Lecture 15

Beverage Fermentation
Ales & Lagers
 History
Chemical analysis of 7,000 year-old jugs puts invention of beer around the
same time period as wine

Addition of hops to beer occurred about one thousand years ago but before the
14th century spruce, ginger, wormwood, sage, and sweet mary were more
popular.

1516 Bavarian purity law passed, oldest known food purity law still in effect,
limited ingredients of beer to hops, barley, and water.

16th century lager beer type accidentally invented during cold cave
fermentation.

Beers in America were largely heavy beers, until prohibition ended most
American breweries.

Now the beer market is nearly monopolized by Anheuser-Busch, who made a

fortune producing cheaper, watery, light beer for women workers during World
War II. The American pallet now reflects this with preference for lighter beer.
 Yeast

Saccharomyces sp.
 Yeast
• It is usual to select strains of
yeast for brewing from yeasts
already in commercial use.
• Some breweries isolate,
select and maintain their
yeast strains but others
engage specialist laboratories
to provide this service.
• Can make a stock of your
yeast.
Yeast can be found naturally on the surface of most plants
including barley seeds.

“Wild” yeast will most likely produce flavors that are

undesirable.

During the fermentation process, undesirable microbes must be

kept out of the beer.
Saccharomyces cervisiae is the species most often used for
ales, its optimum fermentation temperature is 16-24 C

Saccharomyces uvarium is largely used in lagers, and steam

beers. The optimum temperature for this fermentation is 2-13 C

Over a 15 square mile area near Brussels the resident wild

yeast and bacterial populations are perfect for spontaneously
fermenting, beer. This fruity sour beer is known as a “lambic”.
 What qualities should my yeast
have?
• Rapid initiation of fermentation
• High fermentation efficiency
• High ethanol tolerance
• Desired flavor characteristics
• High genetic stability
• Range of alcohol production
 Metabolism
Major Reaction: Glucose to Carbon Dioxide and Ethanol

Special flavors and aromas of beers arise from minor biochemical reactions
 Yeast
• In the average brewery, a
large inoculum of cells is
used (ca 5-15 million
cells/ml of wort).
• In each fermentation the
cell density increases
three-to-four-fold.
• Therefore, one-third to
one-fourth of the yeast
crop of each fermentation
is used for inoculation of
the next batch.
 Malt
• Made from barley that has been
allowed to germinate. barley

• Germination converts starch in

the seeds into simpler sugars.
These sugars are extracted in the
mashing process.

• This malt extract is then used by

the yeast in the fermentation
process.

• Before mashing the malt may be

roasted to darken the color and
harden a beer.
 Wort

• What’s in it:
– Brewers' wort (145) commonly has 8-14% total solids.
– 90-92% are carbohydrates: glucose, fructose, maltose,
sucrose, maltotriose.
– Nitrogenous compounds, such as, amino acids.
– Vitamins: biotin, inositol, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine,
and thiamine are present in wort and utilized by Brewers'
yeast.
– Phosphates, chlorides, sulfates and other anions are
present with the cations Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, and Zn.
Humulus lupulus
(hops)
Hops are the flowering portion of the hop vine.

These flowers not only fight off bacterial infections in

the beer, they aid in clarification of the beer, stabilize
the flavor, help retain head, and aid in ones ability to
drink the beer.
Hop oils are produced in the Lupulin glands of the
flower.

The oils are made of α and β-acids, but α-acids

contributes more to the bittering of a beer.

These oils are non-polar, and can only be extracted

through a short boiling.
 Process

Malted Barley
and
Specialty Grains

Malted barley and specialty grains are run through roller

mill and cracked open.

This grist is then carried by an auger to the mash tun.

 Process

In the mash tun the grist is mixed with hot water to form a mash.
In the mash, enzymes that exist in the grain become active and
convert the starches to fermentable sugar.
The sugar rich liquid from the mash, called wort, is drained from
the mash tun.
 Process

The wort is drained from the mash tun and moved to the brew
kettle.
In the brew kettle the wort is boiled and hops are added.
From the hops we can extract bitterness, which will help
balance the sweetness of the wort.
 Process

After boiling, the wort is transferred through a chiller.

While passing through the chiller the wort is instantly chilled to

the appropriate temperature for fermentation.
 Process

From the chiller, the wort moves into a temperature controlled

fermenter.

Yeast is added and fermentation begins. In fermentation the

yeast will ferment sugars in the wort and produce alcohol, carbon
dioxide, and other flavor compounds.
 Saccharomyces cervisiae Saccharomyces uvarium
Location of fermentation Top Bottom
Risk of infection High Low
Fermentation Time Short Long
Metabolizes Ethanol, Sugars Glyceraldehyde, Melibiose, Sugars
Fermentation Temperature 16-22 C 8-16 C
 Fermentation Systems

• Cylindroconical systems:
– Produce ales and lagers.
– Conical base, and pressure systems.

• Open systems:
– Used for the fermentation of ales
– Utilize skiming for repitching
– Carbon dioxide can diffuse out
 Fermentation of Ales
• Top fermenting-rise to the surface and
create a think yeasty head.
• Warmer temps- 60-70F
• More rapid growth
• Create more esters
• Complex and Fruity
• Ales, porters, stouts, and wheat beers.
 Fermentation of Ales
• Lag phase is when yeast is building cell walls and
reserves.
• Then yeast begin to divide.
• First visible sign of fermentation is bubbles starting
to form, which spread until the surface is covered.
• After 18 hours the bubbles thicken and change to a
light brown color.
• pH and specific gravity fall, and temperature and
yeast count rise.
• Max fermentation is reached after 36-48 hrs.
• White yeast head on top, with CO2 escaping.
• Activity slows and the head changes from white to
pale cream, as yeast rises to surface and replaces
the foam.
 Fermentation of Lager
• Bottom fermenting-yeast settle to the
bottom of the fermenter as
fermentation reaches completion.
• Colder tempeatures: 47-58F
• Slower growth
• Crisp and hoppy like a pilsner or
sweet and malty like a Dopplebock.
• Examples: Pilsners, Bocks, and
American malt liquors.
 Fermentation of Lager
• Time-temperature profiles vary widely.
• Pitch the yeast at 5-60 C and raise to 8-90 C. This
makes better beer because the low temps retard the
development of by-products which are inappropriate
in lager (esters, fusel alcohols, diacetyl).
• Lag period is longer at lower temperatures though.
• After primary fermentation the temperature is
dropped by 1-1.5C each day and then is transferred
to a lager cellar at 45-50C. The starting temp and
the rate of temp increase can vary.
 Compounds produced in primary
fermentation and not reduced during
lagering

• Fusel or higher alcohols:

 By-product of amino acid metabolism.
 Levels are affected by yeast strain.
 Spicy, wine-like, and alcoholic taste.
• Organic acids:
 Formed from carbohydrate metabolism
 Contribute to the sourness or acid taste (also
pH) of beer.
• Esters:
 By-product of lipid metabolism in a reaction between
an alcohol and intermediates of lipid synthesis.
 Usually impart a fruity character to the beer.
• There are two types:
 Acetate esters
 ethyl acetate (solventy, fruity, sweet)
 isoamyl acetate (banana, fruity, sweet)
 phenethyl acetate (roses, honey, apple, sweet).
 Fatty acid ester
 ethyl caproate (apple, aniseed, sweet)
 ethyl caprylate (apple, fruity, sweet)
• Ale yeast strains produce more esters
 Compounds produced in primary
fermentation and reduced during
lagering
• Diacetyl
 Byproduct of amino acid metabolism.
 Tastes like butter, butterscotch, and feels slick
on the palate.
• Pentadione
 Similar to diacetyl.
 Milder flavor similar to honey or butter.
• Acetaldehyde
 Intermediate of ethanol production.
 It can form in autolysis of yeast during lagering if yeast is in
poor condition.
 It can also form if post-fermentation beer is exposed to air
(oxygen).
 Ethanol can be oxidized to acetaldehyde.

• Acetoin
 Formed from a secondary reaction of alcoholic
fermentation.
 Pyruvate decarboxylase converts pyruvate to
acetaldehyde, which is then converted to ethanol and CO2.
 Pyruvate decarboxylase sometimes joins two acetaldehyde
molecules to form acetoin.
 Process

After fermentation the fermented wort, now called beer, is

transferred through a filter.

The filter removes various proteins, hop residue and yeast cells.
 Process

From the filter, the beer moves to the beer servers.

These are carbonating tanks, holding tanks and serving tanks.