with or without the addition of other carbohydrate materials. There are six broad steps in the production of beer. It starts with the preparation of a hot liquid extract or wort from barley malt. This is referred to as mashing. This extract is then boiled with hops to impart the characteristic bitter flavour and then fermented with yeast. The fermented wort is then matured and filtered to produce a clear beer, which is filled into bottles, cans or kegs. Mashing The basic raw material of conventional brewing is malted barley, which can be described as lightly roasted sprouted barley. This malt is first milled into a fine powder referred to as grist and fed into a large vessel called the mash tun where it is mixed with hot water at around 65 degree celsius to form slurry or mash during which the slurry is stirred with a set of paddles provided in the vessel. At the end of this time, the saccharified mash is transferred into another vessel called the lauter tun (lauter in German means to clarify), which is equipped with a perforated base much like a coffee percolator. This retains the spent mash and allows the clear extract (wort) to filter through this wort is then collected in another vessel traditionally referred to as the wort kettle. The mash tun wort lauter tun and wort kettle are typically housed adjacent to each other in a section of the brewery known as brewhouse. Boiling Along with hops, the bittering ingredient in a beer recipe, the extract or wort in the kettle is boiled with either direct steam or steam coils. At the end of this, the hops are separated from the wort through a strainer or a hop back. They may also be separated in a whirlpool separator, so called because the wort is led into the vessel in a tangential flow that creates a whirlpool effect. The hops pile up in the centre of the vortex and the wort is then decanted off. Fermentation The hopped wort is subsequently cooled to fermentation temperatures, which is generally between 7-15 degree celsius depending on the type of beer to be produced. It is aerated with compressed air to provide oxygen for fermentation, pitched or mixed with the chosen yeast and then transferred into large fermentation tanks for the yeast to act. Typically, lagers are fermented between 7-9 degree celsius and ales between 10-15 degree celsius. The process of fermentation generally takes six to ten days during which the yeast multiplies and vigorously ferments the wort sugars to produce ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. At the end of fermentation, the yeast either rises to the top in the case of ales, or settles to the bottom as in the case of lager beers, and gas production slows down. The yeast is then separated either by skimming off or by drawing off from the bottom as the case might be and the fermented wort or beer, as it is now called, is transferred into a conditioning or maturation

tank.Maturation This is the step where ales and lagers are differentiated. Ales are traditionally conditioned in wooden casks. But it is now also being carried out in stainless steel tanks where the residual yeast is induced to carry out secondary fermentation by priming the beer with sugar. This secondary fermentation is generally carried out at 15 degree Celsius for a period of 7 to 10 days by which time it generates more carbonation after which it is sent for filtration. In the case of lagers, the fermented beer is chilled to 0 degree Celsius and transferred to lager tanks where it matures under chilled conditions for three to four weeks. During this time, a number of biochemical transformations take place to impart stable flavour characteristics to the beer and remove many of the undesirable flavours that develop during fermentation. Filtration At the end of conditioning or maturation, the beer is subjected to a process of filtration to produce clear amber liquid. This is generally carried out in two steps: a coarse filtration to remove the suspended yeast cells, and a fine filtration to remove all particulate matter. Typically, brewers use diatomoceous earth or Kieselgurh as the filtration medium. This is a special porous earth composed of siliceous marine fossils largely found on the South African shoreline. The filtration equipment used for the purpose is varied and ranges from plate and frame filters to leaf or candle filters. Many breweries also use an intermediary centrifuging step for yeast removal to augment the filtration process. Traditionally, yeast removal was brought about by the use of Isinglass or fish collagen typically obtained by dissolving swim bladders of sturgeon or cart fish in tartaric acid. A practice that is still seen in most of the British, Australian, Asian and South American breweries. In North America, tannic acid extracted from the bark of the wattle tree, is the preferred yeast clarifier. Modern brewing technology has dispensed with traditional filtration systems in favor of membrane filters and synthetic yeast clarifiers. Packaging The finished or filtered beer is now ready for packaging either in bottles, cans or kegs. Most beers packaged in bottles and cans are heated to 60 degree Celsius, a process called pasteurization in order to kill all surviving micro-organisms. Kegged or draught beers are generally unpasteurized if consumed locally but bulk pasteurized if a few days transportation and handling are involved.