Beer Processing Application

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The process of beer making requires adherence to strict standards in order to create a quality beer with uniform consistency and flavor from bottle to bottle. While the process involves three main steps -- brewing, fermentation and clarification -- during the third step, microfiltration plays a crucial role in producing a superior product.

Controlling particulate and microbial levels are essential for maintaining the quality, consistency, and taste of your product. Merck provides you with the tools, technologies and expertise you need to make your process safer and more efficient every step of the way.

While production processes may vary depending on the type of beer you’re producing, the basic process for making beer remains the same.

Beer Processing Steps

The process of beer making involves several steps and a series of chemical reactions in order to produce a quality product.

Yeast Propagation
A complex series of biochemical reactions must take place to convert barley to fermentable sugars, allowing yeast to live and multiply, eventually converting those sugars to alcohol.

After the sugar solution has been prepared in the brewing house, yeast is added. The yeast will absorb simple sugars, turning them into carbon dioxide and alcohol.

The purity of the yeast strain used to produce your beer is key to its quality and consistency. Before "pitching", or adding the yeast, it’s essential that the air vented in the container where the yeast is being propagated be free of microorganisms so that the culture does not spoil.

Due to the different range of esters that are produced, the taste of your beer is determined by the beer yeast culture.

Trap Filtration
Trap filtration is an essential step for retaining diatomite particles and PVPP fines after diatomite filter clarification and PVPP stabilization. This step prevents the diatomite particles and contaminated yeast from ruining the current batch, as well as future batches.

Cold Sterile Filtration
Cold sterile filtration is an alternative technology to thermal pasteurization. Pasteurization is a traditional method used to inactivate spoilage bacteria, which is based on heating the product to a specific temperature for a pre-determined period of time. However, using pasteurization presents a greater risk of damaging the flavor of the product.

Cold sterile filtration effectively removes the spoilage microorganisms and particles without damaging the flavor of the product, allowing the product to be processed safely while maintaining freshness.

Carbon Dioxide Adjustment
Carbon dioxide adjustment is a process specific to beer processing. The level of carbon dioxide that already exists in beer due to the fermenting process and yeast propagation, along with the added carbon dioxide, must be adjusted appropriately to ensure a quality product.

Filling: Bottle Washer and Bottle Filler
Rinse water polishing ensures a good microbiological and particulate quality of the bottle prior to filling. It is essential that the water used be contaminant free.

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