How is Busch beer made?

1. Malting: The process begins with barley, a primary ingredient in brewing. Barley grains

undergo a malting process to convert their starches into fermentable sugars. Barley

is steeped in water, allowed to germinate, and then dried to halt germination after a

few days.

2. Mashing: The malted barley is crushed to produce a coarse powder called grist. The grist

is mixed with warm water in a mash tun, where enzymes break down the starches

into sugars. The resulting liquid is called sweet wort.

3. Lautering: The sweet wort is separated from the spent grain husks through a lautering

process. The mixture is filtered through a lauter tun, a large vessel with a perforated

false bottom. The clear liquid, now referred to as wort, flows through, leaving

behind the solid grains.

4. Boiling and Hopping: The wort is transferred to a brew kettle and brought to a boil.

Hops, dried flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant, are added at specific stages of

the boiling process. Hops provide flavor, bitterness, and aroma to the beer.

5. Cooling and Fermentation: After boiling, the hot wort is rapidly cooled using a heat

exchanger. This cooling step helps prevent unwanted microbial growth and

prepares the wort for fermentation. Yeast, a microorganism responsible for

converting sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide, is added to the cooled wort.

Fermentation takes place in fermentation tanks or vessels where yeast consumes

the sugars and produces alcohol and carbonation through anaerobic

respiration.

6. Maturation and Conditioning: The fermented beer undergoes a maturation or

conditioning phase, allowing the flavors and aromas to develop further. This can

last for a few days to several weeks.

7. Filtration and Packaging: Before packaging, the beer is filtered to remove any

remaining yeast, sediment, or impurities. Filtration ensures clarity and

stability. Finally, the beer is packaged in various formats such as bottles,

cans, or kegs for distribution and consumption.

It's important to note that different variations (e.g., Busch, Busch Light, Busch Ice) may

have slight variations in their recipes or processes, but these general steps provide on

overview of how Busch beer is made.