Packaging (Large pack)
Kevin Mutch
Peripatetic Brewer
25 April 2018
Topics
• Beer preparation and mechanics of fill
– Cask
– Keg
– Bulk
Beer Preparation
• Prior to packaging beer must be in the correct condition
• Sterility
• Yeast counts
• Clear / Polished
• Hazy
• Correct gas content (CO2, N2, O2)
• Correct %ABV
Preparation - Cask
Cask Beer
– not filtered
– contains live yeast
– contains residual fermentable sugar
• Beer racked into casks with minimum of treatment or clarification
• Stored, matures, clarifies in cask
• Run directly from FV or intermediate vessel
– racking vessel, tank, jack.
Preparation – Yeast Counts in RV
• 1(+/-0.5)x106cells/ml
• Controlled by
– yeast strain
• yeast viability and its flocculation/sedimentation characteristics
– fermentation management– may be affected by the presence of infections.– centrifugation– temperature at fining and the carbon dioxide content of the beer
• Secondary fermentation
– residual fermentable sugar at EoF in FV
– xs or not enough? (2o Gravity)
– low level CO2 at EoF in FV
– vessel shape
– FV cooling ability
– primings
Preparation - Priming Sugar Addition
• Syrup addition to
– usually ~1150oOG
– FV, RV or Cask
– sugars
– sucrose, invert sucrose (heated & acidified)
• Colour impact – caramelisation
• 2o fermentation substrate & sweetener
– extra conditioning time
– increase in %ABV?
Preparation - Hops
• Post Copper Hop Additions
– leaf, pellet, hop oil, water based extracts
• Extra hoppy flavour & aroma
– no discernible increase in bitterness
• Leaf and pellet take time to mature
– haze, infection/plant mass
• Oil, WBEs ‘instantaneous’ effect
– relatively haze free
Preparation - Hops
• Dry hops should be stored at 2° - 4°C & added at rack or when beer is fined.
• Range for dry-hopping is – 9-140 g/hl/0·5-8·0 oz/brl/0·2-5·0 mg/l of hop oil– 9-35 g/hl/0·5-2·0 oz/brl more usual
Preparation - Isinglass Finings
• Swim bladder tropical fish
• Dried, shredded, mixed with liquor & typically tartaric, citric, or sulphurous acid
• Pure collagen, triple helix
heavy +ve electrostatic charge
Preparation - Auxiliary Finings
• Finings adjunct
– acidified silicate
• Polysaccharides
– gums – acacia, gum arabic
• Seaweed extracts
– carrageenin, alginates
• Colloidal solutions, high –ve electrostatic charge
Preparation - Use of Finings
• FA used first
– in FV, after cropping yeast, cooling on,
– 24h before racking,
– during rundown to RV
• Isinglass used
– at rack
– before dispatch
• Never admix FA & Isinglass
Preparation – Fining Advantages
• Advantages of using auxiliary finings
– reduced use of Isinglass Finings
– a better polish on the finished beer
– increased speed of fining
– increased speed of re-settling
• Silicated finings also give
– stabilisation against non-biological haze formation
– a degree of protection against chill hazes
Preparation - Finings Optimisation
• Regular basis
• new seasons malt, change of supplier/variety
• Hazes – under or over fining?
• 300ml+ measuring tube, 288 ml beer
• FA – ½ to 2 pints/brl, add isinglass mix
• Isinglass – 2 to 5 pints/brl – clearest?
• Allow to settle, repeat 3 or 4 times
Preparation - Factors Affecting Beer Fining
Liquor composition
Malt quality Mash pH and temperature
Gravity of last runnings
Length and vigour of the boil
The removal of trub
The yeast strain/s used
Conditioning Quality of the finings system
used
Preparation - Gas Levels
• Transfers chilled & quiet.• Temperature <10oC, all
vessels filled from bottom
• CO2
– final package on sale ~1vol/vol (2g/l)
– need to condition
• O2
– quiet fill!
• N2– leave it to the sparkler!
Preparation - %ABV
• Residual fermentable sugar at EoF in FV
– xs or not enough? (2o Gravity equivt 0.2%ABV)
– Primings
• Extra conditioning time
– Timothy Taylor’s Landlord!
• > +0.5% ABV?
• Trading Standards & HMRC– +/-0.2%ABV & +/-0.5% ABV
Preparation – Cask Washing/Sterilisation
With Steam
Without Steam
Water Temperatures (oC) 82 - 88 99 - 104
Pressure Range (Bar g) 6·2-7·6 5·5-7·6
Typical Holding time (sec) 8 16
Preparation – Automated Cask Filling
• Automated
– shive & keystone removal
– finings dosing
– labelling
• Cleaning
• Check finings addition rates
Preparation – Manual Cask Filling
Preparation – Cask Storage
• Beers should be – stored at 10-14°C both
before and after fining– fined at the lowest
temperature - fining action occurs with rising temperature
– checked for conditioning and finings action
• Beers should not– form a chill haze during
storage– be stored above 19°C -
too vigorous 2o
fermentation & high internal pressure
Preparation – Cask Storage
• Sediment– volume should be monitored – should remain at the bottom of the cask
throughout dispense.– Should be compact.
• Minimise number of cask movements after fining
• Beer volume retained with the sediment depends on cask construction and on stillaging and tilting procedures.
Cask Beer Dispense
Preparation - Keg
• Keg beer
• SS/single use
• Keg safety
• Bright/hazy?
• Filtered/pasteurised?
• Yeast counts
• Temperatures
• SWP
• Gas contents
• Laws of physics
• %ABV
Bright Keg Product Preparation
• Plate & frame filter
• High CapEx, ‘low’ OpEX
– Skilled operation
– Use of powder (H&S)
– Filter boards
– Messy
• Sterile filter
– Low CapEx, ‘high’ OpEx
– Less skilled operation
– Easily blinded
– Clean
Maintaining Gas Content
• Post filter
• Low temperature (<-1.0oC)
• Long residency time
• Pressurised, chilled receiving vessel
• CO2 storage
Stabilised Al foam
Keg – Gas Equilibrium
CO2
CO2
CO2
There maybe 2.5 pints of CO2 in a pint of lager
CO2
TOPPRESSUREAPPLIED
(psi)
BEERCO2
CONTENT(volumes)
BEERTEMP.
(degrees)
Keg products: CO2 level must have a, and be within,specification at rack
Effect of temperature on CO2 absorption in beer
12psi12psi12psi
40oF
CO2
dispense gas
CO2
in product
54oF
60oF 60oF 60oF
60oF
12oC 5oC 15oC
And this is without the effect of any secondary fermentation!
Preparation – Keg Cleaning
• Reusable kegs
– High CapEx
– Low OpEX
– Environment +ve
• Single use
– Low CapEx
– High OpEx
– Environment -ve
Reusable Keg – Washers/Fillers
• Drain contents• Clean
• Sterilise• Counter pressure with CO2
• Fill
Keg dispense
What is the maximum temperature and pressure a one-way keg can hold ?What is the maximum temperature and pressure a one-way keg can hold ?
KeykegMaximum internal pressure (carbonation) 4.0 bar (58psi) at 40°C (5g/l /2.5 Vol)Temperature range 0‐40°CMax. dispense pressure 3.5 bar (51psi)
Petainer
Dolium
KeyKeg
Keykeg – user warning
The consequences of temperature fluctuations depend on the CO2 content. Products with a lot of CO2 can reach pressures over 4 bars (58psi). Users should be aware of this risk.
When ‘kegged’ beer is meant to undergo secondary fermentation, it is essential to add the proper amount of wort or sugar in order to prevent an excessive CO2 build-up in the beer as a result of this fermentation. Another type of risk involves fully fermented beer which contain residual, fermentable sugars. Remaining yeast needs to be filtered out or neutralized before filling the keg.
When this is not done properly, unwanted, spontaneous secondary fermentation inside the keg can occur, resulting in an unacceptably high CO2 content. If nitrogen is used during packaging or dispense, the additional effect of this on the internal pressure should be taken into account.
Beer Type CO2 content (g/l)Equilibrium pressure at
20oC (psi)
English Ale 3.0 - 5.0 11.6 - 29.0
Lager Beer 4.5 - 5.0 23.2 - 29.0
Wheat Beer 5.5 - 7.0 31.9 - 46.4
Kegs are always under pressure and can cause injury!
Bulk Beer For Contract Packaging
• Specifications!
• CIP - lines, vessels
• Minimise O2 pick up - IBC/Arlington
• Final package - bright/packaged conditioned
• Yeast counts
• Product volumes – out & back (transfer losses)
Questions?