Where Brewing Meets Art | I was really taken by surprise. After a three hour drive north out of Chicago, we had reached our destination and thought we were in the wrong place. The hotel would not have seemed out of place in an alpine valley in Switzerland: eaves projected widely around a picturesque structure made almost entirely of wood, some of which was exquisitely carved. We had arrived in New Glarus, Wisconsin, USA, the Switzerland of America. There was every indication that an unusual brewery visit awaited us …

In the first part of this article (BRAUWELT International no. 3, 2014, pp. 159-161), the concept of quality control and quality assurance in the brewery was exposed, together with relevant topics such as brewery related pre-conditions, quality management systems, quality control manuals, extent of continuous monitoring. In part 2, considerations towards economical calculations on required equipment, facilities, qualified personnel and specialized know-how will be provided.

Unwanted aroma substance | The objective of this series of publications is assessment and control of evolution of dimethyl sulphide concentration in wort. This undesirable aroma substance is an acknowledged indicator used in assessing evaporative and hot holding processes in the brewhouse. In this and in the two subsequent articles, fundamentals are described and research data is presented which give a deeper understanding of stripping and formation processes of dimethyl sulphide in particular and aroma substances in general. The objective is to be able to calculate dimethyl sulphide and dimethyl sulphide precursor concentrations when wort preparation ends. This is meant to provide a method for operators to achieve better energy efficiency in the brewhouse, without making any equipment alterations [1].

Are beers with accentuated hop aromas a taste for everyone or are they simply specialty beers for connoisseurs? In the last few years, breweries have begun to focus more on the production of beers which have distinct aromas, especially those produced through the process of dry hopping. The recent development of the Hopsteiner FlavorWheel provides a tool which can be used in tastings to more precisely define the hop influence on a beer’s aroma (BRAUWELT International no. 2, 2014, pp. 116-118).

Between November 2012 and April 2013, a group of diploma master brewer students from two different brewing courses at the Scandinavian School of Brewing (SSB), Copenhagen, participated in a joint project aimed at investigating some of the most common flavours and off-flavours found in beer. BRAUWELT International will present the results in a two-part series.

Back in 1996 FlavorActiV’s core business was beer. Nearly two decades later and sensory services are now sought after across numerous markets, from dairy to CSDs, with the spirits industry being the latest to take notice.

A new method has been published in the Analytica-EBC, on the determination of ethanol concentrations in NAB and LAB, no-alcohol and low-alcohol beers. The method is based on the detection of ethanol by flame ionisation following headspace injection in gas liquid chromatography (GLC).

Alpha acids in hops are responsible for beers’ bitterness via their thermal isomerization into isoalpha acids during the kettle boil. The alpha acids that don’t isomerize are absorbed onto the trub and yeast during fermentation with little if any getting into the final beer. Interestingly, alpha acids are soluble in beer and when added post-fermentation can dramatically improve the foam stability and lacing of beers at very low concentrations. This study shows that alpha acids can enhance the foam stability and lacing of beers, similar to tetrahydro-isoalpha acids and better than isoalpha acids or propylene glycol alginate (PGA). Foam stability measurements were made using the NIBEM-T foam tester via EBC test method 9.42.

Dry hopping influences the physico-chemical properties as well as the sensory attributes of beer. The hop aroma and flavor are very different from those present in beers which have been hopped exclusively on the hot side of production (wort boiling and whirlpool). Various factors such as hop variety, the type of hop product, timing of the additions, contact time and the beer matrix appear to affect the resulting flavor and aroma of the finished beer to differing degrees.

Everyone is familiar with this: If one announces oneself as a brewer when meeting people, it will usually not take long until the question about the best beer in the world pops up. I always have the same answer: “There is no such thing as THE best beer in the world as every beer drinker perceives a beer in a different way and takes a different view of quality”.

Industrial production of kvass and the demand for the concentrate used to prepare it are skyrocketing in Russia and the Ukraine. Fermented kvass malt is necessary for kvass production and consists of briefly germinated and stewed rye malt. This malt has been subjected to an exceptionally long anaerobic stewing phase. This phase serves to completely liquefy the endosperm in addition to promoting strong lactic acid formation. Despite a low kilning temperature, the malt possesses a unique aroma reminiscent of the crust of “Schwarzbrot” or “black bread”, a type of sourdough bread made from a mix of rye and wheat common in Southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The malt also has a pleasant sweet and sour flavor. The processes employed in Russia and the Ukraine to produce kvass malt are described below.