How beer is made

Milling then mashing

• crushed grains meet hot water in the mash tun.
• Enzymes convert starch to sugars.
• Brewing water is called liquor; here the English word means neither a liqueur nor alcohol.

• After separation from the grains, the liquid collected is wort.
• Sweet wort means sugary wort before hopping.
• It enters the copper, a boiling kettle historically made of copper; the name does not guarantee its current material.

• Boiling and hopping produce bitter wort.
• After cooling, yeast ferments the sugars.
• Maturation, possible clarification and preparation for packaging follow.
• Yeast therefore does not directly ferment starch.