WO2021069092A1

WO2021069092A1 - Process for producing a low-alcohol or alcohol-free beer

Info

Publication number: WO2021069092A1
Application number: PCT/EP2020/000174
Authority: WO
Inventors: Holger Wack
Original assignee: Holger Wack
Priority date: 2019-10-11
Filing date: 2020-10-09
Publication date: 2021-04-15

Abstract

A process for producing an alcohol-free or low-alcohol beer comprises the following steps: Mashing, wherein malt with water is subjected to a predetermined first temperature profile to produce a beer wort; removing solid mash constituents from the beer wort; performing a fermentation process to obtain an alcoholic intermediate by conversion of sugar present in the beer wort into alcohol by means of yeasts; reducing the alcohol content of the intermediate; and aromatizing the intermediate with hops, wherein hops are added to the intermediate and the intermediate is subjected to a predetermined second temperature profile and wherein the reducing of the alcohol content of the intermediate is at least partially carried out before and/or during the aromatizing.

Description

Process for the production of an alcohol-reduced or non-alcoholic beer

The present invention relates to a method for producing a reduced-alcohol or alcohol-free beer and to a reduced-alcohol or alcohol-free beer produced using this method.

Beer is sold with an alcohol content of less than 0.5 percent by volume (% -vol.) Or, taking into account measurement tolerances of less than 0.55% -vol. referred to as alcohol-free. Alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beers are enjoying increasing popularity. The market share of non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic mixed beer drinks in Germany is currently around 7 percent.

For the production of low-alcohol or alcohol-free beers, a distinction is made between processes in which as little alcohol as possible is produced during fermentation and those in which the alcohol content is subsequently reduced. In the latter case, a typical beer production process with the steps of mashing, lautering, wort boiling and fermenting is usually carried out. The alcohol produced during fermentation is then removed again. Here it is a challenge to preserve the aroma of the beer produced in the manufacturing process.

Processes for the subsequent removal of alcohol in beer production are, for example, what is known as vacuum distillation, with the The boiling temperature of the beer is reduced and the alcohol can thus be evaporated in the range of around 38 ° C. Details on such processes are for example in the publication "Process parameters in the dealcoholization of beer by means of downdraft evaporation and their influence on the beer quality", C Zufall and K. Wackerbauer, monthly for brewing science, issue 7/8, 2000, pp 124-137 described.

The document DD 92 887 A5 describes a method for the production of a low-alcohol beer, with mashing and lautering as well as wort boiling with hops first taking place. Then a main fermentation is carried out, which is stopped. After this partial fermentation, the partially fermented intermediate product is boiled to reduce alcohol, with the option of adding further hops. A second fermentation is then carried out.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a method with which alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beer can be produced in a manner that is particularly gentle on the aroma.

This object is achieved by a method with the features of claim 1.

According to the invention, a method for producing an alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beer is provided. This procedure involves the following steps:

Mashing, wherein malt is subjected to a predetermined first temperature profile with water in order to produce a wort; Removal of solid malt components from the wort; Carrying out a fermentation process, an intermediate product containing alcohol being produced by converting sugar contained in the wort into alcohol with the aid of yeasts;

Reducing the alcohol content of the intermediate product and - flavoring the intermediate product with hops, whereby the

Intermediate product hops are added and the intermediate product is subjected to a predetermined second temperature profile, and wherein the reduction of the alcohol content of the intermediate product takes place at least partially before and / or during the flavoring.

According to the invention, during mashing, a mashing pattern is first carried out in the usual manner, depending on the beer recipe, the malt being heated or held in water to a specific temperature for specific periods of time. As a result of this predetermined temperature profile, components of the malt, in particular starch and aromas, are dissolved in water, whereby a wort is produced. The wort is then refined or generally subjected to a separation and / or filtration process in which the solid malt constituents are separated from the liquid wort. After the lautering, the wort is fermented in order to produce an alcohol-containing intermediate product, in particular without hops being added to this. After the fermentation process has been carried out, the alcohol content of the intermediate product is reduced according to the invention, for example by a thermal evaporation process, an osmosis process or another process. To flavor the intermediate product, hops are added to the intermediate product in accordance with the desired beer recipe and the intermediate product including the hops is subjected to a predetermined second temperature profile for a predetermined period of time. In the second temperature profile, temperatures are optionally set at least temporarily that are above the evaporation temperature of alcohol so that the alcohol content of the intermediate is reduced. However, it is also conceivable that the second temperature profile only has temperatures below the evaporation temperature of alcohol and that the alcohol content is reduced in whole or in part before the wort is boiled. Thus, flavoring can include classic wort boiling.

Dry hopping or another type of flavoring with hops is also conceivable. Alternatively, it is of course also conceivable that the alcohol reduction takes place exclusively during flavoring, e.g. during wort boiling.

One of the ideas on which the invention is based is to carry out the alcohol reduction at least partially, optionally completely, before the beverage is flavored with hops. Another idea of the invention is to carry out the alcohol reduction completely or partially during the aromatization with hops.

Carrying out the alcohol reduction, at least partially before the aromatization, advantageously counteracts an undesired expulsion of hop aromas. In this way, excellent taste properties of a reduced-alcohol or alcohol-free beer can be achieved. It is also advantageous that the flavoring is only carried out after fermentation, since this avoids a possibly undesirable influence of fermentation on the hop aroma.

Advantageous refinements and developments result from the subclaims referring back to the independent claims in connection with the description. The features and advantages disclosed for one aspect of the invention also apply to the other aspects as disclosed. After the alcohol reduction, a back dilution can optionally be carried out. This means that immediately after the step in which the alcohol reduction has taken place or after the aromatization, the intermediate product can be diluted with water, the volume removed by the alcohol reduction being replenished and so-called "drinking strength" being restored.

According to one embodiment of the method, it can be provided that the alcohol content is reduced partly before and partly during the flavoring. This enables a particularly flexible process to be implemented. For example, the alcohol content can be slightly reduced before the aromatization and the desired residual alcohol content can be set during the aromatization. This can be advantageous if only a short wort boil or a mild flavoring with hops is desired.

According to one embodiment of the method, it can be provided that the alcohol content is reduced at least partially during the flavoring, in that the intermediate product is heated to a wort temperature which is above an evaporation temperature of alcohol at the given pressure. That is, in the second temperature profile, at least temporarily, temperatures are present that are above the evaporation temperature of alcohol at the prevailing pressure, so that the alcohol content of the intermediate product is reduced during the aromatization, for example during the wort boiling. This enables a very energy-saving manufacturing process to be implemented because the energy for carrying out the flavoring, e.g. for boiling the wort, is used at the same time to reduce the alcohol content According to one embodiment of the method, it can be provided that the flavoring is carried out in the form of wort boiling. If the reducing of the alcohol content is carried out at least partially during the wort boiling, the wort boiling can be carried out until the alcohol content is less than 0.5% -vol. has decreased. With this, the final alcohol content of the beer is set by the wort boiling, which enables an extremely simple process. In principle, the wort boiling and the reduction of the alcohol content can take place in temporally and / or spatially separate steps, for example in different containers and / or with a pause between the steps. It is also conceivable that during the wort boiling hops are added to the intermediate product before or only after the alcohol has reached the evaporation temperature at the currently prevailing pressure.

According to a further embodiment, the wort temperature can be in a range between 75 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius, in particular between 90 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius. It has been found that a very efficient alcohol reduction is achieved in this area for typical boiling times of hops in the second temperature curve.

According to a further embodiment, the reduction in the alcohol content can in part also be carried out after the aromatization. For example, the alcohol content can be pre-reduced before flavoring. This advantageously increases the flexibility to adapt the second temperature profile to the respective beer recipe, which may only provide for a relatively short wort boiling, which may not be sufficient to reduce the alcohol content sufficiently, or cold hopping, in which only low temperatures below the evaporation temperature of Alcohol is present. In addition, after the Flavoring a further alcohol reduction can be done. For example, flavoring in the form of wort boiling may have already resulted in a significant alcohol reduction. Therefore, the optional further alcohol reduction step can be carried out without significant loss of flavor.

In order to reduce alcohol before the aromatization and for the optional alcohol reduction after the aromatization, a vacuum distillation or an osmosis process can be carried out according to some embodiments. Both methods offer the advantage that they can be carried out at relatively low temperatures, which enables alcohol to be removed in a way that is very gentle on the aroma. Depending on the pressure, vacuum distillation can be carried out, for example, in a temperature range between 35 degrees Celsius and 45 degrees Celsius. According to a further embodiment, after the solid malt constituents have been removed, the wort can be heated to a temperature in a range between 80 ° C. and 100 ° C. for a predetermined sterilization time for sterilization. This has the advantage that procedural hygiene is improved. Furthermore, unwanted components from the mashing process can be evaporated from the wort before fermentation.

According to a further embodiment it is provided that the malt contains barley malt, wheat malt, rye malt, corn malt, polenta, candy sugar, or a mixture of one or more of the above-mentioned components.

According to a further embodiment, the fermentation process can be carried out top-fermented or bottom-fermented. It has surprisingly been found that the method can be used both with typical top-fermented types of beer, such as, for example, wheat beer, as well as with bottom-fermented beers such as Pils, the aromas typical of the variety are equally well preserved.

According to a further aspect of the invention, an alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beer is provided which is produced using the method described above.

The invention is explained below with reference to the figures of the drawings. From the figures show:

1 shows a block diagram of a method according to a

Embodiment of the invention.

In the figures, the same reference symbols denote the same or functionally identical components, unless stated otherwise.

Fig. 1 shows by way of example and schematically the sequence of a method M for producing an alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beer. Here, an alcohol-free beer is understood to mean a beer drink which has an alcohol content of less than 0.5 percent by volume (% -vol.). An alcohol-reduced beer is understood to mean a beer drink which has an alcohol content that is lower than the alcohol content immediately after fermentation. The alcohol content of alcohol-reduced beer can, for example, be less than 4% by volume, in particular less than 3.5% by volume. be.

1 shows, by way of example, a process sequence of a process M for producing an alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beer. Mashing takes place in a first step M1. Here, malt is mixed with water a predetermined first Temperature profile is subjected to in order to produce a beer wort. Depending on the beer recipe, the malt can contain barley malt, wheat malt, rye malt, corn malt, polenta or corn grits, candy sugar, or a mixture of one or more of the mentioned ingredients. In step Ml a mash scheme is carried out, the malt being heated or held in water to a certain temperature for certain periods of time. As a result of this predetermined temperature profile, components of the malt, in particular starch and aromas, are dissolved in water, whereby a wort is produced.

Subsequent to the mashing, solid malt components are removed from the liquid wort in step M2. The liquid wort is largely separated from the solid components, e.g. by a mechanical filtration process. In general, this step can also be referred to as purifying.

In an optional intermediate step M3, which is carried out after lautering (step M2), the wort can be sterilized for a predetermined sterilization time, for example for a time between 2 minutes and 20 minutes at a temperature in a range between 80 ° C and 100 ° C. Unwanted wort components can also be evaporated before fermentation.

In a further step M4, the wort is then subjected to a fermentation process, which can also be referred to as main fermentation. Here, with the addition of yeast cultures, an intermediate product containing alcohol is produced. In the fermentation process, the yeasts convert the sugars contained in the wort into alcohol. The fermentation process can be top-fermented or bottom-fermented, that is, top-fermented or bottom-fermented yeasts can be used. It It goes without saying that after the lautering M2 or, if necessary, after the optional sterilization M3, the wort is cooled to a fermentation temperature before the yeast is added. In the case of bottom-fermenting yeasts, the fermentation temperature can, for example, be in a range between 3 degrees Celsius and 16 degrees Celsius. In the case of top-fermenting yeasts, the fermentation temperature can, for example, be in a range between 13 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius. Depending on the malt sugar content (original wort content) in the beer wort before fermentation, the fermentation process can produce an intermediate product with an alcohol content between 2% -vol. and 13% vol. be generated.

Following the fermentation in step M4, an alcohol reduction is carried out in step M5 in order to reduce the alcohol content of the intermediate product. For example, an alcohol reduction to an alcohol content of less than 3% by volume, less than 2% by volume, less than 1% by volume can be achieved here. or up to 0.5% vol. or less. The desired residual alcohol content of the beer can thus optionally be set in step M5. However, it is also conceivable that only a partial alcohol reduction of the intermediate product takes place in step M5 and a further alcohol reduction is carried out in further steps, which will be explained in detail below. Alternatively, it can also be omitted in step M5 and the alcohol reduction can be carried out in a later step. In principle, a thermal alcohol reduction can take place in step M5, that is to say the intermediate product is heated to a temperature above the evaporation temperature of alcohol for a certain time. In particular, processes that protect the aroma, such as vacuum distillation or an osmosis process, can also be carried out. It is also possible to use other technically customary processes or a combination thereof. In a further step M6, which is carried out after fermentation M4 and optionally after the partial or complete alcohol reduction in step M5, aromatization takes place M6. In this step, hops, for example in the form of hop pellets, hop powder, hop aroma, hop cones or the like, are added to the intermediate product and the intermediate product is subjected to a predetermined second temperature profile. The flavoring can be, for example, a classic wort boiling, cold hopping or any other desired flavoring process. In the second temperature profile, the intermediate product can optionally be heated at least for a certain time to a wort temperature which is above an evaporation temperature of alcohol in order to reduce the alcohol content of the intermediate product or, if necessary, further reduce it. In this step, flavoring with hops takes place optionally at the same time as alcohol reduction. The alcohol reduction in step M6 can be carried out as an alternative or in addition to the alcohol reduction in step M5. As a result, an aroma-friendly alcohol reduction is achieved with little energy expenditure. The flavoring M6 can in particular be carried out until the alcohol content drops to less than 0.5% -vol. has decreased. In general, however, the alcohol reduction can also be ended at higher residual alcohol contents. The wort temperature, which is set at least temporarily in the second temperature profile, can for example be in a range between 75 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius, in particular between 90 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius M6, an optional further step M7 can be carried out in which the alcohol of the intermediate product is reduced, for example to an alcohol content of less than 3% by volume, less than 2% by volume, less than 1% by volume. Or less than 0.5% -vol. to adjust the desired residual alcohol content. For this purpose, in particular aroma-preserving processes, such as vacuum distillation or an osmosis process, can be carried out. Although the present invention has been explained above using exemplary embodiments, it is not restricted thereto, but rather can be modified in many ways. In particular, combinations of the preceding exemplary embodiments are also conceivable.

REFERENCE LIST

M procedure

M1-M7 process steps

Claims

Holger Wack CLAIMS

1. Process (M) for the production of an alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beer with the following steps:

Mashing (M1), wherein malt is subjected to a predetermined first temperature profile with water in order to produce a wort; Removing (M2) solid malt constituents from the wort;

Carrying out (M4) a fermentation process, an alcohol-containing intermediate product being produced by converting sugar contained in the wort into alcohol with the aid of yeasts;

Reducing (M5; M7) the alcohol content of the intermediate product; and flavoring (M6) the intermediate product with hops, hops being added to the intermediate product and the intermediate product being subjected to a predetermined second temperature profile, and wherein the alcohol content of the intermediate product is reduced at least partially before and / or during the flavoring.

2. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the implementation (M4) of the fermentation process takes place without prior addition of hops.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the reduction (M5; M7) of the alcohol content takes place partly before and partly during the flavoring (M6).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reducing (M5; M7) of the alcohol content at least partially during the Flavoring (M6) takes place in that the intermediate product is heated to a wort temperature that is above the evaporation temperature of alcohol

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the reduction (M5; M7) of the alcohol content is carried out partially after the aromatization.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the reduction of the alcohol content takes place completely before the aromatization (M6).

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flavoring (M6) is carried out in the form of wort boiling, in particular until the alcohol content is less than 0.5% -vol. has decreased.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the intermediate product during flavoring (M6) is heated to a wort temperature in a range between 75 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius, in particular between 90 degrees Celsius and 100 degrees Celsius.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein for alcohol reduction (M5, M7) a thermal process, in particular a vacuum distillation, or an osmosis process is carried out.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein after the removal (M2) of the solid malt constituents, the wort for sterilization is heated for a predetermined sterilization time to a temperature in a range between 80 ° C and 100 ° C (M3).

11. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the malt contains barley malt, wheat malt, rye malt, corn malt, polenta, candy sugar or a mixture of one or more of the mentioned ingredients.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fermentation process (M4) is carried out top-fermented or bottom-fermented.

13. Alcohol-free or alcohol-reduced beer, produced in one of the processes according to one of the preceding claims.