Coated PET bottles protect sensitive beverages and the environment

Barrier technology | The Bundesrat (upper house of German parliament) recently voted in favour of extending the mandatory deposit on containers to cover all non-returnable plastic bottles and beverage cans.

The European Brewery Convention has updated two of its methods: method 4.14 “Modification and Homogeneity of Malt: Calcofluor Method” and method 6.5 “Extract Content of Maize: Enzymatic Method”.

Carbon dioxide measurement on the road to success

Quality control | Beverage producers aim to manufacture products of consistent quality that meet specifications. The prerequisite for this is a comprehensive quality analysis, not only during production, but also on the finished product. Quality control also includes the carbon dioxide content as it significantly contributes to the taste experience.

Sustainable brewing: cost-benefit value of process aids and enzymes

Brewing economics | A sustainable future for brewing: obiviously, everybody is for it – but how do you actually evaluate and implement sustainable brewing practices and procedures that not only resonate with consumers but also make sound business sense, both in the boardroom and in the brewery?

S. diastaticus: A yeast loved – and feared

Over-attenuating yeast | At the turn of the century, hardly anyone in Germany was familiar with this yeast. Nowadays, Saccharomyces diastaticus has virtually become a household name, especially among craft brewers. Some use it to brew novel beers in the style of those from Belgium. Others, however, fear this yeast and despise it as a beer spoiler, conducting extensive analyses to detect the merest traces of its presence in an effort to eradicate it in their breweries.

Enzymes and sustainable brewing

Sustainable and economical | A new generation of conscious consumers has driven significant change in the brewing industry. High-quality beer is now available in a range of flavors and varieties that align with consumers’ expectations, including low-alcohol, alcohol-free and gluten-free beers. But taste is not the only driver of new product development; rising concerns over the environment mean that sustainably produced beer is fast becoming people’s top choice. Now the question is, how can brewers improve the sustainability of their processes and end products to meet demand while also continuing to work economically?

What is the best dispensing system?

Pros & Cons | The basic layout of a dispensing system has already been discussed in the article „Dispensing System Design: Keg Coupler, Hose, Faucet – Finished?“ [1]. Based on this premise, the present article discusses the details of various options for setting up a dispensing system, along with their major advantages and disadvantages. It must be stated up front that a perfect dispensing system does NOT exist – however, there is an optimal solution for every situation.

Measurements to produce a clear beer

Clear enjoyment | Who would not enjoy a clear, cool beer? The authors hope that everyone can continue to simply enjoy it so they focused their research on an approach for monitoring and quality control in beer production based on optical scattering methods, with the aim of developing a simple and flexible measurement instrument for in-line monitoring. The instrument presented could be installed directly in product plants or vessels and used for checking CIP procedures.

Precoating filtration with a compressible filtering-aid mixture

Fibres and perlites | The efforts to establish alternative filtering aids in precoating filtration have already extended over several decades. With its approach involving compressible filtering aids, Krones AG, Germany, has now successfully completed an upscaling project in the Schussenrieder Brewery.

Dispensing system design: keg coupler, hose, faucet – finished?

A COMPLEX ISSUE | The design of a dispensing system is the foundation of any future operation involved in serving beer on tap. Decisions have to be made early on that often determine whether a business will succeed or fail. Some of these decisions concern, in particular, the physics of dispensing. A second, crucial point is also already present in the layout and construction of a dispensing system, namely the ease with which the system can be cleaned. This is one ramification of good hygienic design of a dispensing system. This article discusses these aspects and describes the negative outcomes if these crucial points are not taken into consideration.

Analyses in modern quality assurance, Part 1: Amylolitic issues

Starch breakdown | Modern analytical quality assurance in breweries covers a complex spectrum of tasks. Based on typical applications, this series of articles describes analytical approaches for evaluation of various processing problems in brewing unit operations, as well as possibilities for early identification of potential upset sources and prediction of product stability.