Four are the fundamental elements to make beer: water, malt, hop and yeast. Currently, except for Germany, grains such as corn, rice and wheat are also used as a partial replacement for malt. Sugar, in small proportions, can also be used.
1- Brewing room
The productive process first phase takes place in the place known as brewing room where raw materials (malt and others) are mixed with water and broken down, aiming towards obtaining a sugary liquid mixture known as wort, which is the basis for the future beer. The processes involved are:
- Malt and others milling
- Mixture with water
- Heating to facilitate breaking-down
- Starch breaks-down into sugar by malt enzymes
- Filtering to separate malt and others peels
- Hop adding
- Wort boiling to break-down the hop and to sterilize
- Cooling

The wort brewing process is based exclusively on natural phenomena and is similar to the act of cooking.

2 - Fermentation
After cooling, the wort receives the yeast and is kept inside big tanks known as fermentation tanks (where the fermentation phase begins). During this phase the yeast breaks-down the wort sugar into alcohol and carbonic gas, obtaining therefore the necessary energy for its survival. During the whole process it is very important the temperature precise control, normally ranging between 10ºC and 13ºC, because only under these low temperatures the yeast will produce beer with the adequate flavor. Fermentation is certainly the most important phase for beer's flavor, this because, at the same time that the sugar is broken-down into alcohol and carbonic gas, the yeast is producing other substances, in very small amounts, but which are responsible for the product's aroma and flavor.

3 - Maturation
Once the fermentation is concluded, beer is cooled to zero degree and most of the yeast is separated by decanting (sedimentation) and then maturation begins. During this phase, small and subtle changes take place to improve beer's flavor. Some unwanted substances resulting from the fermentation are eliminated and the residual sugar present is consumed by the remaining yeast cells, in a phenomenon known as secondary fermentation. Maturation generally takes from 6 to 30 days, varying from one brewer to another. By the end of this phase the beer is almost concluded with defined aroma and flavor.

4 - Filtration
After matured, the beer passes through filtration, which aims towards eliminating particles in suspension, specially yeast cells, leaving the beverage transparent and shiny. Filtration does not change the beer's composition and flavor, but is essential to guarantee its presentation giving it a crystal clear aspect.

5 - Filling-up
Filling-up is the brewing process final phase. It may be done in bottles, cans or kegs.

6 - Pasteurization
Soon after the filling-up, the beer undergoes a pasteurization process, specially when it is bottled in bottles or cans (in kegs, beer normally is not pasteurized and for this reason it is known as draft-beer). Pasteurization is nothing more than a thermal process where beer is heated at 60ºC and afterwards cooled, to guarantee to the product a higher stability. Thanks to this process it is possible for brewers to ensure a validity date for the product of six months after its brewing.