Breweries use huge amounts of water, typically on the order of 8 to 11 times the volume of beer produced. Brewing In addition to direct use in brewing, Water water is used for generation of steam, for packaging (rinsing bottles & cans, in tunnel pasteurizers) and for cleaning lines, tanks and equipment throughout the plant.
Water Composition in Famous Brewing Cities (mg/L)
++ ++ = - In brewing history it was empirically Location Ca Mg SO4 HCO3 Beer type discovered that the natural water Burton-on- 352 24 820 320 bitter pale ales Trent sources in certain places were particularly well suited for the Dortmund 260 23 283 549 mild lagers production of beers of certain styles. Munich 80 19 5 333 sweet dark lagers Dublin 119 4 54 319 stouts Pilsen 7 8 6 18 pale lagers
Salt Adjustment As scientific knowledge about water chemistry and its relationship with One of the most common salt brewing developed, it became adjustments is to add Ca++, which possible to add salts to improve the activates some of the malt enzymes, brewing properties of water from other facilitates yeast flocculation and forces places. precipitation of oxalates from the grain, which could otherwise lead to haze Today it is possible, although in some formation. Typically this is done by cases expensive, to brew with the adding gypsum (CaSO ) to the mash water found virtually anywhere. 4 water.
1 Off-Flavor Removal/Avoidance One of the main concerns is off-flavors originating in the water used or caused ++ -- Ca + C2O4 CaC2O4 by chlorination (e.g. chlorophenols).
Calcium + Oxalate ---> Ca oxalate chlorination Phenols Chlorophenols
Flavor thresholds as low Flavor thresholds as as 100 ppb (100 µg/L) low as 1 ppb (1 µg/L)
Off-Flavor Removal/Avoidance Chorination kills most microorganisms. Brewing water is typically treated in one The subsequent active carbon of two ways to avoid or remove off- treatment removes many flavor flavors: compounds (e.g. phenols and 1) Chlorination followed by active carbon chlorophenols) as well as residual chlorine. 2) Ozonation
Original gravity (O.G.) is a measure of Ozone (O3) is produced by passing a high voltage arc through air. This wort dissolved solids (mostly sugar) converts some of the O to O . concentration. Its units are ºP 2 3 (degrees Plato) and 1ºP = 1% Ozone oxidizes most organic molecules, sucrose. which both kills microbes and destroys off-flavors (by converting strongly The O.G. of beer is calculated by flavored compounds into products with working backward from the alcohol much higher flavor thresholds). and solids concentrations to estimate the O.G. of the wort from Ozone then spontaneously decays with a which it was brewed (assuming no half life of less than 10 min. dilution).
2 High Gravity (High O.G.) Brewing Process In this example Produce a concentrated wort (this is called for each liter of 18 O.G. beer, 0.64 high O.G) in the brewhouse (e.g. 18ºP). liters of water would be added to produce 1.64 liters of 11 O.G. beer. Ferment at high O.G. That represents a lot of water and a Lager at high O.G. great increase in production capacity Dilute to desired package O.G. (e.g. 11ºP) for the same amount of equipment. with carbonated, deaerated water just It also produces a quality improvement. before final filtration.
water Vac. Deaer. air Blending Water Treatment HV arc contactor Remove off-flavors
CO2 Ozonation High Kill microorganisms OG Ozonation wort fermenter lager filter surge Reduce oxygen tank tank Deaeration blending
Blending water addition rates can Tasting - water be adjusted to make different products. Michelob Adding more water is one of the ways to make a light beer. Michelob Light
3 An adjunct is an additional source of fermentable sugar beyond that contained in malt. Adjuncts contribute little, if Adjuncts anything, to flavor. Beers made with adjuncts are lighter in flavor and less satiating than all malt beers.
Brewing adjuncts include: Starchy Adjuncts Sugars (e.g. cane sugar) corn grits Syrups (e.g. corn syrup) broken rice kernels Starches (corn, rice, etc.) unmalted barley + enzymes Starch-containing grains (corn wheat or malted wheat grits, broken rice kernels, etc.) sorghum
Rice Milling Corn grits are produced by milling the The basic objective of rice milling is to remove germ (which contains the valuable oil) the husk and the bran layers, and produce an from the kernel. What is left is called edible, white rice kernel that is sufficiently milled grits. and free of impurities.!A by-product of rice milling is the production of broken kernels. These are unattractive, but fine for brewing.
4 hot water
Starchy adjuncts (such as refined adjunct malt starches, corn grits or rice) require storage storage partial enzymatic digestion and adjunct heating to liquefy them (this is done malt mill mill in the adjunct cooker) and more complete digestion (in the main main mash) to render the sugar completely mash available. adjunct cooker to lauter tun
Adjunct Usage Rate Considerations - Starchy Adjuncts Adjuncts that are already fermentable (sugars and syrups) can be added to Malt enzymes are needed to hydrolyze the brew kettle. In that case an adjunct adjunct starch cooker is not needed. Malt enzyme levels are generally higher In this case the type of malt (2-row vs. 6- in 6-row than 2-row malts row) or its enzyme activity imposes no So, 6-row malts can accommodate limitation on adjunct usage. higher adjunct usage rates than 2-row malts
adj. malt mash bin bin water hop strainer grain mills hot wort tank Directly Fermentable Adjuncts adjunct sparge cooker water Cane Sugar - Caribbean, Australia wort mash cooler vessel Corn Syrup - North America cool H2O to Barley Syrup - UK lauter fermentation tun
sugar or syrup kettle
5 Adjunct Materials Usage Rate Considerations Flavor neutral, thus diluent: “lighter”, “crisper”, less satiating beers Sugars/ high dextrose syrups - have high glucose concentration compared Diluents for problems from malt to wort colloidal instability High glucose worts lead to incomplete flavor instability (low oil) fermentation Diluents for “good stuff” from malt High maltose corn syrup foam protein color yeast nutrients (amino acids, lipids)
The one exception to an adjunct as simply a diluent is when wheat is used. Estimated Typical Adjunct Usage Rates (major brewers) Wheat contributes protein, which is thought to be beneficial to foam. Germany 0% Either unmalted or malted wheat can be Other Europe 20%-35% used. Japan 20%-35% In some special products wheat also US 30%-55% contributes flavor: Weizenbier = wheat beer Weissbier = white beer
CO Phenolic flavor arises from the “pof” 2 H3CO decarboxylation of ferulic acid, of enzyme H3CO which wheat is a good source, to 4- HO vinylguaiacol. The flavor of this HO COOH compound (called ‘phenolic off- flavor’, or ‘pof’) is ordinarily Ferulic acid 4-Vinylguaiacol associated with contamination by non-brewing (“wild”) yeast. For most threshold: >660 mg/L threshold: 0.3 mg/L wheat beers, a special yeast, which produces the flavor, is used. Flavor: cloves, phenolic
6 Tasting German lager (100% malt) American lager (high adjunct) Wheat beer without yeast Wheat beer with yeast (Heffeweisse)
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