AU2005229760A1 - A Process for the Preparation of Beer Having High Alcohol Strength with Winey Beery Character - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT Name of Applicant: Address for Service: Invention Title: United Breweries Limited CULLEN CO.

Level 26 239 George Street Brisbane QId 4000 A Process for the Preparation of Beer Having High Alcohol Strength with Winey Beery Character The following statement is a full description of the invention, including the best method of performing it, known to us: O FIELD OF THE INVENTION 0 This invention relates to a process for producing a high strength beer having a winey beery 0 Scharacter.

00 o BACKGROUND ART The known process for producing beer comprising the steps of a) Milling the malt; b) Preparing a mash slurry from the milled malt; N c) Lautering the mashed malt to obtain a wort; Sd) Boiling the wort and sugar to get the required gravity.

0 N e) Fermenting and aerating the hopped wort in the presence of yeast and then separating the yeast from the fermented wort; f) Maturing or conditioning the fermented wort; g) Filtering the beer.

Mashing Barley malt is first milled into grist and fed into a mash tun where it is mixed with hot water to form a slurry or mash during which the slurry is stirred. The saccharified mash so obtained is transferred into a lauter tun having a perforated base, which retains the spent mash and allows the clear extract (wort) to filter through, which is collected in a kettle.

Boiling Along with sugar, the extract or wort in the kettle is boiled with either direct steam or steam coils. The solid particles are separated by whirlpool separator, and where the wort is led into the vessel in a tangential flow that creates a whirlpool effect. The solid particles (proteins) pile up in the center of the vortex and the wort is then decanted off.

Fermentation The wort is subsequently cooled to fermentation temperatures depending on the type of beer to be produced. It is aerated with compressed air to provide oxygen for fermentation, pitched or mixed with the chosen yeast and then transferred into large fermentation tanks for the yeast to act. The process of fermentation generally takes four to five days during which the yeast multiplies and vigorously ferments the wort sugars to produce ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. At the end of fermentation, yeast settles to the bottom, and gas production slows o down. The yeast is then separated by drawing off from the bottom and the fermented wort or 0 Cl beer is transferred into a conditioning or maturation tank.

O

SMaturation 00

O

o Maturation is done in stainless steel tanks where the residual yeast is induced to carry out secondary fermentation by priming the beer with sugar. The fermented beer is chilled to 0*C o and transferred to lager tanks where it matures. During this time, a number of biochemical transformations take place to impart stable flavour characteristics to the beer and remove lN many of the undesirable flavours that develop during fermentation.

Cl o Filtration 0 At the end of conditioning or maturation, the beer is subjected to a process of filtration to produce clear amber liquid. This may be carried out in two steps, a coarse filtration to remove the suspended yeast cells, and a fine filtration to remove all particulate matter. Typically, diatomaceous earth or Kieselguhr is used as the filtration medium. The filtration equipment used for the purpose is varied and ranges from plate and frame filters to leaf or candle filters.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to propose a beer having high alcohol strength with a winey beery character but does not have a bitter taste, which is smooth and does not cause heaviness after drinking and has a mellow and clear taste and has no off flavour.

At the outset, it is to be understood that the ensuing description only illustrates a particular form of this invention. However, such a particular form is only an exemplary embodiment and without intending to imply a limitation on the teaching of the invention and nor to be taken restrictively.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to this invention there is provided a process for the preparation of beer having a high alcohol strength with winey beery character, the process comprising the steps of: a) preparing a mash from milled malt and liquor with additives to provide a mash with an acidic pH, b) subjecting the mash to the step of lautering to obtain a clear wort, c) adding the wort to sugar solution and subjecting the mixture to the steps of boiling, addition of citric acid and caramel, and adjusting the wort gravity, d) transferring the wort to a whirlpool, O e) passing the wort through PHE with aeration and addition of activated yeast followed by C fermentation, o f) lagering for removal of yeast, and Z g) filtering the product of step 00 The process steps of the present invention comprise: Mash Kettle: Malt is milled in a coarse mill and mash is prepared by, for example, malt: liquor

VN

ratio of 1:7 used for mashing. During mashing additives such as gypsum, calcium chloride, r promalt, formaldehyde and lactic acid are added to give a mash pH of 5.4. The mashing is t carried out at 450C for 15 min, 52°C for 30 min, 650C for 60 min, 720C for 30 min and temperature is raised to 76CC and Mash off.

Lautering Recirculation for clear wort. Wort collection is started when the wort is clear and sparge water at 76-78°C and the end gravity is 2.0-2.2 0

P.

Wort Kettle: Sugar is dissolved and wort and sugar solution dip is made to the required gravity and volume, which is boiled vigorously, for example, for 30 min. Citric acid and caramel of the required quantities are added to make up the colour to 7-7.5 EBC before end of boiling.

Whirlfloc is added at the end of boiling, and the final wort gravity is adjusted.

Whirl pool: Wort is transferred after boiling to whirlpool.

Yeast activation: The special yeast is activated by adding water and a little sugar. Yeast is dosed on line.

The wort is passed through PHE, online aeration is maintained throughout the wort transfer and the wort is transferred to fermenter. During the transfer the yeast, yeast food (5.5 g/hl) ammonium salt (10.5 g/hl) is dosed.

Fermentation is carried out at 25-27°C till the end gravity falls to for example 0.2 0

P.

Lagering: Yeast is removed and additives such as biofine, biox, stabiquick/Lucilite and biofoam are added and lagering temperature is maintained at 0 to 10C. A counter pressure of to 1 kg is maintained during lagering.

Filtration: The product is filtered to achieve a haze below 0.4 EBC.

The real extract (RE) of the product should not be less than 2.55 0 P for flavour. The RE of the product should not be more than 2.9 0 P, which may be monitored at lagering stage and as soon Sas the product reaches the required RE the product is immediately filtered, filled, pasteurized C and stored.

0 SAir control/oxygen control is maintained by passing CO2 at each stage of the unit operation 00 including filling. DO should not be more than 0.1 ppm.

0 During pasteurization, the temperature of the water in the pasteurization zone is, for example, o 63.5°C and the product temperature 62.5-63°C. This higher temperature is required for the Va inactivation of the special yeast. The pasteurization unit is in the range of 23-25.

C Product specifications: SI.No. Parameter UOM Specifications 1. Original Gravity OP 14.8-15 2. Apparent extract OP 0.0-0.03 3. Real Extract Op 2.55-2.9 4. Alcohol v/v 7.85-<8.0 Colour EBC 5.5-5.7 6. PH 3.12-3.2 7. CO 2 v/v 2.85-2.9 Calculation of Grist 1. Required alcohol content v/v 2. Set OG 14.9-15 3. Grist ratio malt sugar 18-20 (malt ratio range): 82-80 (sugar ratio range) 4. Extract ratio malt extract sugar extract 14-16 (malt extract ratio range) 86-84 (sugar extract ratio range) Reference to numerical values here in above are only by way of example and without intending to impose any restriction on the process of the present invention.

The term "comprise" and variants of the term such as "comprises" or "comprising" are used herein to denote the inclusion of a stated integer or stated integers but not to exclude any other integer or any other integers, unless in the context or usage an exclusive interpretation of the term is required.

Claims (4)

1. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said mash is prepared at pH 5.4 at a temp- erature between 45°C and 76°C, the ratio of malt liquor is 1:7 during mashing, and additives selected from gypsum, calcium chloride, promalt, formaldehyde or lactic acid are added.
2. 3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said lautering is by sparging water at 78CC until an end gravity of 2.0-2.2°P is obtained.
3. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein fermentation is carried out between 25°C-27 0 C until the gravity falls to 0.2 0 P. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said lagering is at 0 0 C to 1 0 C and a pressure of 0.5 to 1 kg.
4. 6. A process for the preparation of beer having a high alcohol strength with winey beery character, which process is as defined in claim 1 and substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to "Description of the Invention". United Breweries Limited By their patent attorneys CULLEN CO. Date: 8 November 2005