Barley

• The brewing process begins with barley, specifically with the enzymes produced by barley when it sprouts. The barley is soaked in water to facilitate the sprouting, then removed and placed in a kiln to dry. The process preserves the enzymes and the brewer can then strip any actual sprouts from the barley before proceeding.
  
  

Wort

• Once the barley is ready, it's again soaked in water, this time at a specific temperature between 140 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. That activates the enzymes and transforms the barley's starches into sugar. The mixture is then drained of water and rinsed with fresh hot water. Then the original water is returned to the mix, creating wort: a blend of chemicals and enzymes which contains all of the barley's sugars and proteins. This is the basic root of beer.
  
  

Hops

• When the wort is ready, the brewer boils it to sterilize it and remove some of the excess water. The boiling usually lasts for about an hour or so, but the exact times vary. During the boiling process, a certain amount of hops are added, which helps determine the flavor of the beer. Hops added early in the boiling contribute to a bitter beer, while hops added later translate into less bitterness.
  
  

Aging

• Once the wort has been boiled, it's time to begin fermenting it. The brewer cools the wort extremely quickly, then places it in a fermenter and adds a certain amount of yeast. The yeast creates alcohol by consuming the sugar in the wort. It also creates carbon dioxide as a byproduct, which the brewer can use to gauge the aging process. An airlock in the fermenter slowly releases the carbon dioxide. When the bubbling in the airlock slows, the yeast has converted most of the sugar to alcohol. The brewer then removes the nascent beer from the fermenter and places it in a second storage container to age. Aging needs to take place at a cool temperature away from any sunlight or heat. The exact length of aging depends on the beer. Lagers may take several months while ales are ready for bottling in just a few weeks.
  
  

Bottling

• When the aging process is finished, the brewer adds a little sugar, which carbonates the beer as well as eats up any residual CO2. Big brewing companies pasteurize their beer, which does the same thing at a much faster pace. Finally, the carbonated beer is put in bottles and capped, then refrigerated until the consumer is ready to drink it.