DE10003155A1 - New in-house beer brewing system comprises combined unit for the mash and brewing tuns with fermentation in closed vessel with yeast colony carrier to give complete beer brewing action in fewer hours - Google Patents

Abstract

Rapid production of brewed beer, is new. For a rapid production of brewed beer, the prepared raw material with a starch content is mashed with water at a temperature of 70-80 [deg] C. A wort which can be fermented is obtained from the mashed bran through the saccharification of the starch. The wort is separated from insoluble matter e.g. grains, is boiled and hops are added. The boiled wort is cleaned of residual hops, cooled and the clouding is removed. The clear wort is fed into at least one closed fermentation vessel under a given pressure and temperature and flow speed over active fermenting yeast colonies on a large-surface carrier, for fermentation to a set level. The young beer is collected from the fermentation stage, cleaned and impregnated with carbonic acid as a beverage ready for drinking to be delivered to the bars. The carbonic acid developed during the fermentation of the wort in the closed vessel is gathered, and used for the impregnation of the young beer. The young beer from the vessel is held in an intermediate store before it goes to the bar, and is impregnated with the carbonic acid during the intermediate storage. The young beer from the closed vessel is cooled, and can be pumped in a closed circuit for separation from any remaining yeast. Before fermentation, the cooled and clear wort is held in an intermediate store. The yeast is colonized on a porous carrier. In the closed vessel, the fermentation is at a temperature of 3-30 [deg] C at a pressure of 1-4 bar, while the wort is recirculated at least partially. The alcohol content of the young beer is set by the level of fermentation in the closed fermentation vessel at =0.5-1.0 volume.%. Before fermentation, the wort is enriched with oxygen. An independent claim is included for a beer brewing assembly with a mash tun (5) and a brewing tun (6) fitted with a heating system (30) and a stirrer (13,22) to recirculate the mash or wort. The mash (5) and brewing (6) tuns are combined into a single unit.

Description

The invention relates to a method for Schnellher provision of beer and one in particular for implementation suitable brewing system.

The known traditional brewing methods require regularly a time expenditure of 2 to 20 weeks and more, to produce quality beer. They are in brewing facilities carried out with their brewing plants, mashing and purifying vats, fermentation tanks and storage facilities, etc. with a relatively large amount of equipment bring, which requires a considerable amount of space, which is usually divided over several, the respective Structures adapted to the intended use, such as the brewhouse, Proofing cellar, storage cellar, etc. extends. To profitability  Improving beer production has already been done a semi-continuous or continuous brewing operation suggested. An example of this is in DE 42 44 595 C1 described. In this known method for continuous The production of beer is crushed, given if necessary, malted, starchy raw materials with water mashed and in a brewing reactor in a continuous Process boiled, whereupon the solids (spent grains) freed wort cooled to 6 to 25 ° C and at least egg Fermenter designed as a loop reactor continuously Lich is supplied at a temperature of 2 to 25 ° C and a pressure of 1.5 to 2 bar, in which the Wort has an average residence time of 10 to 40 hours as well as constantly in a cycle and in which one Biocatalyst is located, which is a biologically active yeast contains. During the fermentation process, liquid becomes continuously Medium withdrawn from the fermenter and to remove the free yeast cells inside are centrifuged, followed by remove the liquid medium for 0.5 to 30 minutes heated to 60 to 90 ° C, and then cooled and is relaxed, with a partial flow into the fermenter recycled and the second partial flow after filtration is delivered as a finished product. Because the taste The quality of the beer produced in this way needs improvement, was the method in DE 44 30 905 C1 in such a way trained that u. a. from the circulated Part of the wort the free yeast cells are separated and the de-part stream then heated and subsequently is cooled before ge again in the fermenter reaches. In addition, the entire process of the fermenter continuously into a loop reactor Ripening fermenter in which also 1% to 8% of the Fermenter supplied wort introduced continuously  become. The partial flow formation in the fermenter, in which the fermentation stream formed by the wort broken down into partial streams one of which is stapled, then heated and then cooled down and returned to the fermenter is complicated, apart from the fact that the need The first step is to use a fermenter and also a ripening fermenter as a second stage appropriate equipment investments. By both The process is about beer, unlike the batch proceed with the conventional brewing method, continuously to manufacture. The duration of the proceedings, i.e. H. the speed with which ready-to-drink beer is produced is included not significant.

This also applies to another, from DE 24 29 574 C2 Known process for the continuous production of Beer with fermentation of the wort in the flow in a cooking apparatus which acts as a filter element, inert and porous carrier with a suspended yeast has layer. This is a three-stage continuous ches fermentation process used in a first stage brew the wort through a fermentation tower containing yeast tet, the yeast on one of diatoms or granules shaped polyvinyl chloride absorbing existing carriers contains. The young beer coming from the fermentation tower is in egg ner second stage through a storage tower, ent speaking the fermentation tower has a yeast-containing carrier. Finally, the beer turns into one in a third stage Treatment tower directed, the enzymes (proteases) on one Carriers made of organic polymers, bricks, silica, Glass, sand, compounds based on silica or clay contains gene substances. Three-stage fermentation processes of this type are expensive in terms of equipment, apart from the fact that the addition  of proteases on carrier substances is required.

Finally, in DE 41 37 474 A1 there is also a Ver drive for continuous rapid maturation of beer wrote. This is a two-stage account Nuclear rapid ripening, which is a pre-fermentation in a pre switched primary fermentation step with corresponding Apparatus and post-fermentation in a fluidized bed reactor with wide-pored granules with defined porosity and at Temperatures of 2 to 10 ° C and 5 to 15 hours dwell takes time.

Based on this state of the art, the Er the task is based on a method for rapid processing position of beer, which allows ready to drink Quality beer within hours with proportionate produce little equipment. Also wants the invention a particularly for performing this Create a suitable brewing system that stands out the smallest possible space requirement with a small footprint and low investment and equipment requirements net.

To achieve this object, the invention Process the features of claim 1 while the brewing system according to the invention is the subject of the patent is 13.

The new method uses a combination of one fast brewing process with a fast fermentation process and can be carried out in a brewing facility that is designed to take up as little space and space as possible. Did actually has one set up to carry out this procedure  new brewery only approx. 15 to 25% of the Platzbe a traditional brewery with the same product amount.

With the new process, grinded, starch-necked raw materials at a high temperature of approx. 70 ° to 80 ° C mashed with water for a very quick start of the starch in the raw materials. Un ter "starchy raw materials" are all for beer manufacturing suitable starting products understood. To count in particular malted barley or other cereals varieties, but also so-called raw fruit and the like. At The saccharification takes place at the specified high temperature only between 15 and 45 minutes, i.e. H. the whole Mashing process, d. i. the complete extraction of the whole fermentable wort from the mashed raw material meal (in usually malt) takes one to three hours say.

The wort is then removed from the insoluble constituent len of the raw meal (spent grain) cooked separately and for Aromatization with hops, the addition of Hop or hop extract before and / or during the Cooking takes place. The traditionally cooked and wort with hops is added after completion of the Cooking process (i.e. after about one to three hours) to 0 cooled to 25 ° C and by suitable, known per se Separation or filtering process from the so-called trub, d. H. frees the coagulated protein residues.

The wort freed from the trub then becomes white at least a closed fermentation vessel, a so-called Bioreactor fed in which they are under predetermined  Pressure, at a predetermined temperature and with a vorbe agreed flow rate over fermentative, on egg Beer with a large surface area yeast directed and up to a predetermined, adjustable Degree of fermentation is fermented. In the fermenter (bioreactor) comes the wort with the angela firmly on the carrier material crops and in contact with the free floating yeast; she is fermented, d. H. the sugar is in alcohol and Carbonated. While the alcohol is almost complete remains in solution, a large part of the coals escape acid and catches in the upper part of the closed fermentation vessel. From there, the carbonic acid can, while maintaining the internal pressure in the fermenter, discharged through a valve, cleaned, collected and then the serving beer be added again.

The so-called emerging from the closed fermentation vessel called "young beer" is advisable before serving cached, for which it is for example in a cylin droconic tank (conditioning tank) are pumped can, in which it is freed from the yeast and in which it with the excess fermentation carbonic acid and / or one too carbonic acid is impregnated to the desired To achieve "sparkling" of the beer that can be served. The mentioned separation in which emerge from the fermentation vessel the yeast remaining in the young beer is advantageously done by Cooling the young beer to approx. 0 to 8 ° C in the cycloko African tank. The yeast precipitates and collects in the Cone of the tank; it can be by decanting or others Separation methods are removed. The remaining beer is now clear and after the impregnation mentioned with the collected and / or separately supplied carbonic acid and after temporary pumping over, poured out and  be drunk.

The new one, especially for carrying out the in the previous suitable brewing system ar works with a mash tun and one with a heater direction equipped Sudbottich, which means for the Umwäl zen of the mash or wort contained therein are, with the mash tun and the Sudbottich to one Device unit are summarized. The At least mash tun and the sud tub as chambers of a uniform vessel. In the prak table design, this can be achieved in such a way that the unitary vessel has at least two on top of each other arranged chambers or that the chambers as Sector-shaped sections of a cylindrical vessel are trained. The vessel can also lie two in one another have appropriate chambers, of which as a mash tun serving, with a sieve bottom inner chamber in the serving as a Sudbottich chamber is raised.

Such a "single-vessel brewing plant" with two chambers or Segments, namely with a sieve segment ("mash or Lauter tun ") and a cooking segment (" brew pan "), the can be arranged side by side or one above the other, is characterized by a very small space requirement.

The new brewery can also be designed in this way be that connected to the Sudbottich, the transfer the wort flowing out of the suds into drinking capable beer serving apparatus, at least essentially, on at least one common framework to a previous month tated device unit are summarized. Also the Mash and Sudbottich can be pre-assembled on this  or a separate frame. On this results in a brewing system that is in the Her actuator is pre-assembled and in the pre-assembled Zu stood as a unit on one or more frames (boards) is installed at the customer. This will be a minimal one Space requirement achieved with the smallest possible footprint.

Training and refinements of the new procedure rens and the new brewery are the subject of Unter claims.

In the drawing are exemplary embodiments of the counter state of the invention. Show it:

Fig. 1 a for carrying out the invention Ver driving serving brewing plant according to the invention in a schematic representation;

Fig. 2 shows the vessel of brewhouse development of the brewing system of FIG. 1 in a schematic, enlarged Teildarstel, in axial section, in a side view;

Fig. 3 shows a modified embodiment of a brewhouse Eingefäß- for the brewing system of FIG. 1, in a schematic view, in axial section, in a side view;

Fig. 4, the vat of the brown plant according to Fig. 1, partially cut away, in a side view and on a different scale and in a schematic representation;

Fig. 5, the brewing system of FIG. 1 in a compact design, in a schematic representation, in plan view un ter illustrating only the essential parts and

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the flow of the Schnellverfah rens invention for the production of beer.

The brewing system shown schematically in Fig. 1 for carrying out the new method for the rapid production of beer has a single or combined brewing unit 1 with steam extraction, which is shown in greater detail in Fig. 2. The brewing plant 1 has a cylindri cal vessel 3 , which is raised on feet 2 and is designed as a boiler, and which is divided by a transverse wall 4 into two circular sector-shaped chambers, one chamber of which has a mash tun 5 and the other chamber a brewing vat ( Brew pan) 6 forms. The two chambers are of the same size and each extend over a semicircular arc of the circumference of the vessel 3 . The vessel 3 is covered by a hood 7 , from which an extractor chimney 8 goes off and which contains an opening 9 which is closed by a door and which provides access to the interior of the vessel 3 . In the area above the mash tun 5 mün det within the hood 7, the outlet of a pre-mash 10 , 11 barley malt or other suitable raw materials suitable for beer production are fed through a pipe socket. In the pre-mash 10 leads a hot water connection piece 12 , which allows brewing water heated to at least 70 ° to 80 ° C. to be introduced into the malt shot stream and thus to pre-mash the supplied malt shot when introduced into the mash tun 5 .

In the mash tun 5 a chopping or cutting device 13 is arranged, the chopping or cutting knife indicates at 14 and are otherwise ausgebil det in a conventional manner. The chopping or cutting knives 14 are each supported by a cross member 15 on a vertical chopping shaft 16 , which is pivotally mounted on the partition 4 and is sealed off by the bottom 17 of the vessel 3 . It is connected to a geared motor with a gear indicated at 18, which can give the chopping shaft 16 a reciprocating pivoting movement, such that the chopping or cutting knives 14 can move on conical circular arcs around the shaft axis through the mash tub 5 .

At a distance above the vessel bottom 17 , a sieve tray 19 is provided in the mash tun 5 , which serves to separate the wort from the insoluble constituents of the scraps (spent grains) and allows the mash tun 5 to be operated as a lauter tun. The refined wort can be drained through a drain port 20 in the bottom of the vessel 17 , while an opening in the side wall of the mash tun 5, which is closed by a Tre door 21 , is used to discharge the spent grains.

The other chamber of the vessel 3 forming the suds tub 6 contains an agitator 22 , of which a horizontal agitator blade 23 pivotally mounted in the vicinity of the vessel bottom 17 is schematically illustrated, which sits on an agitator shaft 24 which is sealed off by the vessel bottom 17 , which is either coupled with an agitator geared motor (not shown) or, optionally via a clutch, with the chopper geared motor 18 . The agitator drive shaft 24 performs a reciprocating pivoting movement while the agitator is running in order to move the agitator blade 23 through the Sudbot 6 .

Below the impeller 23 is a steam-heated bottom heater 26 disposed in the Sudbottich 6, the cooking-steam inflow and outflow nipple are designated with 28 and 29 respectively.

In addition, a steam cooker 30 is provided in the Sudbottich 6 above the agitator wing 23, which is fastened via a bracket indicated at 31 on the partition 4 be and the cooking steam supply and discharge pipes are designated 32 and 33 respectively.

From the Sudbottich 6 goes in the vessel bottom 17 arranged wort outlet connector 340 to the outside.

The floor heating 26 and the steam cooker 30 are supplied by a steam generator 34 via lines 35 , 36 with hot or cooking steam, valves 37 allowing the steam application and thus the cooking temperature to be set appropriately. The steam generator 34 heats in addition to the steam lines 38 , which are controlled by valves 39 , the heating jacket of a brewing water tank 40 , the brewing water from a brewing water supply indicated at 41 via a brewing water pump 42 and a brewing water line 43 . The brewing water supplied is heated in the brewing water tank 40 to at least 70 ° to 80 ° C. and then fed to the pre-mashing device 10 via the hot water connecting piece 12 and a line 44 .

The Würzeaabassstutzen 340 of the Sudbottichs 6 is connected via a wort pump 45 and a wort line 46 with a Wür zekühler 47 , which is designed as a continuous cooler, for example in the form of a plate cooler. From the wort line 46 branches via a valve 48 into the mash tub 5 above the chopping or cutting unit 13 merging tail pipe 49 , which makes it possible to bring refined wort or water to the so-called tails on the May cal. A at the connecting piece 20 to closed lauter wort line 50 is connected on the suction side of the wort pump 45 to the wort line 46 via a changeover valve 51 , which allows the refining wort to be pumped out of the mash tun 5 into the broth tub 6 .

The wort cooler 47 is followed by a trub separator 52 lying in the wort line 46 , which allows the wort flowing through to be freed from the coagulated protein residues, the so-called trub, by suitable separation or filter methods. From the wort cooled in the wort cooler 47 , the entire hot and cooling trub is separated, for example by means of a whirlpool and / or separator and / or trub filter and / or sound and / or vibration frequency separator or the like, in at least one working step. The separated trub is discharged via a trubablestutzen 53 and a trubablassventil 54 .

Downstream of the trub separator 52 , an intermediate or wort tank 460 branches off from the wort line 46 via a changeover valve 55 , in which the wort cooled to 0 ° to 20 ° can be temporarily stored before it is pumped by a pump 56 via a line in the wort line 46 , To enrich the wort with air be aerator 57 and a changeover valve 58 is fed to a closed fermentation tank 59 of a bioreactor 60 , the details of which can be found in particular in FIG. 4.

In the substantially cylindrical, closed fermentation vessel 59 of the bioreactor 60 , a number of axially parallel, vertical candles or rods 61 are arranged, which consist of a highly porous material with the largest possible surface. This material can be glass, plastic, organic material or ceramic material or sintered metal, which has the property of having the highest possible affinity for adhesion for fermented brewer's yeast. This porous high-adhesion carrier material can instead of the shape shown in FIG. 4 ver of rods or candles 61 also in the form of spheres, cuboids, pins, pyramids, ellipsoids, plates and plates and / or combinations of these designs and different sizes and have thicknesses. The individual elements are each in egg ner in the fermentation vessel 59 of the bioreactor 60 the IN ANY. Their number is determined by the amount of yeast accumulated by adhesive forces, ie by the fermentative surface, by the carrier material and the amount of beer to be produced in the Zeitein unit.

They each carry a thin layer of yeast, which is attached to the adhesive-active material by adhesive force and flows around the wort from the fermentation substrate in the form of the wort line 46 , which flows through the fermentation vessel 59 from bottom to top. When the fermentation substrate passes the thin yeast layer, this yeast and the quantity of He floating freely in the fermentation vessel 59 cause rapid fermentation of the fermentation substrate at a predetermined temperature, at a predetermined pressure and at a specific flow rate. The values of these parameters are determined, among other things, by the desired degree of fermentation, which determines, among other things, the character of the desired beer, as will be explained in more detail below. "Character" here means, for example, non-alcoholic beer or highly fermented draft beer / special beer and all desired beers with different original wort and alcohol contents and degrees of fermentation. If the work is hygienically perfect, the attached help can be used without change over several months, up to about a year, without any signs of degeneration.

From the fermenter 59 branches above and below the support material rods 61, a U-shaped circulation line 62 ends, in which a circulation pump 63 is located and which forms part of a heat exchanger section 64 , the outer jacket 65 of which is flowed through by a thermal medium. A indicated at 66 thermostat 66 controls depending on the temperature measured by a temperature sensor 67 temperature of the fermentation substrate in the fermentation tank 59 in a thermomedium supply line 68 of the heat exchanger section 64 lying control valve 69 in such a way that the temperature of the entire fermentation substrate in the bioreactor 60 is kept adapted to the particular fermentation optimum. About the pumped-over the circulation line 62 in the circuit Circula the fermentation substrate and the temperature volume in its heat exchange path 64 can be adjusted and maintained a very even and sensitive fermentation temperature in the vat 59th

The actual reaction area with the thin yeast layers around the cylindrical fermentation tank 59 sitting on the porous support material is closed at the bottom by a wort inlet part 70 into which the wort line 46 opens and has a collecting / collecting area 71 of larger diameter at the top, from which a young beer drain line 72 goes off and to which a collection area 73 for fermentation carbon dioxide connects, to which a carbon dioxide line 74 is connected.

The wort pumped via the wort line 46 below into the fermentation vessel 59 comes in contact with the solidly attached to the carrier material of the rods or candles 61 and the free-floating yeast as it rises and is thereby fermented, ie the sugar contained therein is converted into alcohol and carbon dioxide reduced. While the alcohol remains almost completely in solution, a large part of the carbon dioxide escapes and catches in the upper collecting area 73 of the fermentation tank 59, from where it is discharged via the carbon dioxide line 74 while maintaining the internal pressure in the fermentation vessel 59.

The thermal medium supply line 68 of the heat exchanger section 64 is connected to a cooling system 75 ( FIG. 1), the thermal medium return line of which is designated 76. The wort cooler 47 is also supplied with thermomedium from the cooling system 75 via thermomedium lines 77 , 78 . The associated temperature monitoring and control devices are known and are not shown further.

The young beer drain line 72 of the bioreactor 60 leads in at least one, in the present embodiment in two mutually parallel serving / conditioning tanks 79 , which are designed as cylindroconical double jacket tanks, the outer jacket space via two thermomedium lines 80 , 81 is connected to the cooling system 75 , so that there is a jacket temperature control option that allows the beer stored in the two tanks 79 to cool to 0 ° to 10 ° C. As a result of this cooling, the floating yeast cells contained in the young beer fail, so that a non-cloudy beer is obtained. The precipitated yeast collected in the conical lower part 82 is removed by decanting or other separation methods, for which purpose 83 indicated yeast / drain lines, controlled by switching valves 84 , are provided.

In the conical parts 82 of the two dispensing / conditioning tanks 39 also opens a carbonic acid impregnation line 85 , which is connected via a corresponding switch valve 86 to the carbon dioxide line 74 coming from the bioreactor 60 and via a further line 87 to a carbon bottle battery 88 is. Via the carbon dioxide impregnation line 85 , the clear beer contained in the two tanks 79 is impregnated with the fermentation carbon dioxide collected in the fermentation vessel 59 of the bioreactor 60 and / or optionally additionally with carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide bottle battery 88 , the carbon dioxide addition corresponding to the beer desired in each case is chosen. The beer brought to drinking temperature in one of the tanks at a pressure of 1 to 3 bar is, if necessary after temporary pumping, ready for serving, to which it is fed via a line 89 and which is indicated at 90 by beer bottles, beer barrels and beer mugs.

Before the addition to the clear beer, the carbonic acid collected in the bio-reactor 60 is cleaned by a filter 91 located in the carbonic acid line 74 , compressed by a downstream compressor 92 and temporarily stored in a carbon dioxide storage container 93 , from which it leads to the carbon dioxide impregnation line 85 is fed as needed, as indicated by a dashed connec tion line in Fig. 1.

Between the switching valve 58 located in the wort line 46 and the young beer line 72 of the bioreactor 60 there is a line branch 92 containing a circulating pump 91 , which can be made effective via switching valves 93 , 94 and which allows young beer to be pumped as a whole in the circuit via the closed fermentation vessel 59 , for example, to keep the yeast alive during the breaks between successive fermentation periods. The circulation pump 91 also enables light, via two, in the wort line 46 or in the line path 92 lying through a line 94 c connected to each other switching valves 94 a, 94 b pumping the young beer into the serving / conditioning tanks 79 for the purpose of it taste optimization.

In addition, a closed circulation loop 97 ; via a line 95 between the two changeover valves 94 , 84 and via a connecting line 97 containing a pump 96 between the two serving / conditioning tanks 79 ; 95 ; 92 ; 72 are produced, which makes it possible to circulate the beer contained in the tanks 79 in order to achieve a quality and taste balance of the beer contained in the two tanks, if this should be necessary.

In the described brewery, beer is made after the following procedure:  

Crushed, starchy raw materials, for example ge crushed barley malt, are mashed in the mash tun 5 of the equipment brewing plant 1 with steam extraction via the pre-mashing device 10 in a rapid mashing process at a high temperature of 75 ° to 80 ° C. For this purpose, brewing water of the required high temperature from the steam-heated brewing water tank 40 is fed to the pre-mixer 10 and the mash tun 5 via the line 44 . The high mashing temperature ensures that the starch in the malt grist is saccharified very quickly. The saccharification takes between 15 and 45 minutes, the whole mashing process, ie the complete extraction of the entire fermentable wort from the mashed-in malt meal takes about 1 to 3 hours. The May cal is loosened during the mashing process in the usual way by the chopping or cutting device 13 .

After the mashing process has ended, the so-called wort-forming sugar solution is separated from the insoluble constituents of the meal, i.e. the spent grains, where the lauter wort runs through the sieve bottom 19 of the mash tun 5 operated as a lauter tun and via the wort pump 45 into the broth tub (brew pan ) is pumped around. In the Sudbottich 5 the wort is traditionally cooked by means of the steam cooker 30 and the floor heating 26 and hops are added.

After the cooking process is complete, that is to say after about 1 to 3 hours, the cooked hot wort is cooled to 0 ° to 25 ° C. in the wort cooler 47 designed as a continuous cooler, whereupon the cooled wort separates 52 from the coagulated protein residues in the trub the hot and cooling lees are freed and the wastewater-free wort is temporarily stored in the wort or intermediate tank 460 .

The wort or intermediate tank 460 can be designed as a double wall tank with wall cooling, an associated temperature control device keeping the tank contents at a pre-selected low temperature of, for example, 20 ° C.

From the wort or intermediate tank 460 , the turbid free wort is conveyed by means of the pump 56 into the closed fermentation vessel 59 of the bioreactor 60 . The wort flows through the aerator 57 , in which it is mixed with the (air) oxygen required for fermentation. In the bio reactor 60 , which can also be replaced by several bioreactors with several closed fermentation vessels 59, the wort pumped from below into the closed fermentation vessel comes ascending with the yeast firmly attached to the carrier material of the rods or candles 61 and the free-floating yeast in contact, whereby it is fermented by the accumulated yeast and by the yeast floating in the fermentation substrate, ie its sugar is broken down in alcohol and carbon dioxide. Alcohol almost completely dissolves, while most of the carbonic acid collects in the upper collecting area 73 of the closed fermentation vessel 59.

The fermentation takes place in certain temperature ranges chen, under certain pressure conditions and with certain ter flow rate of the fermentation substrate Season the required ver. After a few hours degree of fermentation is reached.

The specific temperature ranges maintained in the fermentation vessel 59 of the bioreactor 60 are between 3 ° and 30 °, a temperature of approx. 10 ° to 25 ° C for normal beer and a temperature of approx. 0 ° to for non-alcoholic / low-alcohol beer 10 ° C is preferred.

The pressure maintained in the fermenter 59 lies between approx. 1 bar and approx. 4 bar.

The determined flow rate of the Gärsub strate, measured in liters per hour, is between about 1 and 50 or more, depending on the need and design. It depends on the actual surface of the yeast-coated carrier material of the rods or candles 61 (for example at approx. 200 m ² and more approx. 20 l / h) and on the desired degree of fermentation or alcohol content of the beer to be produced. The degree of fermentation for normal beer is between about 40 ° to 80 ° for example.

With an annual production volume of 1000 hl of beer, d. H. in the annual requirement of a pub brewery is one Hourly output of 20 l to 40 l is sufficient hen.

The dimensioning of the bioreactor 60 is a function of the desired production quantity in time. Due to the controllability of the degree of fermentation, it is possible to produce either alcohol-free or low-alcohol beer or normal beer with almost any alcohol content using this method.

The predetermined temperature conditions in the Gärge fäß 59 are via the heat exchanger path 64, and which hold the ser associated temperature control means 66 upright, to which a part of the fermentation substrate tion line on the Circula 62 is circulated in the circulation.

The young beer that emerged from the fermentation vessel 59 of the bioreactor 60 via the young beer line 72 during fermentation of the wort is pumped into one of the serving / conditioning tanks 79 , in which it is freed from the residual yeast and in which it is mixed with that in the collection area 73 of the fermentation vessel 59 collected and temporarily stored in the carbon dioxide container 93 carbon dioxide, optionally with the addition of foreign carbon dioxide from the carbon dioxide battery 88 , impregnated in order to achieve the desired sparkling of the beer which can be served. To round off the taste, the beer can be pumped around briefly before serving.

To separate the remaining yeast remaining in the young beer, the beer in the respective tank 97 is cooled to about 0 ° to 8 ° (10 ° C.), so that the floating yeast cells fail and collect in the cone 82 of the tank, from where they are be decanted by decanting or other separation methods. The remaining beer is now clear, it is brought to drinking temperature in the respective tank 79 at a pressure of 1 to 3 bar and kept ready for serving.

The sequence of the new method described is schematically illustrated with its essential steps in FIG. 6:
the wort obtained by rapid mashing, boiled and flavored with hops is coming from the brewhouse 1 and cooled in the wort cooler 47 to 0 ° to 15 ° C,
freed of trub in the trub separator 52 ,
temporarily stored in the intermediate tank 460 , then fed to the bioreactor 60 for fermentation and
finally prepared for serving in the serving / conditioning tank.

The process is discontinuous. He allows through a combination of fast brewing process and fast fermentation process a quick beer production, the calculated from mashing to the beginning of the first out dispensability only a few hours (typically approx. 4 to 10 hours).

As described, the method can be carried out in a single-unit brewing plant 1 which is characterized by a small space requirement and a small footprint. While in the single-appliance brewing plant 1 described with reference to FIGS . 1 and 2, the two chambers forming the mash tub 5 and the broth tub 6 are arranged side by side in the one cylindrical vessel 3 , embodiments are also conceivable in which these chambers one above the other or one inside the other lying, also in other vessels. An example of such an alternative embodiment of a brewing unit 1 a suitable for the brewing system according to FIG. 1 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. Only parts essential for understanding are shown and described.

In a uniform, cylindrical vessel 3 a, which is closed at the bottom by a curved bottom 17 a and which can be raised on feet similar to FIG. 2, an agitator 22 a is arranged near the bottom 17 a Agitator blades 23 a is driven via a sealed outward agitator shaft 24 a by an egg indicated at 18 a, designed as a gear motor agitator motor. The vessel 3 a is heatable in a conventional manner, for which purpose, for example, a floor heating 26 a in the form of heating coils can be provided. The open-top vessel 3 a forms a Sudbottich 6 a, which is closed by an attached hood 7 a, from which an extractor chimney 8 a goes off, which is telescopically formed, so that the hood 7 a of the Sudbottich 6 a are lifted off can.

In the vessel 3 a, a concentric, cylindrical inner chamber is arranged, which forms a mash tun 5 a and has a certain radial, lateral distance to the wall of the vessel 3 a, the way that it can be lifted out of the vessel 3 a. The mash tun 5 a is suspended here as an example on chains 94 on two synchronously operated lifting machines 95 , which can be moved horizontally on a stationary running rail 96 . Other lifting devices, for example hydraulic ones, can also be used. In the mash tun 5 a, a sieve bottom 19 a is arranged, to which a chopping or cutting device 13 a is connected at the top, the chopping or cutting knives of which are indicated at 14 a. The chopping or cutting mechanism 13 a is mounted on a coaxial chopping shaft 16 a, which in the exemplary embodiment shown is coupled to the agitator drive shaft 24 a via a releasable coupling indicated at 97.

In the mash tun 5 a leads the outlet pipe of a pre-masher 10 a, the hot water inlet of which is shown at 12 a and which can be folded aside by means of a hinge 98 with a horizontal hinge axis, so that it can be used to lift the mash tun 5 a out of the vessel 3 a not disabled. At 49 a the tail pipe is Darge, while a line 99 is used to supply water, for cleaning purposes, for example. Finally, at 100 a device for sampling is provided, which flows into the Sudbot tich 6 a. The Sudbottich 6 a is connected via a drain nozzle 340 a to the wort pump 45 according to FIG. 1; the other line connections are connected in a corresponding manner to the lines of the brewing system according to FIG. 1, the same reference numerals (with the addition "a" in FIG. 3) indicating the assignment.

The mashing and the production of the cooked wort is done with the single-unit brewing unit 1 a in the following way:

The mash tun 5 a is initially in the lowered position shown in FIG. 3 in the vessel 3 a. The crushed malt is premixed in the operating position shown in the pre-mashing 10 a with water from 70 ° to 80 ° C. The mash gets into the mash tub 5 a, in which the saccharification of the starch takes place, for which purpose the chopping and cutting mechanism 13 a is actuated in a known manner. The bottom 101 of the mash tun 5 is provided with an opening at 102, so that the same liquid level as in the inner chamber forming the mash tun 5 a is established in the annular chamber of the vessel 3 a forming the broth tub 6 a.

After the saccharification is complete, the mash tun 5 a is raised by the lifting mechanisms 95 to such an extent that its bottom 101 comes to a level above the liquid level in the broth tub 6 a. Through the sieve bottom 19 a, the lauter wort runs out of the mash tun 5 a, which is now operated as a lauter tun, and passes directly into the suds tub 6 a, where it is cooked in a traditional manner with stirring by the agitator 22 a and flavored with hops before it is fed to the wort cooler 47 of FIG. 1 through the wort drain connection 34 a.

During this cooking process, the lauter tun 5 a is lifted out of the vessel 3 a by means of the lifting mechanisms 95 , which is made possible by the fact that the pre-masher 10 a is pivoted to the side about the axis of the joint 98 and the housing 7 a, guided by the telescopic Cooker hood 8 a, has been raised accordingly. The mash tun 5 a lifted out of the vessel 3 a is then moved along the hoist track 96 to a suitable location where it is emptied and cleaned by the struts before it is used again for the next brewing process in the vessel 3 a.

The relatively small expenditure on apparatus of the be written brewing plant according to Fig. 1 allows to summarize the entire complex of individual modules, each of which forms a pre-assembled apparatus unit which is arranged on a common frame or rack. This is illustrated schematically as an example in FIG. 5:

The brewing water tank 40 , the wort or intermediate tank 460 , the wort cooler 47 , the bioreactor 60 and the two serving / conditioning tanks 79 connected in parallel are associated with the associated pipelines, pumps, valves and the like, all of which are only indicated, on one frame 102 Device unit summarized, pre-assembled. The here rectangular, for example the dimensions 3 m × 4 m having frame 102 can be accommodated in the basement of a restaurant, for example, while the brewing equipment 1 (or 1 a) is installed in the dining room, where it serves as an eye-catcher. It is connected to the elements of the apparatus unit on the frame 102 via a few lines, as is evident from FIG. 5. The frame 102 itself can also be designed in the manner of a frame or a cabin, the access door of which is illustrated at 103.

In principle, embodiments are also conceivable in which the apparatus unit explained is divided into several frames or also includes the brewing unit 1 , 1 a. The brewing device 1 or 1 a described in two embodiments can of course also be used to carry out other and in particular traditional brewing methods.

Claims (23)

1. Process for the rapid production of beer in which:

• - Milled raw materials containing starch are mashed in with water at a temperature of approx. 70 to 80 ° C and a fermentable wort is obtained from the mashed-in meal by sugaring the starch,
• - the wort is separated from the insoluble components of the meal (spent grains), boiled and mixed with hops,
• - after the cooking process is complete, hop residues are removed, the wort is cooled and the lees are removed,
• - The wort freed from trub in at least one ge closed fermentation vessel under predetermined pressure, at a predetermined temperature and at a predetermined flow rate through fermentative, on a carrier material with a large surface area yeast and fermented to a predetermined, adjustable degree of fermentation and
• - The resulting young beer from this fermentation is collected, cleaned and impregnated with carbon dioxide, whereupon it is fed to the tap as a ready-to-drink beer.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that  that in the closed fermentation vessel when carbonic acid accumulation of the wort and is used to impregnate the young beer. 3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims characterized by that from the closed Young beer emerging from the fermentation vessel before serving between is saved. 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the young beer is buffered with Koh lens acid is impregnated. 5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that from the closed Young beer emerging from the fermenter cooled and given if pumped in circulation and by the failing ones Yeast residues is separated. 6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooled and from Turbid-free wort is fed in before fermentation is saved. 7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the fermentative yeast to a porous carrier material is settled. 6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the Ver fermentation in a temperature range between 3 ° C and approx. 30 ° C at a pressure between approx. 1 bar and approx. 4 bar is carried out.   9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wort in the ge closed fermentation tank at least partially during fermentation is wisely circulated. 10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the alcohol content of the beer to be produced by appropriate control the degree of fermentation in the closed fermentation vessel is set. 11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that low-alcohol beer is made, that one Alcohol content of less than 0.5-1 volume percent Alcohol. 12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the wort before the Vergä is enriched (ventilated) with oxygen. 13. Brewing system in particular for carrying out the procedural method according to one of the preceding claims, with egg mash tun ( 5 ) and with a Heizeinrich device ( 25 , 30 ) equipped Sudbottich ( 6 ), which means ( 13 , 22 ) for circulating it contained mash or wort are assigned, the mash vat ( 5 ) and the Sudbottich ( 6 ) are combined into one unit. 14. Brewing plant according to claim 13, characterized in that the mash tun ( 5 ) and the Sudbottich ( 6 ) are designed as chambers of at least one unitary vessel ( 3 ). 15. Brewing plant according to claim 14, characterized in that the chambers are designed as sections of a cylindrical vessel ( 3 ) in the form of a sector of a circle. 16. Brewing system according to claim 15, characterized in that the serving as a mash tun ( 5 ) chamber with a sieve bottom ( 19 ) and a swivel chopper ( 13 ) and serving as a suds ( 8 ) chamber with a heating device ( 22 , 30 ) and a swivel agitator ( 22 ) is equipped. 17. Brewing system according to claim 14, characterized in that the uniform vessel ( 3 ) has at least two chambers arranged one above the other. 18. Brewing system according to claim 14, characterized in that the vessel ( 3 a) has two interleaved chambers, of which the mash tub ( 5 a) serve de, with a sieve bottom ( 19 a) provided in the inner chamber as a Sudbottich ( 6 a ) serving chamber is raised ge stored. 19. Brewing system according to claim 18, characterized in that the inner chamber serving as a mash tun ( 5 a) is formed in cooperation with a lifting device ( 95 ). 20. Brewing system according to claim 18, characterized in that the inner chamber serving as a mash tun ( 5 a) has a chopper ( 13 a) and the chamber used as a suds ( 6 a) contains an agitator ( 22 a) and that the chopper and agitator or at least temporarily coupled with each other. 21. Brewing plant according to one of claims 13 to 20, characterized in that connected to the Sudbottich ( 6 , 6 a), the transfer of the flowing out of the Sudbottich wort into drinkable beer serving apparatus ( 47 , 60 , 79 ) at least in Essentially on at least one common frame ( 102 ) are combined to form a pre-assembled apparatus unit. 22. Brewing plant according to claim 21, characterized in that the mash and the Sudbottich ( 5 , 6 ; 5 a, 6 a) are arranged pre-assembled on a frame. 23. Brewing plant according to one of claims 13 to 22, characterized in that it has at least one wort cooler ( 47 ), at least one closed fermentation vessel (59) with fermentable yeast arranged therein on a carrier material ( 61 ) with a large surface area and at least one storage container ( 79 ). for the beer coming from the fermenter.