The basic process flow of beer brewing

(1) Malt Production  

Barley is first soaked and germinated to produce green malt, which is then dried to become finished malt and stored for 6 to 8 weeks.

(2) Malt Crushing and Saccharification  The malt is crushed using a crusher, then mixed with water in the saccharification pot for a period of time to allow the malt powder to absorb water, swell, and release enzymes, restoring their activity. The malt wort is then gradually heated.  The malt wort first undergoes protein decomposition at a lower temperature (around 50°C) for a certain duration, allowing proteases to convert proteins into smaller, more soluble decomposition products (peptides and amino acids, etc.). Subsequently, the temperature is raised to approximately 65°C and maintained at this level for a period of time to facilitate saccharification, where amylases break down the starch in the wort into dextrins and maltose.

(3) Wort Filtration  After saccharification is completed, raise the temperature of the saccharified mash to 76–78°C to deactivate the enzymes, thereby fixing the relative proportions of various components in the mash. Pump the saccharified mash into a filtration tank or filter press for filtration. Once the first wort is extracted, pump washing water into the tank to remove residual sugars from the spent grain. After filtration, the spent grain can be used as high-quality feed.

(4) Boiling  The filtered first wort is mixed into the boiling pot and boiled for 60–90 minutes. During the boiling process, hops or their products are added to dissolve the active components, while proteins and tannins coagulate, forming hot precipitates. This also sterilizes the wort.

(5) Wort Post-Processing  

After boiling, the wort is directed to a whirlpool tank to separate the spent hops and hot wort solids. It then passes through a plate heat exchanger to cool further to the desired fermentation temperature before entering the fermentation tank.

(6) Fermentation  After the wort is added to the fermentation tank, yeast is quickly introduced, initiating the fermentation stage. Beer fermentation typically consists of two phases. The first phase is primary fermentation: for bottom-fermented beers, the starting temperature is relatively low, around 7~10°C, and lasts 6~10 days; whereas for top-fermented beers, the starting temperature is higher, at 16~22°C, and takes 3~7 days. At the end of primary fermentation, the yeast settles and is removed, with the robust yeast being recycled for reuse.

(7) Post-fermentation  The partially fermented green beer is left in the tank or transferred to another tank for post-fermentation (also known as maturation) at low temperatures (around 0°C), allowing further clarification, maturation, and carbonation. The duration of post-fermentation varies depending on the yeast strain, post-fermentation temperature, and beer type, ranging from approximately 7 days to 1-3 months.

(8) Beer Filtration and Filling  After filtering the mature beer with a beer filtration machine, it can be bottled, canned, or barrelled to obtain finished beer. Traditional barrel-aged beer is unpasteurized and is best sold on a cold chain, as this is currently the optimal method to preserve beer flavor. Alternatively, sterile raw beer can be produced by undergoing aseptic treatment before barrel filling. Bottled or canned beer undergoes pasteurization after filling or sterile filtration before filling, with a shelf life of approximately six months.