GB970940A - An improved process for the production of "beer" - Google Patents

Abstract

Fermenting brewers' wort is added to unfermenting brewers' wort while the latter is being cooled from a temperature about equal to its boiling point so that the temperature of the mixture is below 105 DEG F. whereby all the materials precipitated together with the "hot break" and the "cold break" react together and form a compact agglomerate of coagulated material. Thus, hopped wort is boiled in a wort boiling apparatus in which, after removal of boiled hops therefrom, the hopped wort is cooled, fermenting brewers' wort from a continuous fermentation system is mixed with the hopped wort during this cooling step, the temperature of the resulting mixture being kept below about 95 DEG F., and the mixture, which contains in suspension substantially all the precipitated wort material formed during the hopped wort boiling, is passed to fermentation. Preferably the hopped and boiled wort is cooled to about 120 DEG F. before admixture with the fermentation brewers' wort, mixing is achieved employing equal parts of fermenting and unfermented wort, the cooling produced by the mixing is effected in about twenty seconds, the temperature of the resulting mixture is between about 80 and 40 DEG F. and its pH is below about 4.4. The Specification discloses in detail a hopped wort boiling and continuous fermentation process for the production of beer such as ale, lager beer and stout, embodying the following features: (i) the last of some series-connected wort boiling vessels is operated under pressure and the boiled and hopped wort is cooled under pressure to below its boiling point at atmospheric pressure before removal of the hops, the removed hops being returned to one or more of the boiling vessels, or the hops in the wort are caused to flow with the wort for later removal during fermentation of the wort ; (ii) some fermented wort containing yeast in suspension and finings such as carragheen extract, isinglass or gelatine, is employed in the mixing referred to above ; (iii) precipitated material is removed from the wort by flotation with air ; (iv) the carbon dioxide and foam above the fermenting wort are warmed to a temperature several degrees higher than that of the fermenting wort, such as about 160 DEG F., by introduction of steam above the wort, and the foam removed is liquefied in steam ; (v) yeast cells separated from the fermented wort are allowed to remain in a vessel containing acidulated water for up to 48 hours before being ready for return to the fermentation system ; (vi) the wort boiling apparatus includes a plurality of series-connected wort boiling vessels at least the last of which receives a supply of fresh hops, this last is provided at both its inlet and its outlet with a hop strainer, the hops removed by the hop strainer at the inlet are passed to waste while the hops removed at the outlet are returned to one of the other wort boiling vessels.