After the mash has been cooked, the sweet liquid is removed from the spent grain in the lauter tun, yielding the all-liquid wort. This is pumped back to the mash tun where it is boiled vigorously for 2 hours. It is during this boiling phase that the hops are added.
Hops provide a bitterness and aroma to balance the malt sweetness.
The wort is mixed with yeast in the fermenters, initiating the process of fermentation which continues for 7 to 10 days, depending on the style of beer, at a controlled temperature. After fermentation is almost complete the beer is chilled then moved to the lager room.