Beer Brewing

With a history going back thousands of years, there are many traditional beer styles that have been forgotten. But history offers a rich source of inspiration to rejuvenate old brewing traditions and adapt them to modern times.

This session highlights two inspiring examples from Europe and and a less familiar, but no less inspiring one, from Africa. Lars Marius Garshol introduces us to the world of Kveik and Ulrike Genz explains how she revived real Berliner Weiße. Traditional beer culture is not limited to Europe alone. Umqombothi has been a staple for large parts of the population of South Africa. Lethu Tshabangu has fused this century old brewing tradition with saison from Europe. In this way, he has brought two worlds together.

Refermenting and maturing beer in beer barrels is one thing, refermenting and maturing beer in barrels that were previously used for a different purpose is something completely different and requires specific skills which are increasingly recognized by consumers and beer connoisseurs.

The flavours and aroma-contributing bacteria that are transferred to the beer make for splendid, subtle, yet difficult to produce barrel-matured beers and what was originally in the barrel will strongly influence the profile of the end beer. Jocelyn, brew master in the excellence wine-growing area of Bordeaux, France, explains how he works with Brettanomyces and repurposed wine-barrels to develop perfectly balanced beers. Matt, from the US, shares his experience with former spirits-barrel and how he imparts specific spirits flavurs to beer.

To barrel or not to barrel, that’s the question! it’s actually perfectly possible for a wooden barrel to act as a taste agent for beer.

Barrel-aging methods are booming around the globe, from the traditional Belgian practice in ‘oud rood/bruin’ and Gueuze beers to very creative uses by rising small brewers. Old spirits and wine barrels are being used for maturing, imperial stouts, IPAs, triples and even lagers to give them a strong identity, a unique flavour profile and a story that appeals to consumers.

This process is complex and requires expertise and knowledge to understand the different types of barrels and woods and their impact on the beer. You need to know how the barrel microbiome will interact with that of the beer and when maturation needs to be stopped to give birth to a balanced product. Our top speakers share their insights and expertise. We’ll benefit from the experience of a barrel producer, Angela, and her company’s deep knowledge of wood. Brew master Rudi has practiced barrel-ageing for years, and the session ends with Jitka who is merging the vintners’ tradition with her brewing skills and barrel-ageing.

Alcohol-free beers are more varied and exciting than ever before. Normally production beer with very little or no alcohol demands costly and technical installations. However, this is beginning to change as more smaller breweries are now producing this type of beer. Rudolph Michel presents the latest and upcoming market trends for the non and low-alcohol segment in selected European countries. Martina, a researcher from the Technical University Munich-Weihenstephan, describes which techniques are available and what exciting possibilities exist to retain flavour whilst getting rid of ethanol. Manuel and Angel, two Spanish micro brewers share their experience of developing an alcohol-free IPA, in a market where the share of no/low alcoholic beers is above 10% of the beer market.

More than 90% of the world’s beer production is lager characterized as pilsners or blond/light lagers.

What role does a pilsner or a light lager fulfil and how ‘naked’ is it? In this session you’ll see examples of lagers and interesting production principles for improved flavour stability purposes.

Speakers: Jens Eiken, John Brauer

Moderator: Tiago Brandão

Session Chair:
Paul Lefebvre (Administrateur Brasserie Lefebvre, BE)

The impact of hop kilning temperature on the aromatic and biochemical properties of American hops
By Lindsey Rubottom, Oregon State University
American hop growers have historically dried hops in the range of 62-66°C using deep bed kilns (60 – 80 cm), but they have shifted to lower temperatures (52 – 57°C) in the last ten years, particularly for new American cultivars. With the sustained popularity of hop-forward beers featuring American hop varieties with high dry-hopping rates, lower temperature drying was hypothesized to preserve hop aroma volatiles and quality. Over four harvest years (2018-2021), six popular American hop varieties were evaluated to measure the impact of drying temperature on hop quality. Using a broad range of drying temperatures (52 – 72°C) at commercial hop farms, hop quality was evaluated via chemical, biochemical, hop grind sensory, and brewing measurements. While somewhat dependent on hop variety, the overall results indicate that aromatic hop chemistry and quality may not be dramatically impacted by kilning temperature. In contrast, hop enzyme activity is reduced at higher temperatures. These results suggest that growers may dry at higher temperatures without sacrificing aroma quality, thereby offering greater flexibility and throughput for the hop grower.

Exploring the Regional Identity of Hops in the Pacific Northwest: A Case Study involving Cascade and Mosaic Hops Grown in Oregon and Washington
By Michael Fechir et al., Oregon State University
This presentation examines the regional identity (terroir) of Cascade and Mosaic® hops grown in 2020 on 41 individual fields throughout the Willamette and Yakima valleys in the Pacific northwest USA. Hops were characterized chemically (hop acids, total oil and oil composition) and sensorially (projective mapping and check-all-that-apply). Multivariate statistical analyses revealed groupings that corresponded to regional (between states) and subregional (within states) locations. To substantiate these results, a subset of hop samples of each variety was used to brew 14 dry-hopped beers (IPA) on a 2.5 hL pilot scale to evaluate the extent to which regional differences were transferred to beer. A trained sensory panel was able to discriminate between beers brewed with the same hop variety based on regional and subregional differences. Additionally, soil chemistry & physical properties, weather & climate, and farm management practices were examined and some variables were identified as potential determinants of regional differences. These results offer initial evidence of hop differences that can be tied to subregional variation.

Reducing the environmental footprint of hoppy aroma by a novel yeast-based technology
By Simon Dusséaux et al., EvodiaBio
The contribution of hops in the environmental impact of brewing has long been neglected. Farming of hops generates up to 5 kg CO2e and requires >2700 liters of water per kg of hops, while it uses fertilizers and pesticides. EvodiaBio seeks to reduce the environmental impact of brewing by rethinking the way by which beer acquires its hoppy aroma. We have developed a natural and sustainable yeast fermentation technology to produce the key aroma molecules of hops. We use them to produce standardized and tailor-made natural aroma extracts that recreate the hoppy aroma experience more economically and with much lower environmental impact. These extracts can go beyond what is possible with hops, by allowing brewers to choose their favorite aromatic notes, while leaving out less desirable ones. This flexibility promotes fast creative development by allowing quick iterations on a single brew. Additionally, it can alleviate many challenges often encountered with hops, such as aroma inconsistency, limited supply, hop burn, hop creep, and waste management. We provide data that this technology is highly efficient in adding hoppy characteristics to non-alcoholic beer, while masking off-flavors

State of the art evidence that hop terroir affects beer flavor
By Ann Van Holle et al., Proefbrouwerij
Not only variety but also terroir may have a significant impact on the brewing characteristics of hops and, consequently, on the resulting beer flavour profiles. In contrast to extensive data on variety-specific effects available, profound insights into terroir influences are lacking. Therefore, the relevance of hop terroir was explored in detail by applying three industrially important hop varieties. Eight single-hop beers were produced with Amarillo, Cascade, and Centennial hops, originating from several geographical regions worldwide. Genetic and biochemical fingerprints of the various hop batches were generated according to the methodologies as described previously (1). The biochemical and sensory attributes of the corresponding single-hop beers were investigated to elucidate the consequences of terroir-driven variations in hop brewing features related to beer flavour. It was confirmed that terroir-related hop characteristics are key considerations for brewers to obtain high-quality beers with required and consistent flavour profiles.(1) Van Holle et al. (2019) J Agric Food Chem 67:3761-3771

Presenter:
Dominique Michaud

Procesos y Servicios de Filtracion, S.L. is the exclusive distributor in Spain and Portugal of all products for the food and beverage industry of Sartorius-Stedim Biotech Gmbh. WE ARE SPECIALISTS IN FILTRATION PROCESSES FOR WINE, WATER AND BEER and have more than 20 years of experience.

Presenters:
Carlos Ignacio Yañes & Luis Fernando Zambrano

The Technology Infusion Spiral® (TIS®) is a unique and highly innovative tool. Its industrial design was conceived to maximize the contact surface between the wood and the beer, allowing for a high performance in the short maturation times required by the industry.

During this Workshop we will share the various ways TIS® can be applied within the brewing process and some real customer experiences. We will also announce the results obtained at KU Leuven after more than 6 months of trials.

OIS&Associates LLC, exclusive worldwide distributor of the TIS®, invites you to participate in this workshop to better understand the great opportunities that TIS® offers to the dynamic and innovative brewing  industry.