A three-stage bioreactor system for rapid beer brewing was developed and the characteristics and design factors of an immobilized yeast bioreactor using porous glass beads as carriers were investigated. The porous glass bead was advantageous for long-term operation of a packed bed reactor because of its physical strength and ease of handling. Immobilization capacity of the porous beads could be controlled by varying the mean pore size, leading to an immobilization performance comparable to that of calcium-alginate beads. In situ immobilization was made possible by circulating yeast suspended in the wort through the packed bed reactor. The reactor had good plug flow reaction properties which were verified by analyzing residence time distribution using a lactose impulse method. It was found that cooling equipment must be installed to avoid heat accumulation during scaling up of the reactor.