JP3432598B2 - Beer production method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for producing beer, and more particularly to a method for producing beer having a clean taste, a rich taste, and improved durability.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Beer production methods that are mainly carried out in Japan using bottom fermenting yeasts are as follows. First, a step of making malt from barley which is a main raw material (malting step),
After mashing malt and then mixing it with warm water, adding raw materials such as hops to make wort (preparation step), cooling the wort, adding yeast and alcoholic fermentation to make so-called young beer Process (fermentation process), young beer is stored at a low temperature for several weeks, a process of making beer (a liquor storage process: also called post-fermentation process), a filtration process, and then packed in a container and shipped as beer.

In the malting process, various enzymes in the grain are produced and accumulated by germinating water-absorbed barley under controlled conditions, and these enzymes are one of the polymeric storage substances possessed by barley. The part of the barley endosperm is softened and becomes brittle. This is called "melting", and the progress of melting is stopped by roasting, and at the same time malt with a preservative property and a unique aroma and color is produced.

In the charging step, malt is crushed and then mixed with warm water to maintain a proper temperature of amylase mainly present in malt to decompose starch and other substances in malt to obtain mash. During this time, so-called auxiliary materials such as rice and corn are heated and gelatinized, and then combined with malt mash. The mash separates insoluble matter (beer lees) by filtration, turns into wort, adds hops, and heats and boiles. By boiling, the malt enzyme activity is completely destroyed and the heat-coagulable protein is also removed, while the α-acid in the hop resin is heat-denatured to develop the bitterness peculiar to beer.

In the fermentation step, after boiling boiled wort is cooled through a heat exchanger or the like, yeast is immediately added to alcohol fermentation, and when the yeast almost assimilates the extract in the wort and ferments, the fermented liquid is yeast. Separated, so-called young beer is made. In the liquor storage process, young beer is stored for several weeks until its immature flavor disappears, resulting in a beer with a rich aroma and taste.

As described above, although the production technology is almost established, beer produced through a complicated reaction of living organisms has a complicated taste culture, and depending on the times, the preference of taste can be changed. With the change of, various technological developments are being carried out in each process.

In recent years, as one of the orientations of beer taste,
Oriented to a clean taste. In North America, a beer in the genre Ice Beer was launched in 1993, accounting for more than 10% of the North American beer market.

[0008]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] At present, about 10 types of ice beer are on the market, and although these have a neat taste, they are also said to be so-called watery beers, such as lacking in richness, However, there is a demand for a beer that has richness and improved durability.

[0009]

As a result of various studies in view of the above situation, the inventors of the present invention have found that stored beer that has been substantially aged in the storage step is slowly kept near the beer freezing temperature in the storage tank. By cooling to the temperature of the beer and then passing it through the device for supercooling beer while maintaining the fluidity of beer from the storage tank, it has a clean taste and richness not found in conventional beer in the ice beer genre. In addition, they have found that beer with improved durability can be produced, and completed the present invention.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in the method for producing beer, the beer that has been aged in the storage tank of the storage step has a freezing temperature of -2.0 to. -3. over 0 to 10 days from one day to the ℃ Yu
It is a method for producing beer, which comprises cooling the beer thoroughly and then sending the cooled beer from a liquor storage tank to a filtration step through a device for supercooling beer while maintaining fluidity.

Further, in the invention of claim 2 , in the beer production method, 0.01 to 5% by volume of beer introduced while maintaining fluidity is frozen in a supercooling device. It is a method for producing beer characterized by

In the present invention, the aged beer refers to beer that is almost aged to beer that is completely aged. Specifically, depending on the kind of beer, subtle differences in fermentation process, etc. 2 different regular liquors, each different
When set to 0 to 30 days, it refers to beer in the alcohol storage process several days to 10 days before the end of the alcohol storage process. The chemical phenomenon of beer aging, which serves as an indicator, is still not fully understood today. The young beer that has undergone the main fermentation has a unique taste or odor, and the substances conventionally collectively referred to as the young odor are volatile hydrogen sulfide, dimethyl sulfide, mercaptan, diacetyl and the like.

A part of this young odor volatilizes by itself during storage, and a part is removed from the inside of the liquid accompanied by carbon dioxide gas which is constantly rising. Further, it is considered that the higher alcohols produced in a trace amount form an aromatic ester with acids such as lactic acid, succinic acid and amino acid, and contribute to the improvement of the taste of beer. In addition,
Increasing hydrogen ion concentration causes some of the hop resin with a crude taste to coagulate. The overall result of these various complex phenomena is the so-called beer aging.

In the present invention,Aged beer
In the storage tank of the storage processBeer freezing temperature
WhatCool slowlyHowever, the freezing temperature of the beer
The degree depends on the type of beer, etc., but is usually -2.0.
It is around -3.0 ° C. Also,Cool slowlyWhen
Depends on the capacity of the alcohol storage tank
In the storage tankBeer freezing temperatureCooling beer
It is to be. Furthermore, hereBeer freezing temperature
Cooling to beer controls the freezing temperature of beer ± 1.0 ℃
It indicates cooling as a point.

In the present invention, the beer cooled slowly in the above-mentioned liquor storage tank is maintained while maintaining the fluidity of beer.
Through a device for supercooling beer, it is sent to the filtration step, the device has a beer inlet cooled at one end, a beer outlet at the other end,
The beer is supercooled between the beer intake port and the beer intake port. As a result, the components in the beer are precipitated as fine crystals, and as a result, the components that cause the beer taste and cloudiness are reduced. In addition, a part of beer may be frozen by passing through this device. However, the amount of frozen beer is kept to a minimum, usually around 0.01 to 5% by volume.

The flow rate of the beer passing through the apparatus may be such that the beer is supercooled while maintaining the fluidity, and is closely related to the inner diameter of the apparatus and the internal shape, but is cylindrical. In the case of a device having a total length of 1 to 10 m and an inner diameter of 0.2 to 1.5 m, it is 5 to 50 kl / hour. In the case of the above apparatus, about 2 to 50 kl / hour is suitable.

The cooling device circulates the refrigerant so that the temperature of the inner surface of the device between the beer intake port and the beer intake port becomes a supercooling temperature, that is, a beer freezing temperature or less. Temperature is -4 to -10 ℃
If For the circulation of the refrigerant, the refrigerant circulation layer may be formed in a coil shape on the inner surface of the beer passage or the refrigerant circulation layer may be formed on the jacket. Furthermore, examples of the cooling device of another aspect include a cooling device using a heat pump and a cooling device using an electronic cooling element (Peltier element).

The concrete cooling capacity of the device for supercooling while maintaining the fluidity of the beer, and the beer flow rate control, for example, a sight glass (site glass) is provided in a part of the device, and the components in the beer can be visually confirmed. Observe the state of precipitation as fine crystals and adjust the cooling capacity and beer flow rate by manually adjusting the valve, or install an ice sensor in a part of the device, and use the signal from the ice sensor. In response, it may be controlled by detecting a decrease or increase in the amount of fine crystals, adjusting the cooling capacity, the beer flow rate, and the like. The residence time of beer in the device is short, generally 15 minutes or less, and usually 20 seconds to 5 minutes.

The beer referred to in the present invention refers to those defined by the Japanese liquor tax law, that is, "fermented from malt, hops and water as raw materials." Fermented as raw material (provided that the total weight of the raw materials specified in the relevant Cabinet Order does not exceed 50 of the weight of malt).
In addition to this, so-called "miscellaneous liquor" that uses more than half of malt with rice and other ingredients is also included.

[0020]

According to the present invention constructed as described above, the supercooling device is cooled slowly to the freezing temperature of beer from the stage of completion of aging in the alcohol storage process, and further while maintaining the fluidity of beer. By passing through, the miscellaneous components and cloudy components in beer are deposited, and as a result, the beer's miscellaneous components are removed, and the beer has excellent durability against cloudiness, providing a more sophisticated and polished beer. It can be manufactured.

[0021]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the steps involved in the production of beer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a device for supercooling beer while maintaining fluidity,
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another aspect of the device.

As shown in FIG. 1, after fermentation is carried out in a conventional manner in the fermentation tank 1, most of the yeast is removed by separation. Next, the obtained beer is transferred to the storage tank 2. Therefore, the beer is so-called post-fermented and aged. A cooling device is installed in the liquor storage tank 2, and the temperature of the beer at the time of being transferred from the fermentation tank is changed from 5 ° C to -1 ° C in the liquor tank in the usual aging step from the state of 10 ° C. Lower and ripen for 20 to 30 days, and when aging is completed , slowly beer over 1 to 10 days
Cool to freezing temperature (-2 to -4 ° C). The beer thus cooled is immediately introduced into the beer supercooling device 3 while maintaining the fluidity of the beer, and is cooled while passing through the device, so that the components in the beer are precipitated as fine crystals. In the present invention, it is important to adjust the cooling capacity, the beer flow rate, etc. so that the inside of the apparatus is not blocked by the precipitated crystals. The beer thus obtained is guided to an ordinary filter 4, and then beer is produced through the barreling, bottling, and canning steps (not shown) of ordinary beer production.

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of an apparatus for supercooling beer while maintaining fluidity. The body 8 of the apparatus is provided with a cooling section 9 for supercooling beer,
Further, it has a beer intake port 5 and a beer outlet port 6, and further has a sight glass part 7 for visually observing the internal condition. Further, a refrigerant inlet 11 for sending the refrigerant to the cooling unit, and a refrigerant outlet 10 for sending the refrigerant to the cooling unit
It has an inlet / outlet 12 and a spray ball 13 for inserting and exhausting a cleaning liquid or carbon dioxide, collecting carbon dioxide. The material of the device is corrosion resistant,
Stainless steel or the like is suitable.

FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of a device for supercooling beer while maintaining fluidity. The inner tube 21 is closed at both ends with flanges 24, and the inner tube 21 is provided at both ends. A beer intake 22 and a beer intake 23 are arranged near each other, and the beer intake 22 and the beer intake 2 are arranged.
A ring 29 for covering the inside of the jacket 3 with a jacket 26 and connecting both ends of the jacket 26 with the inner pipe 21 to form a cooling part.
Has been placed. The jacket 26 is provided with a refrigerant inlet 27 for sending the refrigerant to the cooling section and a refrigerant outlet 28 for taking out the refrigerant from the cooling section. Further, it has a sight glass part 25 for visually observing the internal condition. The material of the device is also corrosion resistant, and stainless steel or the like is suitable.

<Beer turbidity durability test> Until the fermentation step, beer was produced using ordinary bottom fermenting yeast, and then the method of the present invention (the beer supercooling apparatus shown in FIG. 2 was used). Bottled beer obtained by applying (beer of the present invention) and until the fermentation step, after producing beer using ordinary bottom fermenting yeast, 60 ± 1 of each bottled beer obtained by the conventional method (ordinary beer) Turbidity was measured by immersing in constant temperature water of ℃ for 72 hours in standing position, cooling with water, and then immersing in ice bath of 0 ℃ for 24 hours. The results are shown below (unit: EBC unit). Ordinary beer 1.5 to 1.6 Beer of the present invention 0.7 to 1.0 As is apparent from the above results, the turbidity durability of beer was improved by the method of the present invention.

<Sensory Test of Beer> Bottled beer obtained by the method of the present invention and one type of commercial bottled iced beer (control; 2 months after production) were used by 10 people on the panel and a plurality of comments were made below. A sensory test was carried out under the condition of being checkable, with a total score of 10 points. The results of collecting evaluations are shown below.

[0028]     Fragrance item Invention control         Ester odor 2 3         Hop smell 0 1         Grain odor 0 0         Wort odor 10         Immature smell 0 0         Sulfur smell 0 0         Odor of sunlight 0 0         Yeast odor 10         Oxidizing odor 0 0         Aging smell 0 0         Musty smell 0 1         Stuffy smell 10         Other / Inferior 1 2     Total number of scent comments 6 7     Taste item         Sourness 10         Sweetness 10         Metallic taste 0 0         Astringency 0 0         Astringency 13         Miscellaneous 0 3         Flat plate 1 2         Aging taste 0 0         Other / Inferior 1 1     Total number of taste comments 59     Overall score (average) 8.51 8.13

As can be seen from the above results, the beer obtained by the method of the present invention is almost the same in the aroma item, but there are few comments in the taste item, and the taste is clean and rich. The beer was highly rated as a whole.

[0030]

Industrial Applicability According to the method of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a polished beer which has a clean taste with no unpleasant taste and a sophisticated taste with a rich taste, and which has excellent cloudiness durability. To be

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing a process for producing beer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway explanatory view showing an embodiment of an apparatus for supercooling beer while maintaining fluidity, which is used in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway explanatory view showing another embodiment of an apparatus for supercooling beer while maintaining fluidity, which is used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 fermentation tank 2 Liquor storage tank 3 Beer supercooling equipment 4 filter 5 Beer intake 6 Beer outlet 7 Sight glass section 8 torso 9 Cooling unit 21 inner tube 22 Beer intake 23 Beer outlet 24 flange 25 Sight glass section 26 jacket

Front page continuation (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) C12C 1/00-13/10 C12H 1/00-1/22 C12G 3/02 JISST file (JOIS) WPI / FOODLINE / FSTA / FOOD ADLIBRA (DIALOG)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. In a beer manufacturing method, a beer that has been aged is stored in a storage tank for a storage process at a freezing temperature of −2.0 to −3.0 ° C. for 1 to 10 days. The method for producing beer is characterized in that the cooled beer is slowly cooled, and then the cooled beer is sent from a liquor storage tank to a filtration step through a device for supercooling beer while maintaining fluidity. 2. The beer production method according to claim 1, wherein 0.01 to 5% by volume of beer introduced while maintaining fluidity is frozen in a supercooling device. Beer manufacturing method.