Malt is crushed and de-husked so that the brewers can easily get to the starches inside the kernel. The husk (skin of kernel) acts as a filter in the run-off.

Malt is mixed with hot water and brought to a very precise temperature where the enzymes in the malt break down the starches into sugars.

The liquid from the mash, now called wort, which has all the sugars in it from the malt is brought up to a boil. The hops are added in the boil. Depending on when in the boil they are added, they will impart either bitterness, flavor or aroma.

After the boil the hopped wort is pumped through the heat exchanger and cooled from 212 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. On the way to the fermenter, as it comes out of the heat exchanger, the wort is pitched with yeast.

The yeast that was pitched will now metabolize (convert) the sugars from the malt into alcohol and carbon dioxide (CO2). For ales this will take between 3-5 days, and for lagers it will take between 7-10 days.

After the fermentation the beer will be brought down in temperature to about 32 degrees and will condition for 1-3 weeks. It will then be filtered and any remaining yeast or hop compounds will be trapped in the filter sheets and a clear, finished beer will come out and be ready to go into bottles, kegs or directly to the bar.