If you’ve ever enjoyed a cold beer at home or attended a brewery tasting, you may have wondered exactly how your favorite beverage is made. The process involves lots of specialized equipment, and the exact ingredients vary depending on the style of beer being produced. Here’s a brief guide to the beer-making process to give you a basic understanding of how breweries operate.

Beer Ingredients

Beer is made from grain, hops, yeast, and water. The type of grain and the amount of each ingredient vary depending on the style being brewed. For example, intense India pale ales (IPAs) often have more hops than light beers and lagers. Most varieties use malted barley as a grain source, but some light beverages use wheat. Other grains, like corn, oats, or rye, can be used alongside malted barley to add sweetness or texture to the finished product. 

Brewing Process

If you tour a brewery, you’ll likely notice lots of large metal containers and equipment. The beer-making process usually starts with a gristmill, which breaks apart the grains. They’re added to a mash tun, which is a large basin that mixes the grains with hot water until they’re fully absorbed. That liquid is transferred to an even larger container called a brew kettle, which is where the hops are added. These ingredients are boiled for at least an hour. More hops can also be added throughout the process to boost the beer's flavor.

The liquid passes through a cooling system on its way to a fermentation kettle, where yeast is added to the grain and hop mixture. Fermentation involves converting the starches into alcohol, and the process can take anywhere from a few days to a year. Dark beers, like stouts, tend to take the longest. 

Once fermented, the liquid runs through a cylindrical device called a centrifuge, which filters out any remaining pieces of barley or hops. The finished product is distributed into kegs or bottling equipment.

If you’re interested in seeing the beer-brewing process up close, Laughlin Tours in Nevada can help. This professional tour guide company provides a wide array of activities to those visiting the Grand Canyon area, including winery, distillery, and brewery tasting tours. They also offer excursions that explore Route 66, the Hoover Dam, and Oatman. Visit the website for a full selection of guided tours, and call (702) 420-5345 to book your spot on a brewery tasting adventure.