GB1032556A - Improvements in or relating to the brewing of beer - Google Patents

Abstract

In manufacturing beer, ale, porter and stout in a continuous fermentation system, wort from a brewhouse is transferred in batches to a series of vessels wherein the wort is mixed with a predetermined quantity of yeast-containing fermenting wort from a continuous fermentation plant and the resulting mixture is continuously transferred to the continuous fermentation plant. In a preferred procedure, unfermented wort at a temperature of between 50 DEG F. and 140 DEG F. is added in batches at intervals of between 1 and 12 hours to fermenting wort containing yeast in suspension and oxygenated by injection of air, the ratios of unfermented wort to fermenting wort ranging between 12:1 to 1:12, but preferably as 1:1. The two operational examples disclosed are based respectively on the following procedures. (1) A quantity of fermenting wort, containing yeast in suspension, from a continuous fermentation system is caused to flow substantially continuously to an accumulating vessel. When a batch of wort from the brewhouse is ready to be transferred to the fermentation system, it is caused to flow in to a second vessel. While the batch of wort from the brewhouse is being added to this second vessel, the accumulated fermenting wort in the accumulating vessel is rapidly transferred to the second vessel. The mixture is allowed to remain in the second vessel until the next batch of wort is ready to be conveyed from the brewhouse. At this stage, the contents of the second vessel are rapidly removed to a third vessel, the outflow of which runs continuously to the inlet of the continuous fermenting system. (2) Fermenting wort from a continuous fermentation system flows continuously to one or another of two vessels of a continuous fermentation wort supply system alternatively, at a desired flow rate. In these vessels the fermenting wort mixes with unfermented wort, a batch from the brewhouse going to that vessel to which, at that particular time, the fermenting wort from the continuous fermentation system is flowing. When either of these vessels has the required volume of unfermented wort and fermenting wort mixture, this mixture is pumped at a constant rate to a third vessel. This third vessel is kept at a constant volume and the outflow flows continuously to the inlet of the continuous fermentation system. It is stated that the unfermented wort is thereby reduced in pH and, by oxygenating the fermenting wort before the unfermented wort is mixed with it, the finer flavour producing products of the unfermented wort are maintained free of oxidation.