Our Blueprint for brewing beautiful beers

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  Step 1 Mash Tun

  The brewing process begins in the mash tun by mixing crushed malted barley with hot water. This is called mashing in. Temperature, consistency and time are crucial at this stage in activating the natural enzymes in the barley, converting starches into fermentable sugars. This creates a sweet liquid called Wort. Once the mashing in is complete, the wort is filtered and separated from the grain into the copper.

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  Step 2 Copper

  In the copper the wort is brought to a boil and hops are added. Boiling is essential for extracting bitterness from hops, with the heat transforming the alpha acids naturally found in the hops. Boiling also sterilises the liquid, ensuring clean and uncontaminated beer.

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  Step 3 Hop back

  After boiling, the wort is transferred to the Hop Back – a vessel that holds the liquid at a high temperature, but no boiling takes place. Here, fresh hops are added, which allows their delicate oils, lost during the boil, to infuse into the liquid for aroma, character and flavour.

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  Step 4 Fermentation

  En route to fermentation, the wort is rapidly cooled to the idea temperature for yeast to be added. Fermentation is the stage where wort transforms wort into beer, yeast is pitched in and it eats at the sugars and converts them into alcohol and CO2. This process also develops the beer’s flavours and aromas.

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  Step 5 Cask filler

  The cask filler is the final stage before Wye Valley Brewery’s beer reaches pubs and customers. After fermentation, the beer is carefully transferred into casks using a specialized filling system that ensures consistency and quality. This process minimizes oxygen exposure, preserving freshness and flavor. The casks are then sealed, labeled, and stored under controlled conditions before being distributed to pubs across the region—ready to be poured and enjoyed!

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  Step 6 Delivery

  Casks are then loaded onto our trucks and delivered to pubs within 70-mile radius by our dedicated transport team

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  Step 7 Pub cellar

  Casks are stored in temperature-controlled cellars, ideally between 11-13°C. The beer is then stillaged to stop it moving around and then undergoes a process called secondary fermentation. This aids clarity by allowing the natural sediment to fall to the bottom of the cask, at the same time the beer continues to develop character, carbonation and flavour.