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AB InBev
Netherlands

The first step in the brewing process is milling. This is done either with a six-roller mill, which preserves the outer husk of the grain (hull), or with a hammer mill, which completely crushes the grain.

Milling aims to improve the solubility of the grain components in water and increase the surface area for better enzyme effectiveness.

The milled malt is mixed with temperature-controlled brewing water in the mash tun. By reaching and holding specific temperature rests, the starch in the malt is enzymatically and thermally broken down and converted into fermentable sugars.

In addition to sugars, proteins, and tannins are also dissolved. This process results in what is known as the mash.

The next step in the brewing process takes place in the lauter tun or mash filter, where the solid components of the mash are separated from the liquid, and all fermentable sugars are extracted from the grain.

The byproduct of lautering is called spent grain, which is highly valued by farmers as fiber-rich animal feed. It can also be used for baking bread.

Next, the wort is boiled in the wort kettle, and hops are added. The hop compounds are released into the beer, giving it a pleasantly bitter taste.

Certain hop varieties provide the beer with distinct aromatic notes. Additionally, hops contribute to the beer’s natural stability and shelf life while also enhancing the foam quality.

In the next step, the wort enters the whirlpool, where the remaining solids, such as hop residues and protein particles, are separated from the liquid. At this stage, the wort is referred to as "cast wort."

It is then rapidly cooled in a wort chiller from nearly 100°C to approximately 6-8°C and aerated to prepare for fermentation.

In the fermentation cellar, yeast is added to the cooled and aerated wort. Yeast is a living organism that can survive both with and without oxygen: in the presence of oxygen, it multiplies and grows strong. Without oxygen, alcoholic fermentation takes place, converting the sugars formed during mashing into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

After about a week, the primary fermentation is complete. The yeast is then harvested, cleaned, and reused.

The next step in the brewing process is maturation, where the young beer is transferred into lagering tanks, as brewers say. Depending on the beer style, the maturation period can range from three weeks to three months.

During this time, the beer’s flavor profile becomes more refined, the carbonation is perfectly integrated, and the beer develops its full taste. Additionally, remaining haze particles, such as yeast or proteins, settle at the bottom.

After maturation, the beer undergoes filtration. In this final step, haze particles such as residual yeast, protein-tannin compounds, and hop resins are removed, giving the beer its final clarity and shine.

In the final step of beer production, the beer is filled into bottles, cans, or kegs. Modern counter-pressure filling is used to prevent oxygen intake and retain carbonation.