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?