GB2306970A - Yeast composition/package for home brewing - Google Patents

Abstract

The composition comprises at least one active, dried strain of yeast, a drying agent such as MgSO4.1.6 hydrate and a dry fining agent such as isinglass. gelatin, chitosan, chitosan malate or bentonite and may be included in a single sachet for addition to water and sugar to produce a selected alcoholic product. The composition may include further ingredients such as a flowability agent, nutrient mix, malt extract, wine powder, tannin, citric acid, apple or lemon powder, powdered caramel or activated charcoal.

Description

IMPROVFHENTS IN OR RELATING TO PACKAGING OF MATERIALS The present invention concerns improvements in or relating to the packaging of materials. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with the packaging of materials for use in the so-called "homebrew" industry.

Heretofore, kits have been supplied for use in the home-brew field which generally comprise a container including a number of packages, each package containing at least one ingredient for use in making an alcoholic product.

All home-brew kits require the use of specialist brewing apparatus to ferment the alcoholic beverage such as demijohns, brewbags or buckets and the like. Various ingredients including yeast would be added to the brewing apparatus usually with the addition of sugar and water unless the fermentable ingredients are already contained within the specialist brewing apparatus. Such mixture is then allowed to ferment until such time as most or all of the sugar has been converted into alcohol by the yeast.

The fermented beverage can then be processed in a number of ways including clearing, bottling, carbonation via secondary fermentation, maturing and blending.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a single package of ingredients, such as in the form of a single sachet, which includes all the ingredients required to produce an alcoholic beverage, except for some of the sugar and water. Such production does not require any specialist brewing apparatus, thO contents of such package being added, for example, to a second-hand fizzy drinks bottle with sugar and water to produce the desired end product.

According to the present invention there is provided a package containing appropriate ingredients to produce a selected alcoholic product, when such ingredients are added to water and sugar is also added, said ingredients including at least one selected active dried strain of yeast, at least one drying agent and at least one dry fining agent.

The package may also include a number of additional ingredients to assist in production of the particular alcoholic product concerned.

The package would suitably be selected to contain ingredients which would result in the production of 0.5-3 litres of the alcoholic product concerned.

In a preferred embodiment, the package would either be sold as a single unit or as a strip of a plurality of interconnected packages, suitably sachets, where the single package cannot be displayed on a shop counter.

Utilising the content of one of the packages in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to produce 0.5-3 litres of an alcoholic beverage with quality similar to its commercially brewed equivalent. In this connection, ingredients may be selected so as to produce, for example, lager, bitter, cider, alcoholic lemonade, alcoholic orangeade, white wine and a vodka flavour drink.

By combining the ingredients in the package as indicated above and utilising a second-hand, suitably 0.5-3 litre, fizzy drinks bottle or the like, it is possible to remove much of the expense and inconvenience incurred with home-brewing, namely the need to purchase specialist brewing equipment either separately or as part of the home-brew kit and the timeconsuming procedure involved in producing an alcoholic beverage.

Preferred ingredients utilised in the package of the present invention may be identified as follows: 1. Yeast - a commercially available active dried strain of yeast is selected to optimise quality for the particular alcoholic beverage which is to be made.

By selection of optimal strains of yeast, one can produce the desired alcoholic beverage in the desired strength.

The yeast is preferably utilised in an amount of 0.2-3 grams per litre of made alcoholic beverage.

2. Drying agent - Any suitable chemical which has a high affinity for moisture can be utilised as a drying agent, such as MgS04, 1.6 hydrate. The inclusion of such agent permits prolonged product life by ensuring that the package contents remain at below 5% moisture. At this level, the dried yeast does not reactivate. In this connection, once reactivated, then the yeast dies within weeks.

3. Flowability agent - the package may also include one or more agents to improve the flowability of the contents of the package, such as magnesium carbonate, which is preferably spray dried. Without the addition of such an agent, it may be difficult to pack the ingredients into the package and the resultant package contents may prove difficult to pour out.

4. Nutrient mix - the package may also include ingredients to provide essential nutrition for the yeast cells, resulting in faster and more reliable fermentation and facilitating the ability to ferment up to high levels of alcohol. The nutrient utilised may combine a mixture of various nutrients, such as vitamins, mineral salts, nitrogen and phosphates, which will give the desired product and in the required concentration.

5. Malt extract - generally hopped powdered malt extract is used; however, there are many other suitable dried malt extracts available. Such extracts will be utilised when producing ginger beer, beer and lagers, would suitably be in powder form, and may be utilised in a dosage of 20-60 grams per litre of made alcoholic beverage.

6. Wine powder - any commercially available wine powder will be utilised when producing a wine product.

7. Tannin and citric acid - these ingredients are generally utilised when preparing a wine product and any commercially available types may be utilised.

8. Dry fining agent - the inclusion of a dry fining agent, such as Isinglass at the start of fermentation assists in producing the desired product in accordance with the invention. The dry fining agent is preferably utilised in an amount of 0.02-0.1 grams per litre of made alcoholic beverage. Without the addition of the fining agent, the alcoholic beverage would take several weeks longer to clear. Isinglass would normally be added after fermentation after pre-treatment with a cutting acid such as citric acid, to activate the fining action of Isinglass. Addition of Isinglass at the start of fermentation without cutting agents would be considered inappropriate by experts, however, we have found that the dry fining agent has a clarifying action, particularly when used at a particular level, within our system.The addition of more than the preferred dosage may result in inhibition of fermentation.

Any suitable fining agent may be utilised, such as gelatine, chitosan, chitosan malate and bentonite, although dry Isinglass finings are preferred.

9. Apple powder or powdered caramel - apple powder is generally utilised in the production of cider whilst powdered caramel is generally utilised in the production of bitter beer.

10. Lemon powder - such material is utilised when producing alcoholic lemonade. Any commercially available dried lemon powder may be utilised; however, only those powders with low citral content will ferment because citral inhibits fermentation.

11. Activated charcoal and/or a single ion exchange resin such as A100 from Purolite International Ltd., or similar material would be utilised in the production of a half strength vodka flavour alcoholic beverage to remove any off-flavours and aromas produced during fermentation.

Accordingly, by suitable selection of appropriate ingredients, a selected quantity of a particular alcoholic beverage of selected alcoholic strength (by varying the amount of sugar added by the customer), can be produced.

The present invention provides, for the first time, a single package, typically a sachet, which includes all the necessary ingredients, with the exception of water and sugar, which will produce a desired alcoholic beverage of the selected strength. It is believed that the combination of the various ingredients, in selected quantities, enables the production of an alcoholic drink to be effected, without the use of any specialist brewing equipment.

By utilising a drying agent and/or packing under de-humidified conditions, the shelf-life of the package is improved, since the yeast is prevented from being reactivated until use and allowing the sale of a single package, such as a sachet rather than a multipackaged sale unit. Moreover, one or more fining agents can be utilised in the mixture at the commencement of fermentation and need not be added at a later date.

The following table provides details of preferred compositions utilisable in the package of the invention.

1-3 LITRE "HOME-BREW" KIT INGREDIENTS CONTAINED IN A SINCLE SACKET NO EQUIPMENT REOUIRED EXCEPT A SECOND HAND 1-3 LITRE PET BOTTLE

4-12% 4-12% 3-8% 3-8% 8-15% 18-20% Bitter Cider Lemonade White Wine Vodka YEAST 0.13g 0.2-3g 0.2-3g 0.2-3g 0.23g 0.2-3g Lager Yeast Ale Yeast Wine Yeast Wine Yeast Wine Yeast Wine Yeast COMPLEX NUTRIENT MIX 1-3g 1-3g 1-3g 1-3g 1-3g 1-3g HOPPED MALT POWDER 20-60g 40-100g NONE NONE NONE NONE WINE POWDER NONE NONE NONE NONE 25-75g NONE TANNIN NONE NONE NONE NONE 02-1g NONE CITRIC ACID NONE NONE 4-10g 2-15g 4-10g 0.1-1g DRY FINING AGENT@ 0.02-0.1g 0.02-0.1g 0.02-0.1g 0.02-0.1g 0.02-0.1g 0.02-0.1g APPLE POWDER NONE NONE 30-100g, NONE NONE NONE POWDERED CARAMEL NONE Q6-2 Sg NONE NONE NONE NONE LEMON POWDER NONE NONE NONE 5-50g NONE NONE ACTIVATED CHARCOAL NONE ~ NONE ~ NONE ~ NONE NONE 1.10g Mix conlains anti-caking and drying agents Such as gelatine. chitosan, chitosan malate, benionile and other rccogniscd fining agents.

It can thus be seen that when the ingredients specified in the above table are added in the indicated amounts, then the required alcoholic beverage can be obtained having a selected alcoholic content. In this connection, lager beer having a 4 to 12% alcoholic content, bitter having a 4 to 12% alcoholic content, cider having a 3 to 8% alcoholic content, lemonade having a 3 to 8% alcoholic content and white wine having an 8 to 15% alcoholic content and a vodka flavour drink having an 18-20% alcoholic content, can be produced.

The invention also provides a composition comprising at least one selected active dried strain of yeast, at least one drying agent and at least one dry fining agent, mixed in appropriate proportions to produce an alcoholic product when added to water and sugar.

Claims (15)

1. A package containing appropriate ingredients to produce a selected alcoholic product1 when such ingredients are added to water and sugar is also added, said ingredients including at least one selected active dried strain of yeast, at least one drying agent and at least one dry fining agent.

2. A package as claimed in claim 1, in the form of a single unit or as a strip of a plurality of interconnected packages, suitably sachets.

3. A package as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein each package contains ingredients resulting in the production of 0.5-3 litres of alcoholic product concern.

4. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the yeast comprises a commercially available active dried strain of yeast.

5. A package as claimed in claim 4, wherein the yeast is utilised in an amount of 0.2-3 grams per litre of made alcoholic beverage.

6. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the drying agent is added so as to ensure that the package contents remain at below 5% moisture.

7. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the dry fining agent is selected from dry Isinglass, gelatine, chitosan, chitosan my late or bentonite.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, in which the dry fining agent is utilised in an amount of 0.02 to 0.1 grams per litre of made alcoholic beverage.

9. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, also including one or more of a flowability agent, a nutrient mix, malt extract, a wine powder, tannin and citric acid, apple powder or powdered caramel and activated charcoal.

10. A package as claimed in any preceding claim, substantially as hereinbefore described and exemplified.

11. A composition comprising at least one active dried strain of yeast, at least one drying agent and at least one dry fining agent for inclusion into a package as claimed in any preceding claim.

12. A method. of preparing an alcoholic beverage comprising adding the contents of a package as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10 into a container and adding water and sugar thereto to produce said alcoholic beverage.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the alcoholic beverage produced is lager, bitter, cider, alcoholic lemonade, alcoholic orangeade, white wine or a vodka flavour drink.

14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or 13, wherein the container is a second-hand, suitably 0.5-3 litre, fizzy drinks bottle or the like.

15. A method as claimed in claim 12, 13 or 14, substantially as hereinbefore described.