WO2020025545A1

WO2020025545A1 - Method and device for treating hops during beer-making

Info

Publication number: WO2020025545A1
Application number: PCT/EP2019/070371
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alexander SCHEIDEL; Alirio Caldera Lopez; Konrad Mueller-Auffermann
Original assignee: Krones Ag
Priority date: 2018-08-02
Filing date: 2019-07-29
Publication date: 2020-02-06
Also published as: DE102018212895A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for hop treatment during beer-making, comprising the following steps: producing an aqueous hop suspension from a hop product and an aqueous medium, distilling the hop suspension and obtaining a fraction rich in aromatic substances and a fraction rich in bitter substances, the fraction rich in bitter substances being metered into the beer to be made prior to fermentation and the fraction rich in aromatic substances being metered in during or after fermentation.

Description

Method and device for treating hops in beer production

The invention relates to a method and a device for treating hops in the production of beer.

Usually, when brewing beer, hops are added to the wort kettle when the wort is boiled, in particular in order to achieve aromatization and bitterness, to favor certain precipitation reactions and to improve the microbiological stability. The hops are administered at different times during wort boiling. The aim of the early hop application is to bitter the wort. Bitter substances are introduced by the time and temperature-dependent conversion of the water-soluble a-acids in hops into soluble iso-a-acids (isomerization). Due to the relatively long cooking time of around 60 to 80 minutes when adding hops at the start of cooking, volatile aroma substances (oils) are increasingly expelled and therefore hardly make any contribution to the desired hop aroma. For this reason, the hops are dosed in several doses, which always represent a compromise between an increased yield of bitter substances and an increased yield of flavorings. Adding hops at the end of the cooking only makes a very reduced contribution to the bitterness, but an increased contribution to the flavoring.

In order to compensate for these disadvantages of the different objectives of individual hops, more hops are added to adjust the basic bitterness and achieve a desired hop aroma.

In addition, particularly aromatic hops are often used between cooking and seasoning (so-called late hopping), e.g. metered in the hot wort in the whirlpool and / or added in the cold area of the brewery (so-called dry-hopping) in order to achieve the desired flavoring. The processes mentioned always involve the additional use of hops - the most expensive raw material in beer production - which leads to higher product costs. Large amounts of hops are required for dry hopping, which are added to the beer in the cold area of the brewery. This hop is only used for flavoring. The a acids present in the hops are hardly isomerized at the low temperatures and thus remain largely unused and are discarded with the leached hop solids.

The state of the art therefore has the disadvantage that essentially only the aroma or mainly bitter substance of the hop is always used and the other component remains unused. This increases the need for hops. The increased hop requirement also increases the wort and / or beer losses, since the hop products often absorb liquid and the swollen solids are removed before further processing.

Proceeding from this, the present invention is based on the object of effectively reducing the amount of hops required in beer production.

According to the invention this object is achieved by the features of claims 1 and 1 1.

According to the invention, the process for the treatment of hops in the production of beer initially comprises the step of producing an aqueous hop suspension from a hop product and an aqueous medium. A hop product can be, for example, a hop pellet, hop cones or liquid hop extract. The aqueous medium is, in particular, water, for example brewing water, which, for example, can also be pretreated for pH adjustment. The hop suspension is preferably not made from wort or beer, but from an additional aqueous medium in the brewing process. Water has the particular advantage that no unwanted flavoring substances, such as those found in wort (e.g. dimethylsulfide (short: DMS), hexanal, furfural, etc.) are distilled into the flavoring-rich fraction. In addition, the use of water, the possible use, also within the purity requirement, of additives (for example magnesium salts, ionized medium) which improve isomerization of the bitter hop substances without these being converted into the flavor-rich fraction. Furthermore, the use of water as the fluid phase of the hop suspension reduces the tendency of the suspension to burn on the heating zones of the container or to deposit components containing sugar (so-called fouling).

The hop suspension is distilled in a separate device for the simultaneous extraction of aroma substances and bitter substances from the hop suspension. A flavor-rich fraction can then be obtained from the distillate and a fraction rich in bitter substances from the swamp. The bitter-rich fraction is advantageously subjected to a solid-liquid separation, in particular within the device, before the administration, so that only the bitter-rich extract but not the solids are metered into the further brewing process. It is also possible to further leach out the retained solids with a brewing liquid in order to increase the bitter substance yield. This method is made possible, for example, by the device according to the invention, which is explained in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 4-7. Distillation of the hop suspension in a water bath has the advantage over carrier steam distillation that isomerization processes take place at the same time and the iso-a-acids pass into the aqueous phase, since the flavor carrier is directly dispersed in an aqueous phase.

In the case of carrier steam distillation, according to a preferred exemplary embodiment, a steam is generated in an external vessel and flows through a sieve tray loaded with hops in order to expel the aroma substances from the hops. In carrier steam distillation, for example, an unflavored steam flows through a fixed bed, i.e. the sieve tray loaded with hops, i.e. an aroma carrier. When exiting the fixed bed, this steam is rich in flavor and can be condensed on a cooling device and used as a distillate.

In the distillation device as a water bath distillation with subsequent separation of the solids through a sieve according to a preferred embodiment, an already flavored steam flows through the sieve, which e.g. only after the distillation is filled with the residues from the distillation sump in order to leach out the bitter substances. The screening device according to the invention is therefore not necessary for the distillation, but for the separation of the solid from the liquid constituents of the bitter-rich fraction. In addition, the aqueous medium can be pretreated during distillation in a water bath, for example the pH value and / or mineral content (e.g. magnesium, calcium) can be adjusted in order to improve the isomerization processes, which is not possible with carrier steam distillation. Heating causes the volatile oils to rise in steam, for example, so that cooling and, for example, subsequent oil separation can be carried out

Since both a flavor-rich fraction and a bitter-rich fraction are now present, it is possible to meter in the bitter substances and flavorings separately in the brewing process. This enables the efficient use of the valuable ingredients with low losses. In particular, the bitter substances in the hot area (for example at temperatures of the wort above 70 ° C.), for example in the boiling and / or between hot trub separation and wort cooling, can be metered in during beer production, ie before wort cooling. The mass transfer of the bitter substances is faster in hot wort than in cold wort, which is why a dosage of the bitter substances in the hot area is preferred. Prolonged treatment of the iso-alpha acids at high temperatures causes them to react further and reduces the yield, which is why no dosage of the pre-isomerized alpha acids is provided at the start of the cooking. Thus, an addition of the bitter-rich fraction from the Preferred distillation sump at the end of the boil or in the whirlpool. It is particularly advantageous to add or extract the distillation bottoms after the hot sludge separation, since there is a reduced solids load in the hot wort at this time. Due to the already reduced solids load in the brewing liquid to be bitter, ie wort, the described method of the prior separation of solid and liquid constituents of the distillation bottoms and only the administration of the bitter substances present in the liquid phase is advantageous compared to the administration of the unseparated entire distillation bottoms , This also enables a dispensing time after hot trub separation and also relieves the load on the hot trub separation device. This results not only in advantages from a reduced amount of hops, but also in total a lower amount of hot trub and thus less wort loss in the hot trub.

It is also provided that the aroma-rich fraction is metered in in the cold region (for example at temperatures of the wort below 70, in particular below 35, ie after wort cooling, in particular during or after the fermentation. It would in principle also be possible to add the aroma-rich fraction between wort cooling and fermentation, since the wort has already cooled down here, or in the case of multi-stage wort coolers between the first and last stage.

Since the aroma components are volatile, the loss of aroma substances can thus be significantly reduced - in contrast to the prior art, in which volatile aroma components are expelled during wort boiling.

According to the invention, a separate hop treatment is now carried out during beer production in the brewery. This means that aroma and bitter substances from hops can be obtained simultaneously in a separate system and added separately to the further brewing process. A flavor-rich fraction here means the distillate, or the further processed distillate, for example aroma oil separated from the distillate. The bitter-rich fraction advantageously comprises the distillation bottoms separated from solids and / or liquid with which the distillation bottoms were washed out.

The respective fractions can each be metered in with one dose, and / or in several, for example time-shifted, and / or in different process steps.

The amount added depends on the particular brew size and the respective recipe, so that at least some of the fractions obtained are metered in accordingly. According to a preferred embodiment, the fraction rich in bitter substances is separated from solids, that is to say that solids, for example solids, are removed from the distillation sump and placed, for example, on a sieve device or a sieve device (for example sieve bottom) on which the solids lie is already provided in the lower region of the process container and through which the liquid can drain. The solids can advantageously be washed out with liquid, in which case either brewing water or wort can be used and thus the yield of bitter substances can be increased since the washed-out bitter substances can also be returned to the brewing process.

It has turned out to be particularly advantageous that atmospheric distillation is carried out, i.e. that the hop suspension is heated to atmospheric boiling temperature during the distillation, e.g. to 80 to 102 degrees Celsius. This temperature depends on the location of the cooking and thus the height above sea level and the prevailing air pressure. Atmospheric distillation has the advantage of a low thermal load compared to overpressure boiling and the simpler structural design in terms of wall thicknesses and safety devices, as they have to be designed for containers for both negative and positive pressure.

The distillation is particularly advantageously carried out in the form of a rectification, in particular with a rectification column filled with packing. These packing elements can be used in the form of Raschig rings in the rectification column. A high-quality distillate is shown when the rectification column has a surface which is in a ratio of 20 to 70 cm ² / g, preferably 40 to 60 cm ² / g, to the mass of the flavor carrier used. This ratio creates an advantageous aromatic profile in the distillate. It can make sense to manufacture part of the still and / or the packing, which is located in the rectification column, for example, from a material that chemically interacts with ingredients (for example, copper). For example, sulfur compounds are reduced by copper ions, which can lead to a sensorial improvement, especially of the flavor-rich fraction. The form in which these materials are present (eg as alloys with other metals and / or metals under tension) can be freely decided and precisely matched to the process. The material (in particular copper) can also be located either in the liquid-wetted area of the still, in the hood, in the column, in the condenser and / or in the condensate separator; or these are at least partially manufactured from it. It is also possible to specifically treat the individual fractions with such substances, in particular, however, copper / copper alloys / copper salts / copper ions. However, it is also possible to add such components to the brewing liquid and / or the aroma-rich condensate.

Because the thermal load can be kept low, the decomposition of valuable aroma substances can also be effectively prevented.

The aroma-rich distillate is advantageously condensed and cooled further, in particular to a temperature of 10 to 70 degrees Celsius, preferably at least 20 Kelvin below the condensation temperature. Cooling the condensate container prevents re-evaporation and increases the quality of the aroma oils / aroma substances through a lower thermal load.

The flavor-rich fraction is advantageously metered into the beer to be produced when 50 to 100% of the fermentable extract has been fermented, preferably before storage. This means that the flavor-rich fraction is added to the beer to be produced shortly before the tank is cooled from the fermentation temperature to the storage temperature of -2 ° C to 3 ° C. Loss of aroma can thus be effectively reduced, since at this point the formation of CO2 by the fermentation has largely been completed and this remains in the beer to be produced. The administration of the aroma-rich fraction, i.e. the aroma oils at a point in time when metabolic activity of the yeast is still present, is advantageous since this can have a positive influence on the hop aromas. However, the yeast should not be in a stage with high fermentation activity, because on the one hand the resulting CO2 hops aromas expel and on the other hand hop oils are increasingly metabolized by the yeast. If the dose is given too late, relatively shortly before filling, the hop aroma does not bind into the taste matrix and is perceived as “perfumed / applied”. For this reason there is a time range in which between 50 to 100% of the fermentable extract is fermented - i.e. at the end or after the main fermentation, or e.g. if - or before - the beer is cooled from fermentation temperature (between 8 ° C and 25 ° C) to storage temperature (below 3 ° C), has been found to be particularly advantageous.

The bitter-rich fraction, ie with or without solids and preferably also liquid with which the solids were washed out, is advantageously fed to the wort in the hot area. Due to the increased temperature during wort boiling / keeping hot, a better leaching of the hop residue with regard to bitter substances can now take place, as described above, without adversely affecting hop aromas. Under The beer preparation step of wort boiling is also understood to mean keeping the wort hot, whereby the wort is kept at temperatures just below the boiling temperature, but always greater than 80 degrees Celsius.

According to the present invention, it is advantageous that the isomerization of the a-acid can be favored by treating the aqueous medium, or else the hop suspension already prepared, before, during and / or after the distillation. In particular, the pH value is increased here, for example to a value from 9 to 12. Also mineralization (for example by adding magnesium and / or magnesium salt) and / or ionization (the aqueous medium, in particular the water and / or the hop suspension ) is possible.

Ionizing the aqueous medium, in particular the water, before and / or during the distillation has the advantage that higher isomerization rates and thus bitter substance yields remain in the fraction later used for bittering.

The fraction from a diaphragm electrophoresis (ionization) should preferably be used, in which magnesium and calcium, as well as other positively charged ions are enriched and the pH value is alkaline.

The water to be ionized can optionally be pretreated, for example to reduce the iron content and to increase the copper and / or magnesium content.

Before the addition of the flavor-rich fraction of the distillate, the oil phase can be separated from the water phase in one or more separating devices arranged one behind the other, the flavorings then being mainly in the separated oil and the separated oil corresponding to the flavor-rich fraction which is added becomes. Valuable aroma components can also be present in the aqueous phase of the distillate. It is therefore also possible to dose the entire distillate and / or only a subset thereof as a flavor-rich fraction. Treatment (e.g. filtration and or adding substance to the flavor-rich fraction) can also be advantageous.

In particular, the flavor-rich fraction can also be treated, for example, by adding copper ions, such as can arise, for example, from current induction of a copper electrode. In this case, for example in the condensed liquid or a fraction thereof, a direct current is applied to a copper electrode (less noble) and to a higher quality electrode (eg stainless steel = nobler), whereby charged copper ions are released from the copper electrode, and so on Reactions with sulfur-containing flavoring components (e.g. 3- Mercapto-4-methylpentan-1-ol, 3-mercapto-4-methylpentane acetate, 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one) and the copper ions are catalyzed.

Like the use of metal in general, this process can also be carried out in a targeted manner in the still, the column, the condenser and / or in the condensate separator and in the water treatment.

The addition of oxygen to the flavor-rich fraction also has corresponding advantages.

It is particularly advantageous if the aqueous hop suspension is set in motion during the distillation, in particular stirred and / or subjected to vibrations. It is also possible for the hop suspension to be circulated additionally or alternatively. In addition, the hop suspension can also be treated with ultrasound or other, optionally constant and / or alternating wave frequencies. This promotes the deagglomeration of the hops, especially the pellets, and thus enlarges the specific surface for the mass transfer. The hop suspension can additionally or alternatively be treated with ultrasound and / or waves in lower frequency ranges in the device or an external device before the distillation.

The following process steps are preferably carried out to produce the beer: mashing, refining or filtering the mash, boiling and / or keeping the wort hot, and fermenting, the aqueous medium for producing the hop suspension not corresponding to the wort, but preferably water , especially water.

A device for separating aroma and bitter substances, in particular for carrying out the method, comprises a device for distillation with a process container for receiving the hop suspension, a heating device for heating the hop suspension, an extractor hood, and a cooler for condensing the condensate.

Advantageously, the device in the process container also has a screening device, in particular between the fume hood and a lower region of the process container, through which aroma-enriched steam can escape via the fume hood and into which, after distillation, solids, ie solids from the sump, can be introduced or on this lie on top (e.g. with a sieve bottom) to wash it out further. The distillation and washing out of the bottom can thus advantageously take place in one device. However, it is also possible for the screening device to be arranged outside the process container. is not. The screening device therefore has no influence on the distillation, but is decisive for the separation of the solid from the liquid components of the fraction rich in bitter substances after the distillation. This distinguishes the process according to the invention from a carrier steam distillation, in which the solid for distillation rests on a sieve body and is flowed through with non-aromatized steam. Only after the flow through the fixed bed is the steam enriched with aromatic substances.

The device is advantageously connected to a product-carrying line, in particular a spice-carrying line and / or to a wort kettle in order to meter in the fraction rich in bitter substances and / or to a product-carrying line, in particular a feed line to a fermentation tank or to the fermentation tank around the aroma-rich ones The fraction can be metered in, the products also being collected alternatively or additionally in batches, optionally treated and then added at a selected point in time.

The device can advantageously have an inlet for an aqueous medium for producing the hop suspension and a feed opening for hops. In such an embodiment, the suspension can be produced in the device. However, it is also possible that an inlet for a finished hop suspension is additionally or alternatively provided in the process container. In particular, an inlet and an outlet for wort can also be provided, the outlet being connected to a wort-carrying line which is connected, for example, to a wort kettle and / or a whirlpool and / or a wort cooler.

Thus wort can be used, for example, to further wash out the solids of the sump in the screening device.

Furthermore, the device can comprise a device for stirring and / or a vibration device. In addition, the device can also have a circulating device and / or an ultrasound probe for treating the hop suspension with ultrasound.

In addition, the device should be designed so that given the fact that solids are retained, they can be removed as easily and completely as possible.

Finally, it is also advantageous if the device further comprises at least one cooling device for cooling the at least one condensate container. The use of metals or metal ions and / or their salts in the process can also be advantageous. For example, magnesium is known to increase the isomerization rates of the bitter-rich fraction in the aqueous medium, whereas copper in the flavor-free fraction can contribute to desulfurization and thus to an organoleptic upgrading of the product.

Other processing methods, such as gas washes and / or chromatographic processing of the products, can also contribute to a technological improvement and / or taste improvement.

The device according to the invention and the method according to the invention are also suitable for low-alcohol / non-alcoholic beer production. The bitter-rich fraction is preferably used for the production of the substrate, and the flavor-rich fraction is added after at least partial metabolism of the substrate by yeasts.

In a preferred process, a yeast culture in a tank is first sufficiently propagated with nutrient-rich substrate during circulation and aeration, before further substrate is added to the tank, at least partial metabolism takes place and only then is the flavoring-rich condensate added. It is particularly advantageous if a culture is used that cannot convert certain sugars into alcohol (eg a maltase-negative culture such as Pichia kluyveri) before either an oil dose and optionally a cold aftertreatment using a classic brewer's yeast (eg Saccharomyces pastorianus and / or Saccharomyces cerevisiae).

The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the following figures:

FIG. 1 shows, roughly schematically, essential facilities for beer production with an integrated device for separating aroma and bitter substances according to the present invention

FIG. 2 shows, roughly schematically, a device for separating aroma and bitter substances according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows a roughly schematic flow diagram of the method according to the invention.

FIG. 4 schematically shows a further embodiment of the device according to the invention Figure 5 shows a rough schematic of another embodiment according to the present inven tion

Figure 6 shows roughly schematically another embodiment according to the present inven tion

FIG. 7 shows, roughly schematically, a further embodiment in accordance with the present invention

Figure 1 shows the essential facilities for the production of beer. Essential components of the brewhouse are, for example, the mash vessel 2, the lauter tun 3 for obtaining the lauter wort and the wort kettle 4 for boiling / keeping the wort hot, for example a whirlpool 5 for separating the solids (the so-called hot trub, which is predominantly consists of hops and proteins) from the wort and a cooler 6 for cooling the wort. At least one fermentation tank 40 for fermenting the beer to be produced is arranged downstream of the facilities of the brewhouse, it being possible for a storage tank 8 (not shown) to be provided after the fermentation tank 40. Hops must be added in the beer production process for flavoring and bitterness. In general, it should be noted that the main fermentation, post-fermentation, maturation and storage processes can be carried out in one tank or in two or even three tanks. Thus one speaks of a 1-tank process or 2-tank process or 3-tank process.

According to the present invention, a device 1 for separating aroma and bitter substances from the hops is now provided in the brewery. The aroma and bitter substances can then be metered separately in the brewing process, as will be explained in more detail in FIG. 1 and below. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the bitter-rich fraction is added to the beer to be produced before fermentation, i.e. preferably in the hot area (upstream of a wort cooler 6), and the flavor-rich fraction is metered in in the cold area, preferably during or after the fermentation. As can be seen from FIG. 1, for example the bitter substances of the wort are metered in before or in the wort kettle 4 and the flavorings of the wort, i.e. the beer to be produced before or in the fermentation tank 40.

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As can be seen from FIG. 3, a hop suspension is first prepared from an aqueous medium and hops (step S1). To increase the isomerization rate, ie that water-insoluble a-acids can be converted into water-soluble iso-a-acids in an efficient manner, for example the aqueous medium, ie water, can optionally be pretreated, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 3. During the pretreatment, the pH can be adjusted to a preferred value in a range from 9 to 12, the aqueous medium being able to be ionized and / or mineralized (eg by adding magnesium salt). For example, hop pellets, hop cones or hop extract can be used as the hop product. The concentration of the hops in the aqueous medium is, for example, in a range from 5 to 50% by weight.

The hop suspension can either be prepared in advance or in device 1. In addition or as an alternative to the previous treatment, the hop suspension can also be treated as shown in dashed lines as described above (e.g. by pH adjustment, ionization, mineral addition) in order to increase the isomerization rate.

The hop suspension, which is located in the process container 7 of the device 1 (see, for example, FIG. 2), is then distilled (step S2). It has turned out to be particularly advantageous that atmospheric distillation is carried out, ie that the hop suspension is heated to atmospheric boiling temperature during the distillation, for example to 80 to 102 degrees Celsius. The heating causes the volatile components such as aromatic oils to rise as steam, so that a distillate rich in flavor can be obtained (step S3). The bitter substance-rich sump then remains in the process container 7 (step S4), since the bitter substances are less volatile. To obtain the flavor-rich fraction, the condensate, in particular the condensate container, can be cooled further (step S5), for example to a temperature of 10 to 70 degrees Celsius, preferably at least 20 Kelvin below the condensation temperature. Cooling the at least one condensate container prevents re-evaporation and increases the quality of the aromatic oils through a low thermal load. Copper in the still or, for example, in the form of packing in a rectification column can optionally be used for organoleptic upgrading. Subsequently, an oil or aroma substance separation (step S6) can take place, whereby the aroma-rich fraction can be obtained. This aroma-rich fraction produced in this way can then be treated in a targeted manner as described above, or metered in directly during or after the fermentation (step S7). Since, according to the invention, the aroma-rich fraction is only metered in in the cold area, there is little loss of the volatile aroma substances. In principle, it is also possible to separate the distillate from step S3 / S5 as a flavor-rich fraction and to add it to the beer to be produced. In addition, the flavor-rich fraction can be treated in various ways, optionally before administration. For example, gas scrubbing and / or chromatographic processing, and / or processing by filtration and / or vacuum distillation can be useful for organo-oleptic upgrading. In addition, substances can be added to improve the flavor impression and / or to bring about other technological advantages. Copper (ions), for example, reduce sulfur-containing (hops) components, which can have a positive influence on the taste and smell. The reactions with copper can be catalyzed by, for example, larger surfaces, warmer temperatures and / or the implementation of a voltage.

The distillation sump mainly consists of the solid residues of the distilled aroma carrier and an aqueous phase in which bitter substances are increasingly found. In principle, all or part of the sump could be added to the wort. However, it is advantageous if the solids of the sump are previously removed to a large extent (preferably over 80% by mass) (step S8), so that a liquid rich in bitter substances is obtained (step S9). At the same time, a solid is obtained (step S10). The bitter-rich liquid that was obtained in step S9 can additionally or alternatively be treated again as described above (e.g. pH adjustment, ionization, mineral addition) in order to increase the isomerization rate.

Since there are also bitter substances in the solid, the solids (step S1 1) can be washed out with a liquid medium such as water or else e.g. with spice from the brewing process. The liquid obtained in this way (step S12) is also rich in bitter substances and can also be treated at this point as an alternative or in addition to increasing the isomerization rate, as described above. The liquids from step S9 and step S12 can be combined. The liquid from S9 can also be added to the liquid medium for washing out the solids.

A fraction rich in bitter substances can thus be obtained, which either comprises the entire sump S4 or at least the liquid (S9) separated from the sump and / or the washed-out liquid from step S12. The fraction rich in bitter substances can then preferably be metered in before the fermentation, in particular in the hot region, in such a way that the conversion or conversion of the water-soluble iso-a-acids can preferably take place. The solid from step S10 can then be discharged, for example, into a bunker / buffer store provided for this purpose. In principle, the entire would also be possible Feed the sump from step S4 to the wort kettle, for example, in order then to remove the solids at a later time, preferably before the wort cooling.

This means that the valuable ingredients can now be used with only minor losses, since aroma and bitter substances can be separated from just one hop suspension and can be metered in at specific times during the brewing process. Due to the distillation, the flavor-rich fraction contains more flavoring substances than the bitter substance-rich fraction and the bitter substance-rich fraction contains more bitter substances than the flavor-rich fraction.

Aroma substances are, for example: linalool, myrcene, monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes. Bitter substances are, for example, isohumulones (iso-alpha acids) and hulupulones, hard resin and soft resin fractions.

The amount of flavors and bitter substances that are added to the brew depends on the brew size, type of beer, hop type / vintage and the respective beer recipe.

Figure 2 shows a preferred embodiment of a device 1 according to the present invention. The device 1 comprises the process container 7, into which either the hop suspension or else hops and aqueous medium for producing the suspension can be introduced. The process container 7 has a volume of 10-2000 L, for example. In order to ensure emptying and cleaning and to make maintenance work easier, it is advantageous if access is provided, for example via a manhole 8 in the process container 7. Since the temperature of the hop suspension is to be set, a heating device 9 is provided, for example the external cooker shown in FIG. As an alternative or in addition, a frame, cone and / or floor heating surface and / or an internal cooker can also be provided, electricity, water and / or steam being possible as the heating medium. As an alternative or in addition, steam and / or hot air, for example, can be introduced directly into the process container 7 - optionally below or above a possible sieve plate / sieve element.

It is also advantageous to homogenize the hop suspension. This can be implemented, for example, via a circulating device 10 with a corresponding pump and / or with an agitator and / or chopper 11. Alternatively, a vibration device (not shown) or an ultrasound generator with at least one ultrasound probe can be provided. The process container 7 is connected to an extractor hood 12 here in the form of an extractor tube. The evaporating aroma substances can thus pass through the chimney 13 are discharged and deposited in at least one cooler 14. In a preferred manner, the at least one condensate container 15 is also cooled, for example to a temperature of 10 to 70 degrees Celsius, preferably at least 20 Kelvin below the condensation temperature.

In this exemplary embodiment, substances can be introduced into the process container 7 from above through the trigger 12. There can be several feed options 16. In addition to hops, for example, other ingredients, such as orange peel, coffee, cocoa, nuts, herbs, etc., can also be introduced here, in particular before or during the process. Optionally, introduced substances can be weighed beforehand and / or automatically dosed into a steam lock 18 via a load cell 17. By opening a closing device (for example a disc valve or slide), the components fall into the extractor tube 12. The extractor tube 12 can optionally be equipped with other devices, such as bell bottoms 19, which can ideally be adjusted in this way (for example foldable / tiltable) ), so that flowing and bulk goods can descend - or hop products cannot be stored on intermediate levels. The distillate collected by the bell bottoms is then, for example, also fed to at least one distillate container 15. Furthermore, any number of extensions / tapers 20 which vary in shape can be installed, through which the bulk / flow material either gets directly into the process container 7, or at least through (preferably foldable / pivotable / pushable) sieves 21 can be temporarily withheld. The process container 7 can also be equipped with a sieve device, here a sieve plate 22, so that a pre-filtered liquid can be drawn off from below via a line 23, ie liquid rich in bitter substances. Optionally, this line 23, that is to say the filtrate discharge and / or a spent manhole 24, is connected to a circulating line, so that the filtered liquid can be circulated in the process container 7, for example via a distributor screen. It is also possible to connect the lines 23, 24 in such a way as to allow the hop solids to swell, that is to say overflow, which have previously been applied to the sieve 22 (connecting line not shown). As already explained, a corresponding device can be provided for the treatment of either the aqueous medium or the aqueous hop suspension. Here, for example, the ionization device 25, by means of which the pH value can be increased, is provided, for example, in a circulation line 23. Alternatively or additionally, a mineral adjustment can be made. For this purpose, appropriate substances, such as magnesium preparations but also lye, can be added before or during the distillation process, via an opening / dosage point, but also, for example, via manhole 8. In order to use the hops and / or ingredients after the aroma leaching and optional isomerization for further processes in the brewery, it makes sense to establish a connection 26 with other process units, such as the wort kettle 4. In addition, the configuration according to the invention also makes it possible for only a part of the ingredients to be used for a later beer production process (for example hops), whereas another part (for example the orange peels etc., which may be separate from the area 20 after the Hops introduced and not in contact with the liquid during the entire distillation) must be removed separately. The operation can be done manually, fully or semi-automatically. In addition, it is also possible to provide several flue pipes with several chutes and corresponding sieves.

FIGS. 4 to 7 show further exemplary embodiments according to the present invention for the simultaneous extraction of aroma and bitter substances from hops, which essentially correspond to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the hop product can be introduced both manually and automatically into the process containers 7 below the sieve baskets 22 arranged in the process container, so that the latter comes into direct contact with, for example, a water reservoir. For this purpose, a corresponding opening, not shown, is provided. As an example, the hop suspension is heated to the boiling temperature under atmospheric conditions via the cone heater 9 (here, for example, to 80 to 102 degrees Celsius) and cooked for a certain duration (for example 10 to 80 minutes, preferably 35-60 minutes). During this time, for example, valve V7 is open and steam with aroma is condensed in cooler 14 and collected in at least one condensate container 15. At the same time, bitter substances from hops in the swamp are converted into the water-soluble iso-a acids. The at least one container for collecting the distillate 15 should advantageously also have at least one cooling device, in particular at least one cooling jacket, in order to cool the condensate further. This undercooling prevents post-evaporation processes and the quality of the aroma substances is fulfilled by a reduced thermal load. If the distillate is not supercooled, it is only possible for thermodynamic reasons to cool down to the condensation temperature.

In FIG. 4, for increased mixing, it is possible to circulate the hop suspension via valve V4, line 23, pump 30 and valves V5 and V2. This means that the hop suspension is drawn off in the lower region of the process container 7 and advantageously introduced again below the sieve 22. To get the hop solids back hold and extract the valuable iso-a acids, it is possible after the distillation to pump the suspension via the pump 30 and the valves V4, V5 and V3 into the sieves attached to the top of the process container 7, ie here sieve baskets 22 to store. The valves V5 and V3 are then closed and the liquid enriched with bitter substances is displaced by opening the valves V1 and V2 with brewing liquid, for example wort, and fed to an intermediate product of beer production, in particular the wort before or during wort boiling or between wort boiling and hot trub separation or better between hot trub separation and wort cooling. The liquid, for example water and / or wort, can flow around the hop solids in the sieve baskets 22 via the valves V1, V2 in order to leach the hop solids from bitter substances. A flow through opening valves V1 and V3 is also possible. After leaching the hop solids, they are removed manually by removing the sieve baskets. The liquid enriched with bitter substances, here for example wort, can then be discharged again from the lower area of the device via valve V4, line 23, pump 30 and line section 26, in particular into a wort-carrying line.

In FIG. 5, the hops are not pumped into the sieve baskets 22 after the distillation, but remain in the process container 7. The wort is introduced directly into the suspension via the valve V2 and above the sieve baskets 22, the valve V3 and the pump 30 flow liquid removed without solids. The solids accumulate here from the outside on the screen baskets / support frames 22. After leaching, the solids can be washed away from the sieve baskets 22 by opening valves V1 and V3 and closing valve V2 and conveyed as a suspension via valves V4 with the pump, for example, to the sediment tank.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the screen baskets 22 can also be designed in a type of register within the process container 7, in order not to separate the filtrate area from the unfiltrate area with a plate. Here, the hop suspension is pumped into the filter baskets 22 via the valves V4, V5 and V3 following the distillation with the pump 30. Subsequently, as in the exemplary embodiment in FIG. 4, it is possible to displace the liquid enriched with bitter substances with brewing liquid, for example wort, via valves V1 and V2 and to flow around the hop solids with wort or by closing valve V2 and opening To flow through valve V3. After the bitter substances have been leached out, the hop solids residues are removed by the opened valve V8. In FIG. 7, which shows a further exemplary embodiment, the screen 22 is arranged outside the process container 7. After the distillation, the hop suspension is introduced into the sieve via line 26, pump 30 and valve V4. Valve V8 is closed and valve V6 is open. After the suspension and the hop solids have been introduced into the sieve 22, it is possible to leach them out with wort by opening the valves V2 and V6. Following the leaching of the bitter substances, the hop solids are removed by valve V8.

In the exemplary embodiments shown, in addition to the distillative extraction of the hop oils, it is also possible to use the entire system in the cold region for the hop stuffing. Only hops are placed in the sieve baskets and circulated with beer via valves V1, V2, V4 and V6. When flowing around the hop solids (strains), aroma substances pass into the beer, but no bitter substances are leached out. The system implemented is therefore suitable for use in the hot area for the extraction of aromatic oil and bitter substances as well as for use in the cold area for so-called hop stuffing.

With the so-called hop stuffing of beer, hop pellets or cones are added to the fermented beer during storage. In the process, volatile groups of substances are transferred into the solvent beer, which lend a distinctive hop aroma. With hop stuffing, the hop products have to be dispersed in order to provide a large surface for the mass transfer and remain in the beer for a long time so that the aromas are transferred. The dispersion takes place by allowing the particles to swell over a longer period of time or by devices which mechanically disperse the particles. The use of ultrasound or waves in lower frequency ranges can accelerate the mass transfer when hops are being stuffed.

It is particularly advantageous if the hop water suspension in the device 1 is treated with (ultra) sound before and / or during the distillation. The vibrations generated by the (ultra) sound ensure faster dispersion of the hop product, eg the hop pellets in the solvent, and thus an increase in the contact area for the mass transfer. (Ultrasound) probes can, for example, be arranged in the process container 7 or in specially designed extraction containers. The accelerated dispersion of the pellets, for example, increases the contact area for the mass transfer. In addition, the (ultra) sound causes an increased release of the flavor-relevant groups of substances. It is thus possible to produce a comparable hop aroma even with less use of hops. A positive side effect is lower beer losses with less use of hops. The use of (ultra) sound can also be used for the production of aroma water with hops and for breweries with high-gravity beers, a binning thing with hop aroma water behind the filtration. In this context, aroma water is understood to mean a solution of water with extracted aroma components from the hop solids, which, apart from extraction and solid separation, was not further processed.

Device 1 advantageously has an (ultra) sound generator with at least one (ultra) sound probe, via which (ultra) sound waves can be coupled into the hop suspension. Pressure waves can be generated in the hop suspension via the (ultra) sound generator and the probe. Depending on the (ultra) sound intensity, the generated (ultra) sound cavitation causes the partial or complete destruction of the hop cells and the release of the intracellular material. Here, for example, an (ultra) sound generator in a power range from 0.1 to 20 kilowatts and a frequency range from 10 to 30 kilohertz is used. In addition to ultrasound, vibrations with a lower frequency, for example in the range from 10 to 200 hertz, are also possible for improved dispersion and an associated accelerated mass transfer.

This generator and the frequencies mentioned above are particularly suitable for treating the hop suspension in the device and the method according to the invention.

Claims

Expectations

1. Process for treating hops in beer production with the following steps:

Producing an aqueous hop suspension from a hop product and an aqueous medium, in particular water,

Distilling the hop suspension and obtaining a flavor-rich fraction and a bitter-rich fraction,

wherein at least a part of the fraction rich in bitter substances is the beer to be produced in the hot area, in particular before wort cooling and before fermentation and

at least a portion of the flavor-rich fraction is metered in in the cold region, preferably during or after the fermentation.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the bitter-rich fraction is separated from solids and preferably the solids are additionally washed out with liquid, in particular wort.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the bitter-rich fraction is separated from the solids by filtration before the dosage, in particular through a sieve, filter cloth or filter bag.

4. The method according to at least one of claims 1-3, characterized in that the hop suspension is heated to atmospheric boiling temperature during the distillation.

5. The method according to at least one of claims 1-4, characterized in that the flavor-rich distillate is condensed and further cooled, in particular to a temperature of 10 to 70 degrees Celsius, preferably at least 20 Kelvin below the condensation temperature.

6. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flavor-rich fraction copper ions are supplied, in particular the distillation in the form of a rectification with a packed column, advantageously with packings with a copper content, is carried out and / or Aroma-rich fraction oxygen is supplied.

7. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flavor-rich fraction is metered into the beer to be produced when 50-100% of the fermentable extract is fermented, preferably before storage at preferably a temperature between 3 ° C and 25 ° C.

8. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the bitter-rich fraction of the wort is supplied before or during the wort boiling / hot keeping, in particular the bitter-rich fraction separated from solids.

9. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the aqueous medium or the hop suspension is treated before, during or after the distillation to increase the isomerization rates, in particular to increase the pH, preferably ionized and / or mineralized ,

10. The method according to at least one of claims 1- 9, characterized in that the distillate is fed to a separating device for separating the oil phase from the water phase before separating the flavor-rich fraction.

1 1. The method according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least the following process steps are carried out to produce the beer: mashing, refining or filtering the wort, boiling and / or keeping the wort hot and fermenting, the aqueous medium for the manufacture - The hop suspension does not correspond to the wort, but is preferably water.

12. The method according to at least one of claims 1-11, characterized in that the aqueous hop suspension is set in motion during the distillation, in particular stirred and / or subjected to vibrations and / or treated with ultrasound or the hop suspension before the distillation with Ultrasound is being treated.

13. Device (1) for separating aroma and bitter substances from a hop product, in particular for carrying out the method according to at least one of claims 1-9, characterized in that the device has a device for distillation, with a process container (7) for receiving the hop suspension, a heating device (9) for heating the hop suspension,

an extractor hood (12), and

a cooler (14) for condensing the steam.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that the fume hood is designed in the form of a rectification column, preferably as a packed column, which has a surface area of 20-70 cm ² / g, preferably of, based on the mass of the flavor-rich solid used 40 - 60 cm ² / g.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the device in the process container (7) further comprises a sieve device (22), in particular between the extractor hood (12) and a lower region of the process container (7), through the steam in Can escape in the direction of the extractor hood (12) and into which the hop solids can be introduced after the distillation in order to wash them out further or the device has a screening device (22) arranged outside the process container (7) into which hop solids had to be introduced in order to further weigh them out - yeah.

16. The device according to at least one of claims 13-15, characterized in that the device comprises a pump (30) to circulate the hop suspension or liquid in the process container (7) and / or the hop suspension in different areas of the Device for pumping, in particular on or in a sieving device (22).

17. The device according to at least one of claims 13-16, characterized in that the device (1) with a product-carrying line, in particular wort-carrying line (26) or with a wort kettle (4) and / or whirlpool (5) and / or egg - A line to the wort cooler (6) is connected in order to meter in the bitter-rich fraction and / or with a product-carrying line, in particular a line to a fermentation tank (40) or with the fermentation tank (40) in order to meter in the flavor-rich fraction.

18. The device according to at least one of claims 13-17, characterized in that the device further comprises a device for stirring (1 1) and / or a vibration device and / or a circulating device (10) and / or at least one ultrasound probe for treatment the hop suspension with (ultra) sound.

19. The device according to at least one of claims 13-18, characterized in that the device (1) further comprises a cooling device for cooling a condensate container (15).