The malt is now ready for brewing. The malt is crushed into a powder and mixed with hot water to make a thick, porridge-like liquid. This is left in a vessel called a mash tun for several hours whilst the sugar in the malt dissolve. Once the liquid that has absorbed as much of the malt sugar as possible, it is run off through the slotted base of the vessel. This liquid is now called wort.

Wort is then boiled with hops for at least an hour in a vessel called a copper. Hops were introduced to Britain in the 16th century by Dutch brewers; they add a bitter flavour and aroma to the beer, whilst also acting as a natural preservative. After boiling, the hopped wort is run over a bed of boiled hops which act as a filter. The wort is then cooled and run into fermentation tanks, where yeast is added.