is the name given to the process of producing a beer in individual processes, vessels, and time frames, as opposed to a continuous process that involves a steady flow of ingredients through the plant and equipment. See continuous fermentation. A batch process takes place in individual vessels such as a lauter tun or a fermenting vessel. Each process is normally started and finished in the same vessel. Each discrete, individual batch is usually given a specific “brew” or “gyle” number but may be subject to blending with other batches later in the process.

Several breweries experimented with continuous brewhouses and fermentations in the 1970s and 1980s, but most returned to batch processes after experiencing production control and quality issues. Beer is brewed using batch processes in tanks and vessels, for example, in the brewhouse, fermentation, and maturation areas, whereas filtration and packaging can be regarded as continuous processes carried out on each particular “batch” of beer.