brauerei

A Brauerei, or brewery, is a facility where beer is produced commercially. It encompasses the processes from malt preparation to packaging, and can range from small craft operations to large industrial plants. In a typical brewery, raw materials such as water, malted barley, hops, and yeast are transformed into beer through brewing, fermentation, conditioning, and filling into bottles, cans, or kegs.

Core steps include milling the malt, mashing to extract fermentable sugars, lautering to separate the wort, boiling with hops, cooling the wort, fermentation in vessels, conditioning, filtration or carbonation, and packaging. Equipment commonly found includes mash tuns, lauter tuns, brew kettles, whirlpools, fermentation tanks, brite tanks, filtration systems, and bottling or canning lines.

Breweries vary in size and approach. Commercial beer production ranges from microbreweries and craft breweries that emphasize experimentation and local markets to regional and national breweries that distribute widely. Many breweries use lagering processes with cold fermentation and long maturation, while others produce ales or specialty beers. In recent decades, the rise of craft brewing has led to renewed interest in traditional methods and diverse beer styles.

Historically, breweries emerged in monasteries and towns in Europe. The German Reinheitsgebot of 1516, a purity law restricting ingredients to water, barley, and hops (yeast later recognized), has shaped beer production in German-speaking regions. Today, production is governed by modern food-safety and labeling regulations across countries.

Beyond production, breweries are cultural and economic hubs, offering tours, tastings, and employment, and often serving as centers for regional identity and tourism.