Crisp Malt Webinar Series: Conditioning

30/04/20

Mike Benson
[email protected]
Conditioning
Definition

Objectives

Process Overview

Flavour development

Sedimentation

Process Aids

Non-biological haze

Filtration

Haze Control & Stability

Definition
Conditioning, maturation, lagering or aging

Converts green beer into matured beer

A process to improve beer flavour and stability

Occurs after primary fermentation

Can be warm or cold

Conditioning in package is a form of secondary fermentation.

Objectives
Purge the beer of volatiles using secondary fermentation or pure CO2

Increase the CO2 content by secondary fermentation or pure CO2

Flavour modification of diacetyl, sulphurs and acetaldehyde

Additions to modify flavour and aroma

Hops

Sediment yeast

Improve colloidal stability

Add process additions for haze stability and head retention

Minimise oxygen pick up

Process Overview
At the end of primary fermentation

Diacetyl is reduced

The temperature is reduced and the yeast harvested

Some secondary fermentation

Flavour and aroma can be adjusted by adding hops

Stability aided by adding process aids

Rousing the tanks using CO2 or recirculation will improve the extraction and
drive off volatiles

Transfer the beer to a cask or a 2nd vessel leaving solids behind and chill for
carbonation or stabilisation and filtration.
Flavour Development
Diacetyl is converted to Acetoin & 2,3 Butanediol

Adequate levels of healthy yeast needed in suspension

Diacetyl reduction is increased with elevated temperatures

In house checks can be done by heating to 70oC and assessing the sample

Sulphur

Sulphur is driven off by vigorous fermentations

Lager fermentations have less vigour and lager yeasts generally produce
more sulphurs – maturation mellows the flavours.

Acetaldehyde

High levels at the start of fermentation

Levels reduce late on and in maturation

High levels late on are indicative of yeast issues.

Flavour Development
Dry hopping

Start / mid of fermentation

Fruity oils

The hops will settle out with the yeast

Possibility of over foaming

Don’t reuse the yeast

Late fermentation

Good mixing

Don’t reuse the yeast

End of fermentation

Cool down to mid teens & add after yeast has settled

Remove after 24-48 hours to avoid hop burn

Sedimentation
During conditioning we need to separate the yeast and the beer

The yeast count should be below 1.5*106 per ml before packaging or filtration

The most common way of doing this is by sedimentation

The factors affecting sedimentation are:

Time

Temperature

Agitation (like none)

Vessel height (higher tanks take longer)

Particle size

The rate of sedimentation is governed by Stokes Law

Sedimentation
Stokes Law describes the rate at which a sphere falls through liquids.

•V = Settling speed
V= 2
d (ρp- ρl)g •d = Particle diameter
•ρp = particle density
•ρl = Liquid density
18µ •µ = Liquid viscosity
•g = Gravitational constant
• So

• Larger particles settle quicker

• Denser particles settle quicker

• Less dense / viscous liquids settle quicker

Sedimentation
So what factors can the brewer use to increase sedimentation:

Chilling encourages particles to form

Finings cause particles to form larger units.

Gravity can be increased by using a centrifuge

Finings

Auxiliary finings are negatively charged and flocculate positively charged

protein and other materials

Isinglass finings are positively charged and flocks negatively charged yeast
and proteins

Tank finings are plant derived or silica/polysaccharide blends and are a

vegan option to isinglass
Sedimentation
Centrifuges separate liquids from solids using centrifugal
forces

Disc bowl centrifuges are the most efficient for beer

Beer enters the bowl from the top, the bowl spins at high
RPM creating centrifugal forces that send the solids to the
outside, the separated beer exits the centrifuge and the solids
are ejected based on a timer or on turbidity.

Centrifuges need to:

Minimise damage to yeast

Minimise temperature pick up

Minimise oxygen pick up

Maximse beer yield

Turbidity measurement and flow control

Sedimentation
How centrifuges work – Courtesy of Alfa Laval
R e m o v i n g t he s e d i m e n t
Vertical or horizontal vessels

The sediment forms in the bottom of the vessel

In conical vessels, the cone angle is designed for yeast

to slide down for easy removal.

Hops can make the sediment sticky and difficult to

remove

Racking arms take the beer from above the sediment

Manual cleaning of racking, carbonation stones,

sample tap and door rubber arm may be necessary

Arms / probes passing through a glycol jacket could

cause coolant contamination.

Every time beer is moved it increases the risk of

oxygen pick up or micro infection
Cask Beer
Aux finings usually added at the end of fermentation. The convection currents
during cooling allows even distribution

Casks can be filled direct from FV or from MV

Tank finings trials make sure the isinglass dose rate is correct

Yeast count should be below 1.5*106 cells/ml

Isinglass is added to the cask as the beer is filled or before dispatch

Aux and isinglass cant be added together

Once filled left to condition for 5-7 days – secondary fermentation increases the CO2
content and the beer comes into condition.

Priming's may be added to aid secondary fermentation

Keep 2 cask samples – 1 for quality control before releasing and one for shelf life
testing

Check taste, secondary fermentation level (ABV increase) and sediment at the end of
shelf life.
Haze Formation
Haze can be classified as biological and non-biological haze

Non-biological haze in beer can come from:

Calcium oxalate

Starch

β-glucan

Protein & polyphenols

By far the most common form of non-biological haze is formed from protein
and polyphenols.

Protein & Polyphenol hazes can be classed as:

Chill haze – a haze that re-dissolves when heated

Permanent haze – a haze that does not re-dissolve when heated

A mixture of the 2 - a haze that partially re-dissolves

Haze Formation
Protein & Polyphenol haze formation:
No Haze
1. Simple phenolic compounds oxidise to polyphenols

2. Loose bonding of proteins and polyphenols produce a

soluble colloid that is not visible

3. Hydrogen bonds form between proteins and polyphenols

producing a colloid insoluble at cold temperatures – a chill Chill Haze
haze

4. Clusters of colloids results in stronger bonds, the colloids are

insoluble at warmer temperatures – a permanent haze

Factors affecting haze formation

Oxygen – Polyphenols easily oxidise and become highly Permanent Haze

reactive

Metals such as copper and iron link oxidised polyphenols to

protein
Haze Formation
To ensure haze stabilisation:

Condition beer cold – below -1oC for a minimum of 3 days to allow

proteins to come out of solution

Do not allow beer to warm up during filtration – proteins will re-dissolve

and pass through the filter bed.

Keep oxygen levels at a minimum

Reduce the sensitive protein levels in the beer

Reduce the polyphenol levels in the beer

Do not allow contamination with liquor or process aids containing heavy

metals
Stabilisation

Protein Polyphenols Oxygen

PVPP
Low nitrogen malt Slow non turbulent fill
(polyvinyl poly
speed
pyrrolidone)

Malt with no
Silica Hydrogel or Xerogels
proanthocyanidins (Clear Bottom fill
(adsorbent)
Choice)

Tannic Acid
Manage last running Purge vessels and mains
(precipitates)

Degradation Enzymes
Manage PAA
(Papain)

• Silica hydrogel @ 120g/HL = £0.48 (£0.78 /brl)

• Single use PVPP @ 60g/HL = £1.68 (£2.73/brl)
 C l e a r C ho i c e ®
The most reactive polyphenols are proanthocyanidins, 70-80% come from malt

Proanthocyanidins belong to a flavonoid group of polyphenols located in the testa of

all traditional barley verieties

Clear Choice® is proanthocyanidin free!

Normal brewhouse processing

No need for processing aids

No dosing issues

Works for cask beer too!

Using as part of the grist brings benefits

100% Standard Malt 50% Clear Choice, 50% Standard

Malt
Total Polyphenols 200 – 250 ppm 120 – 140 ppm
Beer Filtration
Filtration aims to:

Remove almost all micro organisms

Remove suspended proteins and other organic debris

Clarify and stabilise the beer so its appearance does not alter over time

Filters are either SURFACE or DEPTH

Sieving or surface filtration - The particles cannot pass through the small
pores in the filter medium and build up on its surface

Depth filtration – Use a very porous and inert powder with huge surface area
to form a filter bed, the solids get trapped in the powder.

Depth filtration with adsorption – The filter aid is not inert, it carries a
surface electrostatic charge that attracts suspended matter .

Surface filters block easily and a depth filter has a higher throughput and can remove
more solids

In all filtration monitor the inlet and outlet pressure

Beer Filtration – Powder Filters
Powder Filters use diatomaceous earth or kieselguhr, a natural product
consisting of the fossilised skeletons of microscopic algae

Plate and frame sheet filters

Candle filters

Horizontal or vertical screen filters

Sheets or mesh provide a support for the filter powder

A coarse filter powder covers the support medium – this is the pre-coat

A finer grade is applied to the pre-coat – this is the second pre-coat

Now the bed is applied we can begin filtering – to stop it blocking we

continually dose the body-feed. The grade is usually the same as the
second pre-coat

Depending on the grade of powder, particles above 0.5µ will be

removed

Filter powders pose a health risk

Beer Filtration – Sheet Filters

Sheet filters – Sheets are impregnated with kieselguhr

Plate and frame

Lenticular

Cartridge

The sheets can also be impregnated with silica gel or PVPP to aid stabilisation

The sheets have different grades

These filters need the incoming beer to have minimal solids

Backflush to re-generate
Beer Filtration – Membrane
• Membrane filters trap particles by virtue of their constant pore size

• Sterile filtration – 0.45µ Absolute

• Located just before the packaging line, they are guard or policing filters to ensure no
contamination passes into package

• Code 7 fittings – have a double seal

• Integrity testing to verify operation

• Bubble point – Liquid is held in the pores of the filter by surface tension and
capillary forces – the minimum pressure required to force the liquid out of the
pores is a measure of the pore diameter

• Cross Flow

• Mainly used in big breweries but technology is now available to smaller breweries

• Beer is pumped across the membrane at high pressure, the pores stop particles passing but
block quickly.

• As the beer is pumped fast, the solids are swept away opening up the bed
 Haze Management
Whether the customer is expecting a visually bright beer or a cloudy beer – it needs
to be consistent.

Bright Beer

Visually assess the beer

In a glass in front of a light source

Or measure on a haze meter.

Measurement is based on the quantity of light scattered by the presence of

suspended particles

The light beam is at 90o or 13o

90o detects particles <0.4µm that are invisible to the human eye

13o detects particles >0.4µm that are visible

Most beer specifications refer to EBC or ASBC, both of these are measured
at 90o. A measurement of below 0.7 would be acceptable for bright beer
and below 1.5 for cask beer
Haze Management
The haze stability can be assessed by:

Hot / Cold Cycling

Many different variations

Forcing tests hold the beer at 37oC. 1 week is said to be the equivalent of 1
month of normal storage

The beer can also be put through hot/cold cycling.

2 days at 60oC & 1 day at -2oC is equivalent to 6 weeks normal storage

24hr at 30oC & 24hr at 0oC is equivalent to one month of normal storage

Chapon analysis is a quicker test

Ethanol is added to the sample and the beer is chilled to -8oC for 40min

Only predicts chill haze

Rapid test to preform before packaging

Haze Management
We can look at real life data to show how haze prediction works!

Difference in beer matured at +4oC and -1oC

Difference between standard malt and Clear Choice® malt

Control Malt Clear Choice Malt®

Temperature +4°C -1°C +4°C -1°C

Initial haze 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.7

Total haze 5 days @ 60°C >12 7.9 1.2 1.2

Total haze 60 days @ 20°C 3.5 1.6 0.8 0.9

Haze Management
Keeping hazy beer consistent

The haze in beer should not come from yeast

Natural haze should come from proteins

Control the yeast count by:

Counting the yeast under a microscope

Testing the solids using a bench top centrifuge

Dry hop once yeast count is acceptable

Use mixture of un-malted and malted cereals in the grist

Optimum haze potential from dry hopping is 3.8 - 4.3

Experiment with wort recirculation

Thank You
MIKE BENSON
CRAFT SALES MANAGER

+44 (0)7788 360573

[email protected]

CRISPMALT.COM