University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines

Chem 326 – Industrial Microbiology

Production of Beer
Babida, Niña Grace
Casiño, Jean Pearl
Gamay, Kresley
Jabunan, Eloida Jean
Pahuyo, Helms Christian

OBJECTIVES
The aim of this experiment is to determine and review the production of beer. The
experiment also addresses the following objectives:

• To monitor the viability of yeast during different stages of craft beer production
and to describe their role along with other ingredients, malt extract and hops;
• To learn about the different stages of the brewing process and to apply the
scientific method to the brewing process;
• And learning appropriate preventive food processing practices to apply to beer
production.

THEORY
Beers have been one of the go-to alcoholic beverages in occasions or events
ever since. With this, there have been different of types of beer depending on the place
it is produced and from what ingredient it is made. Examples of these types of beers
are sake in Japan from rice, pulque in Mexico from agave, bouza in Africa from corn,
etc (Young, 2021). Having these various beers in different locations, the process in
making these alcoholic beverage does not really differ from each other.

Beer is an alcoholic aqueous beverage made from various microbial

fermentation of certain raw materials. Some of these raw materials are water, hop,
malt, yeast, and adjuncts (Ejikeugwu, 2020). The production of beers has evolved
through time from simple fermentation to modern brewing mechanization. The modern
brewing process involves malting, steeping, kilning, milling, mashing, wort boiling and
fermentation, and conditioning or aging then bottling (Ejikeugwu, 2020). The process
in summary converts grain starches to sugar, extraction of sugar with water, to
fermentation with yeast producing the alcoholic beverage (Young, 2021).

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 University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines
Chem 326 – Industrial Microbiology

Furthermore, the brewing process has many stages. This process starts with
mashing, in which barley malt and brewing water are mixed, and heating of the slurry.
In this process, the enzymes that are found in the malt break down starch and proteins,
and formation of mixture of sugars, peptides, and amino acids takes place. A malt has
a variety of carbohydrates. It is composed of cellulose and soluble hemicellulose,
dextrin, starch, and sugars. About 50-60% of the weight of the malt is attributed to
starch, which is composed of amylose. Amylose decomposes into maltose,
maltotriose, and amylopectins during mashing. These saccharide units decompose
into glucose molecules. It is important to note that during mashing, the conversion of
starch into low-molecular weight fermentable sugars and unfermentable higher
molecular weight dextrin plays an important role. In addition to that, there are important
factors that need to be considered as they influence the enzymatic breakdown of the
starch molecules. These factors are time, temperature, and pH. Also, alpha- and beta-
amylase, the principal enzymes, have different pH and temperature operating range.
During the brewing process, the composition of the mash and the ratio of fermentable
and non-fermentable sugars are controlled by the difference in temperature optimum.
In the course of the mashing process, high operating temperature results to greater
proportion of unfermentable dextrins in the liquor. In contrast, during mashing, lower
operating temperatures result to formation of more fermentable sugars that leads to a
higher alcohol production during fermentation (Beddows, 2015).

PROCESS

A. Malting
Barley strains are sometimes better suited for fodder than for brewing. In
malting, the process begins with cleaning the barley grains; broken barley grains as
well as foreign grains, sand, metal parts, and so on, are removed. The grains are then
soaked in water at 10-15ºC. Because the grain absorbs water and eventually
increased in volume by about 4%, respiration of the embryo started as soon as water
is absorbed. To prevent grain spoilage, the spring water where micro-organisms
mostly evolved, is changed about every 12 hours for two to three days until the
moisture content of the grain is about 45%.
The grains are then dehumidified and transferred to either a malting floor or
rotary drum for germination. The heat generated by the sprouts further accelerated the

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Chem 326 – Industrial Microbiology

germination. At intervals, warm, moist air is blown through beds about 30 cm deep
with germinating seedlings or by sprinkling. The plant hormone gibberellic acid, which
is supplied to the grains to speed up germination, prompted the aleurone layer at the
grain periphery to produce multiple hydrolytic enzymes, which were then diffused into
the endosperm of the grain center where the synthesis of hemicellulose and alpha-
amylase enzymes took, and the existent of beta-amylase bound to proteins and
released by proteolytic enzymes took place.

The production or modification of enzymes is completed in four to five days of

the growth of the seedling; the extent is roughly judged by the sweet taste developed
in the grain and by the length of the young feather. Further reactions in the grain are
stopped by kilning, which consists of first heating the green malt in a kiln at a relatively
mild temperature until the moisture content is reduced from about 40% to about 6%.
The heating temperature depends on the type of beer being made. At the end of the
malting, some changes in the gross composition of the barley grain occur. The rootlets
are removed and used as they have been stored for considerable periods of time prior
to use.
B. Cleaning and Milling of Malt
The barley is carried transported to the top of the brew tower. Subsequent
processes in the brewing process take place on lower floors, with storage and bottling
typically taking place on the ground floor. Gravity is used to transport the materials in
this manner, and no pumping is required. The barley malt is cleaned of dirt and passed
over a magnet at the top of the brew tower to remove metal parts, particularly iron. It
is then ground.
During the mashing process, malt particles are exposed to the hydrolytic action
of malt enzymes via milling. The greater the extract from the malt, the finer the
particles. However, excessive particles impede filtration and waste time is wasted.
Therefore, the brewer must find a particle size compromise that allows for maximum
extraction while maintaining a reasonable filtration rate. Regardless of what is chosen,
the shredding is done in a way that preserves the husks that help with filtration while
reducing the endosperm to fine granules.

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 University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines
Chem 326 – Industrial Microbiology

C. Mashing
In this process, the enzymes are reactivated and were used to hydrolyze starch
and proteins, releasing nutrients for yeast nutrition. The soluble part of the malt is
utmost extracted, while the insoluble parts of the malt and additives are enzymatically
hydrolyzed. Mashing is done with three broad methods- decoction, infusion, and
double-mashing.
In the case of decoctions, the temperature of the mash is gradually increased
from 35-37°C to 70-75°C. About a third of the initial mash is removed, transferred to
the mash tun and slowly heated to boiling. Another portion is removed, boiled and
returned to the mash tun while the mash temperature is raised during the process.
While the starch granules are being cooked, gelatinized and exposed, the enzymes
have already been destroyed. Another portion is then removed, boiled and returned.
In this way, the process can be a one, two or three mash process, with the initial
temperature of 35-40°C favoring proteolysis; the mash is kept at 50°C for about half
an hour for complete proteolysis, at 60-65°C for about an hour for saccharification and
production of maltose, and at 70-75°C for two or three hours for dextrin production.

For the production of top-fermented beers, the infusion process is carried out
in a mash tun. The process involves milling malt and a smaller amount of unmalted
grain. The ground material or grist is thoroughly mixed with hot water in a 2:1 weight
ratio to produce a thick, mushy mash and the temperature is carefully raised and
maintained at about 65 for a period of time which varies from 30 minutes to °C held
for a few hours. On average, the holding time is 1-2 hours. More hot water at 75-78C
is sprayed onto the mash to preserve as much extract as possible and stop the enzyme
action.

In the double mashing process, the ground malt is mashed with hot water at
35°C. It is then held during protein rest for one hour for proteolysis. The supplements
are then cooked in a supplemental cooker for 60-90 minutes. Sometimes about 10%
malt is added during cooking. Hot cooked additive is then added to the ground malt
mash to raise the temperature to 65-68°C for starch hydrolysis and held at this level
for about half an hour. The temperature is then raised to 75°C-80°C, after which the
mashing is stopped. During the starch hydrolysis, the completion of the process is
checked with the iodine test.

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Chem 326 – Industrial Microbiology

D. Mash Separation
At the end of mashing, husks and other insoluble materials are removed from
the wort in two steps. First, the wort is separated from the solids. Second, the solids
themselves are freed from any further extractable material by washing or rinsing with
hot water. The skins and other solids from the mash are sieved into a lauter tub, which
is a vessel with a perforated false bottom about 10mm above the bottom proper, on
which the skins themselves form a bed through which filtration takes place. The Nooter
Strain Master, a tool commonly used in large breweries, is also used when filtration is
through a bed formed by the trays through a series of triangular perforated tubes
placed at different heights of the bed. Cloth filters placed in betwen plate filters and
screen centrifuges are also used. The sparging or hot water rinsing of the mash solids
is done with water at about 80°C and is continued until the extraction is considered
complete.,
E. Wort Boiling
Once a brewer has wort, it is sterilized by a lengthy boiling process in a kettle;
this stopped the enzyme activity and the liquid is then condensed. During the boiling,
which lasted 60-90 minutes, the hops are added after using the corn syrup or sucrose
as an additive at the beginning of the boiling process. Agitation and circulation of the
wort was also performed during boiling to increase the amount of precipitation and
flaking.
The hot wort is then prepared for pre-fermentation where it was not directly
passed into the fermentation tanks and the added dried hops are removed in a hop
sieve. During boiling, proteins and tannins are precipitated while the liquid is still warm.
The warm precipitation known as trub, which consists of 50-60% protein, 16-20% hop
resins, 20-30% polyphenols and around 3% ash, is then removed either with a
centrifuge or a vortex separator. The separated wort is cooled in a heat exchanger
and is ready for fermentation.
F. Fermentation
When transferring the fermenter, the wort was oxygenated at about 8 mg/liter
wort to provide the yeasts with the oxygen they need for initial growth; Fermentation
took place in a stainless-steel vat. The chilled wort is then pumped or gravity fed into
fermentation tanks and yeast is inoculated or added at a rate of 7-15 x 106 yeast cells
per milliliter collected from the previous brew.

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 University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines
Chem 326 – Industrial Microbiology

G. Lagering (Bottom-Fermented Beers) And Treatment (Top-Fermented

Beers)
Lagering. At the end of the primary fermentation, the fermented beer, known as
green beer with a sharp and bitter taste, was stored in closed vats at low temperature
of 0ºC for periods of up to six months for maturation. During storage, an induced
secondary fermentation took place, in which yeasts were added at intervals and sugar
was used in the green beer. The secondary fermentation saturated the beer with CO2,
followed by the rate of CO2 escaping from a safety valve as the secondary
fermentation progressed. Actively fermenting wort or Krauss was also added. The
inadmissible flavor of the added materials in the presence of diacetyl, hydrogen
sulfide, mercaptans, and acetaldehyde in green beer were then reduced by
evaporation. Storage lasted up to nine months; The beer was stored at high
temperature of 14 °C to further shorten the lagering time. The beer is then chilled to
2°C to remove chill haze materials and was then carbonated. The lagering time is then
reduced from 2 months to 10 days. The beer, which is cloudy due to protein-tannin
complexes and yeast cells, is then filtered through kieselguhr or a membrane filter.
Beer Treatment. Top-fermented beers were treated either in casks at the end
of fermentation with a load of 0.2-4.00 million yeast cells/ml or in bottles. The beer is
then prepared by adding a small amount of sugar mixed with caramel to enhance the
taste and appearance. The yeasts cultivate the sugar and the beer is carbonated.
Hops were also added at intervals during this phase. It is stored at about 15°C for
seven days or less. After priming, the beer is fined by adding isinglass, a gelatinous
material from the swim bladder of fish, and the yeast cells, tannins and protein-tannin
complexes are precipitated. The beer is then pasteurized and sold.
H. Packaging
The beer is transferred to pressurized tanks, from where it is distributed to cans,
bottles and other containers where any contact with oxygen or contaminants was
prohibited. Craft beer is brewed in tanks under a CO2 atmosphere and bottled under
CO2 counter-pressure. The bottles are thoroughly washed with hot water and caustic
soda before filling. The bottles are passed through a pasteurizer set to heat the bottles
to 60°C for half an hour. The bottles take about half an hour to reach pasteurization
temperature, remain in the pasteurizer for half an hour and take another half hour to
cool down.

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 University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines
Chem 326 – Industrial Microbiology

CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, making alcoholic beverages such as beer with the use of grains
and malt sauces from barley farm is a good way to get a gluten-free beer. In this sense,
sorghum malt was used in the experiment though it didn’t receive much recognition as
a brewing material it is somewhat ideal for beer-making for it is cheap, safe, and
available year-round in multiple countries. Sorghum malt’s abundance of alpha-
amylase is a critical concern for brewers because it digests large polymer of glucose
into small units which need further digestion by beta-amylase. The above process
makes it possible to produce beer from sorghum and sorghum malt with acceptable
sensory properties, a color suitable for commercial beer, and without the need for
additional carbon dioxide.

REFERENCES
Beddows, C. (2015, July 31). The Chemistry Behind Beer Flavor. Retrieved from
Elsevier SciTechConnect: https://scitechconnect.elsevier.com/chemistry-
behind-beer-
flavor/#:~:text=Brewing%20is%20a%20multistage%20process,and%20amino
%20acids%20are%20formed.

Ejikeugwu, C. (2020, June 25). Microbiology of Beer Production. Microbiology Class.

https://microbiologyclass.com/microbiology-of-beer-production

Young, T. W. (2021, November 1). beer. Encyclopedia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/beer

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