• Mashing
• Boiling
• Fermenting & Maturation
• Filtration & Pasteurisation

The Barley comes to the plant in large drums it is "classified", i.e. sieved and graded. Then the "malting" process is carried out. Barley is steeped in water and encouraged to germinate. Temperature and humidity are carefully controlled. The "malt" is heated to improve its flavour.

The malt is milled in the brewhouse so that the malt sugars can be extracted in the mashing process. The husks of the malted cereal are cracked by steel rollers to expose the malt corn contents. The crushed malt is called "grist".

Grist and hot water (80^oc) are mixed in a "mash mixer" and left to stand for up to two hours while the starch converts naturally to sugars. The mixture is then passed to a "lauter tun" or "mash filter" and sprayed with hot water to wash the sugars out of the grain. The sugary liquid, called "wort" is run off and the husk left behind.

The wort is boiled with hops and a little liquid sugar in large coppers for between one and two hours this improves flavour, sterilises the wort and removes unwanted malt proteins. The spent hops are filtered and separated prior to the next stage of the process.

The boiled wort is pumped through heat exchangers to cool (20^oc). The wort is aerated which will stimulate the yeast into rapid activity during the fermenting process.

Yeast is added to the cooled wort in a fermenting vessel. It feeds and multiplies off the sugars and nutrients extracted from the malt, producing carbon dioxide and alcohol. When most of the sugars have been used up, yeast becomes inactive and fermentation is complete. The yeast is separated out.

The final process depends on the type of beer being brewed. Some is run directly into casks and left to "come into condition" in the pub cellar. Before it leaves the brewery however, it will have finings added which sink to the bottom along with any solids in the beer once the container is at rest.

Alternatively the beer is conditioned in the brewery and then filtered. Beers of this type are called "bright" or "keg" beer. They are usually pasteurised (60^oc for 60 mins) and keep longer than cask-conditioned beers. Beer intended for sale in kegs or can is bright beer, as is most bottled beer.

The beer is sent to the packaging hall where it is filled into bottles cans and kegs. Conveyor belts forward the bottles for labelling. Finally, the beer is packed and ready to be delivered to customers.