The 2003 Hallertau hop crop - challenges and outlook

Hallertauer hop crop - Summarised here are key facts about the 2003 Hallertau crop, including suggestions on how to overcome bottlenecks. Due to climate changes, we will probably be faced with weather conditions similar to 2003 from time to time and market partners will have to formulate strategies that will contribute to avoiding supply shortages.

During the main vegetation period for hops, from May to August 2003 the weather in Europe was characterised by low rainfall and high temperatures. Heat and drought had an enormous impact on the Hallertau hop crop, as might have been foreseeable based on the situation in 1994 (1).

Climate in summer 2003

In spring 2003, the soil was sufficiently humid, therefore the hop growing season started well.1° C respectively 2. .

Breakdown of hop bitter substances during storage of beer

Bitter acids do not remain stable in beer. They break down, depending on time, temperature and incident light. Enquiries from breweries provided grounds for investigating the decrease in 25 commercial beers once again. Within a month of filling, the beers were subjected to ageing for eight months at 22 °C while protected from light. The only differentiation related to hopping according to the indication on the label. These beers were hopped either with pellets, extract or both products.

Together with bitterness units in accordance with Analytica-EBC 9.8, the a-acids and iso-a-acids were measured using HPLC (EBC-Proceedings Maastricht 1997, page 223-231).
Table 1 gives the absolute measured values.2% relative for iso-a-acids and 13.8% relative for bitterness units.
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Sensory evaluation

Beer quality is defined by flavour and taste, colour, foam stability, head retention, lacking turbidity and stability as well as consistency of these properties over a longer period of time. Determination of foam, colour and turbidity is carried out through various objective chemical-technical or biological methods. The flavour and taste of beer, however, cannot, even with great effort, be determined adequately by chemical-physical measurement methods. Only humans can evaluate these parameters after appropriate training and experience. This article describes the requirements for tasters and typical off-flavours and flavour profiles.

Beer is nourishment and a stimulant consisting of several hundreds of single components..

Continuous measurement of chlorine and chlorine dioxide in the beverage industry

The outline of a method for determination of free chlorine and total chlorine is set out in DIN 38408, Part 4. The DPD method is described here, this is measured with a photometer or a colorimeter in the form of a colour reaction (reference method). Determination of chlorine dioxide is based also on DPD colour comparison.

Disinfectants such as chlorine and chlorine dioxide are used e.g. in the bottle washer, rinser, CIP plant as well as for treating brewing liquor and process water. In as far as the Drinking Water Regulation applies, it requires that the amount of product used be checked weekly and concentration of active substance in the treated water be measured daily. Stipulations also apply to the allowable amounts which can be added. For chlorine, this is 1.1 - 0.05 - 0. ..

The Landskron Brewery measures CO2 onlineHighest quality and safe data

The CO2 content is a decisive factor in the taste of the beer. The Landskron Brewery in Görlitz, Germany, now measures CO2 in-line and by doing so, it is modernising the company in a far-sighted way. The unit can also be integrated into new electronic systems without any conversions or upgrades.

This most easterly German brewery has been brewing beer for 135 years behind the now listed brick walls. Today, the Görlitz brewers produce approximately 200,000 hectolitres per year according to a traditional procedure.
The dissolved CO2 influences the taste of the beer as well as other important quality measurements, such as original gravity. In the past, this value was measured manually in an intricate and time-consuming way in front of the pressure tank. Thiedig + Co. ...

The Gushing Puzzle - a success story

In 1988 "gushing" occurred in an extreme manner without an effective counter measure to exist. Where to look for the cause of gushing, where to look for a solution? To meet the challenge the "Wissenschaftsförderung", or Wifö (Promotion of Science by the German brewing industry) started a number of research projects. Over time new aspects arose. Therefore to this day, research is done on the complex issue of "gushing".

Before the "gushing year" of 1988, research had been done on the issue of gushing. However, the results were inconsistent. Thus, early on it was suggested that moulds and gushing are associated. Initial research papers (R 205, 1984) lead to the conclusion that there had to be other presently unknown influencing factors besides moulds.g.g. hydrophobines). ...

Silica sol and silica gel, quality aspects

Beer stabilisation with silica gel is still a modern process which conserves beer components and taste agents. Silica sols and silica gels can indeed be differentiated in terms of quality and "the cheaper the better" is a miscalculation, as is oftentimes the case.

It can be seen repeatedly that many discoveries and developments proceed simultaneously though independently of each other, because economic imperatives or new scientific findings stimulate a diversity of interests. Thus, at the end of the 1950s, a lot of attention was given to improving beer stability and to the chemistry of polyphenols and haze forming proteins in beer.
Silica gel adsorption of haze-forming protein in beer took off in 1961. Karl Raible and introduced in brewing technology. ...

The breakthrough technology in brewing: The capture and retention of fresh beer flavor

Much has been studied to understand the staling mechanism of beer and many measures have been taken so far in order to overcome the sensitivity of beer toward staling (1 - 5). However, there are limitations in achieving a significant improvement of flavor stability by these measures alone, as long as the deterioration precursors are carried over from malt into brewhouse. To break through this limitation, the authors set about developing a new innovative strategy to achieve a significant improvement to the beer flavor stability.

Improvement of beer flavor stability has been one of the key issues in brewing technology in recent years.
Most stale flavor compounds derive ultimately from malt. 1: "New innovative strategy"). ...

Further studies about the aniline index

In 1998 the aniline index was introduced to brewery quality assurance. Previous studies provide information about the relevance of the aniline index as a dimension for the thermal impact of bottom fermented pale beers during their "lifetime" and document the correlation of the aniline index with the stale off-flavour. Subsequently, further study results will be presented: aniline index and pH of beer, aniline index of malt and porter as well as the impact of roasted malt extracts on this characteristic.

First, some information regarding the aniline index analysis is given. The aniline index is a conventional characteristic which is analyzed without using a calibration substance (1). However, the considerable differences of the aniline index are adversarial. 36%.3 to 4.6. ...

Fast, secure, selective Aspects of modern quality assurance in beverage operations

Continuous microbiological quality assurance in the brewing and beverage industry still is of the utmost importance despite of all the advancements in recent decades. This is partially due to the very sensitive beverages high in nutrients, the new cold aseptic filling technologies and the higher requirements regarding the shelf life of the beverages. In this environment even a trace contamination can lead to customer complaints. To detect all relevant germs as soon as possible is mandatory. Thereby, various parameters need to be taken into consideration.

In principle, a trace contamination is a minor contamination of the beverage, which does not usually lead to noticeable damage of the final product and if so only after a long incubation period...

Integrated pest management Guidelines to control and minimize feral pigeons hazard in a brewery

Feral pigeons (Colombia livia, v. domestica) living in a brewery in South Europe were censused in the early spring of 2002, by means of linear transects to examine population densities. The severity of this infestation and the impacts on commodities and production were evaluated and reported. Cereal siloing and milling are the riskiest production phases and therefore prevention and control actions are required.

The estimated pigeon population living in the brewery was 270 birds. There was a positive relationship between the bird and flock number on a side, and the abundance of food and the 19th century buildings on the other side. This indicates an active selection of old buildings by feral pigeons. domestica) and the starling (Sturnus vulgaris).....