In the practice of flash pasteurization, the applied heat load is not exactly known. It is rather estimated by measuring the holding tube outlet temperature and the flow rate (theoretical mean holding time). Microbiological methods, such as the Count Reduction Test (CRT), include certain disadvantages and basic unavoidable inaccuracies. A chemical reaction, the acidic sucrose hydrolysis, was investigated as a Time-Temperature Integrator (TTI) for the determination of the heat load expressed as Pasteurization Units (PU). For this purpose, the reaction was already calibrated as reported in a prior article [1]. Here the application and verification in terms of a comparative plausibility test of the TTI in a semi-technical scale are presented.75 min and a z-value of 5.4 °C..

Once considered a fad, then a trend, U.S. Craft beer production has become a solid component of total U.S. beer production. According to the Brewers Association, Craft beer production in 2012 topped 13 million barrels (31 US gallons or 119 Liters per barrel). Total U.S. beer production for the same period was just slightly more than 200 million barrels.

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.

Brewing liquor: Quality and treatment – Part 1

Brewing liquor composition has a crucial influence on beer quality. Every beer, independent of the way it is brewed, comprises about 90 percent water. Based on the Bavarian Purity Law, water is one of the ingredients approved for beer production and plays a key role in beer quality and taste. Depending on beer type, chemical composition of brewing liquor has to be specified. As a function of water source or producer, requirements are always higher than those applying to drinking water. Appropriate water treatment forms the basis of quality and taste of beer being brewed. The following contribution describes the main parameters of brewing liquors as well as the influence of same on the beer being brewed. Different methods for conditioning raw waters for the brewing process are also described.

Single kernel analysis for fractionating cereal batches

Global population is growing. Climate changes and extreme weather conditions are on the increase. Speculation and rising energy costs contribute to dramatic price increases for cereals. Sweeping consequences are already evident, in particular for people living in developing countries. It is, thus, more important than ever to reduce or avoid crop losses. Grain grading could be one solution. Numerous possibilities are available for cleaning batches by means of grading in order to raise their average quality and optimise processability. The present contribution describes innovative technology for cereal grading and discusses selected results from process and equipment validation.

From wheat to wheat malt – changes in the protein fractions

Of the grains used in brewing, very extensive research on malting barley has been carried out the world over. By contrast, relatively little is known about “malting wheat”. Beer is comprised of more than 450 substances, all of which have an impact on flavor, aroma, color, stability and quality, thus ranking it among the world’s most complex foodstuffs. Since the raw materials have a significant influence on the composition of the finished beer, the need for research is compelling. For this reason, work is now being carried out with the support of the Wissenschaftliche Station für Brauerei in Munich, Germany, and the Chair of Brewing and Beverage Technology at the TU München in collaboration with University College Cork and the Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft (LfL) on wheat used as malt in beer production.

Simply Hops and White Labs announced a partnership aimed at providing the growing UK craft brew market with the very best live yeast cultures.

It is well known that alpha acids in hops are responsible for beers bitterness via their thermal isomerization into iso-alpha acids during the kettle boil. Alpha acids that don’t isomerize generally absorb onto the trub and yeast during fermentation, with little if any getting into the final beer.

It is well known that hop is a nitrate storing plant and therefore the concentrations are rather high, as shown in the graph below with the data from crop 2013. The various colors stand for different growing regions. Yellow (Spalt), blue (Tettnang), green (Hallertau) and red (Elbe-Saale) are the German growing areas and the US hops are presented in grey. The values vary between 4410 and 9900 mg/kg.

Clearly the occurrence and control of gushing is a critically important quality factor for many brewers. A large number of studies, publications, and presentations have addressed this topic in the past. Efforts to identify gushing promoters have focused on species generated from barley degradation and infestation, and, to a lesser extent hop constituents, among others. The use by brewers of pre-isomerized hop acid products, including isohumulones and reduced forms such as di-, tetra-, and hexa-hydroisohumulones, continues to increase. To date, a comprehensive study to evaluate the potential for these advanced hop products to either promote or suppress the gushing phenomenon has not been reported..

Among the various compounds brought in to beer by hop, mono- and sesqui- terpenoids are the most studied and contribute to a certain extent to the hoppy aroma of beer. Previous studies have indicated that the concentration of these compounds in beer depends on the hop variety. The impact of new hop varieties created by the French hop growers association and their cooperative in comparison to the old variety Strisselspalt on the terpenoid content in beer has been analyzed by Stir-Bar Sorptive-Extraction-Gas-