Beer filtration and treatment - challenges and solutions

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Beer filtration

Kieselguhr or cross-flow filtration are common filtration processes to remove almost all yeast and other unwanted substances that can spoil your beer.

Beer filtration 640x360

Challenge

  • Oxidation during beer filtration

Solutions

Outcome

  • Deaerated water prevents oxygen pick-up during filtering to help preserve beer quality
  • Separators help reduce frequency of CIP and use of consumables
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Gas blending, alcohol adjustment, additives

Carbon dioxide is natural to the brewing process and it is important to ensure its concentration at optimal level for perfect beer texture and taste.

cerveza industria ALfa Laval

Challenges

  • Low CO2 concentration in the fermenter 
  • Need for different CO2 concentrations in final products 
  • Slow and imprecise equipment

Outcome

  • Precise CO2 inline injection
  • Equalization of CO2 concentration on demand
  • Individual settings for recipes can be stored
  • N2 injection on demand (for thick creamy beer)
  • Alcohol/Plato content adjustment with deaerated water
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Mixing in bright beer tanks

Mixing in bright beer tanks (BBT) is required for batch dosing and homogenization or when you want to create products such as Shandy or Radler.

Soft drink production 640x360

Challenge

  • Re-fermentation in bottle (when yeast and sugar dosing before bottle conditioning)

Outcome

  • Fast blending for active tank homogenization
  • Mobile unit (can be moved between tanks)

 

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Brewing equipment for alcohol removal

It is estimated that by 2020 as much as 20% of all beer sold will fall into the 'healthy' category, i.e. with alcohol content removed and is an area that needs to be addressed by all brewers as they offer new products to consumers.

Botellas de cerveza

Challenge

  • Need to address low alcohol market

Outcome

  • Reduction of harmful thermal impact
  • Minimum loss of flavour
  • Generation of reverse osmosis (RO) water
  • Simple plug-in process

 

  

Outcome

  • Efficiently and gently in a single-pass to produce full-flavoured beers
  • Simple to add non-alcoholic brewing capability without the need for major capital investment
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Pasteurization of craft beer

Pasteurization (ie high temperature) is the classic method to destroy micro-organisms in the final step before beer packaging.

Beer and cider production 640x360

Challenges

  • Microbiological instability
  • Oxygen pick up during transfer/process

Outcome

  • All micro-organisms destroyed
  • Regulates and pasteurizes variable flows
  • No CO2 breakup during high temperature stage
  • Hygienic and compact
  • Individual recipes can be stored
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Sterile filtration

Many breweries now choose sterile filtration as an alternative to pasteurization, because this makes it possible to remove undesirable microorganisms before the beer is filled into bottles or kegs.

Boston Beer case 640x360

Challenges

  • Micro-organisms can affect beer quality and taste
  • Thermal treatment may cause degradation

Outcome

  • 100% bacteria retention without thermal degradation
  • No effects on your product’s flavour
  • Low oxygen pick-up at start-up and close to zero product losses
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