Check your expert knowledge

How good is your expert knowledge when it comes to beer brewing? Whether craftsmanship or extensive expertise in the field of microbiology and food chemistry: A brewer needs the knowledge and overview of the manufacturing process. Therefore, the questions cover a broad range of facts which a professional brewer should be familiar with.

1. One result of the following water analysis disqualifies this water for brewing pale beers:

a) Nitrate: 22 mg/l b) pH-value: 7.0 c) p-value: 0.3 d) Residual alkalinity: < 2 o dH

2. Besides ethanol, a lot of so-called by-products are formed during fermentation. Which of the following substances are no fermentation by-product formed by yeast?

a) Ketone b) Ester c) Acetic acid d) Higher alcohols

3. Which factors have a significant influence on the CO 2 binding capacity of beer?

a) Bunging pressure b) Beer colour c) Storage temperature d) Yeast strain

4.The Thiobarbituric Acid Index (TBI) indicates

a) the thermal load of the wort b) the shear stress intake during mash stirring c) how much dimethyl sulphide (DMS) has been released during wort boiling d) the yield of bitter substances

5. The latin term for the top-fermenting brewery yeast is

a) Saccharomyces cerevisiae b) Saccharomyces carlsbergensis c) Saccharomycodes ludwigii d) Saccharomyces diastaticus

6. What is the correct chemical formula for carbonic acid?

a) b) c) d) H 2 CO H 2 CO 2 H 2 CO 3 H 2 CO 4

7. Which ingredients are mainly removed from the beer by stabilisation with PVPP?

a) Yeast cells only b) Proteins c) Tannins d) Ethanol

8.What is the meaning of „gushing“?

a) Gushing is a special type of high gravity brewing

Photo: ew

b) Gushing is a quality problem which is described by spontaneous overfoaming of bottled beer immediately after opening c) Gushing is a disinfection procedure by foam which is used with bottling lines d) Gushing is a special brewing process with accelerated fermentation

9. Which raw materials/additives are not allowed for brewing according to the German Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot)?

a) Pre-isomerised hop products b) Hop extract c) Kieselguhr (diatomaceous earth) d) Saccharomyces cerevisiae

10. Which of the following measures is appropriate to lower the oxygen content in the final beer?

a) Stop the aereation of wort before pitching b) Mixing the kieselguhr dosage with beer c) Using sterile air as counterpressure gas d) Pumping the mash into the lauter tun from the bottom

11. The oxygen content of the wort before pitching should be

a) b) c) d) 7 to 10 g O 2 /l 7 to 10 µg O 2 /l 7 to 10 g O 2 /hl 7 to 10 mg O 2 /l

12. Which option is inappropriate to increase the CO 2 content of a beer?

a) To extend the storage time for 4 weeks b) To carbonise the beer in the storage tank c) To blend it with beers with a higher CO 2 content d) To carbonise the beer after filtration

Answers

1. a) Nitrate is toxic for the yeast cells and causes a low cell multiplication and a weak fermentation. Concentrations of more than 20 mg/l nitrate in the finished wort should be avoided.

2. c) Acetic acid is usually not formed during the alcoholic fermentation. If acetic acid is present in beer in significant amounts, it is usually caused by microbiological contamination or oxidative effects.

3. a, c) Under normal conditions the solubility of gas in a liquid is a pure physical process which is described by Henry’s law. The solubility of carbondioxide (CO 2 ) in beer increases with decreasing temperature and increasing pressure. 4. a) The Thiobarbituric Acid Index (TBI) is a dimensionless index for the thermal load of malt and wort. An increasing TBI indicates usually a lower flavour stability of the finished beer.

5. a)

6. c) Top-fermenting brewery yeasts belong to the variety Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Saccharomyces carlsbergensis is an (older) name for bottom-fermenting brewery yeast. Saccharomyces diastaticus is similar to S. Cerevisiae but as a so-called „wild yeast“ not wanted in the brewery. Saccharomycodes Ludwigii is a special yeast for bottom-fermenting beer with low alcohol content.

Carbonic acid is the reaction product of CO 2 (the gas) and water: CO 2 +H 2 O ↔ H 2 CO 3 .

7. c) Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) is a proteine-like polymer which removes phenol-containing substances from the beer e.g. Tannins, which is a high-molecular polyphenol. These polyphenols can form complexes with proteins which result in hazes in the final beer.

8. b) The phenomenon gushing is not totally clarified. The reason for this spontaneous effect is mainly seen in the barley and malt qualities. In general it is a quality fault which results in customer complaints.

9. a) According to the Reinheitsgebot pre- isomerised hop products are not allowed for beer production in Germany, while the use of hop extract and hop pellets are allowed.

10. b) If the kieselguhr dosage is mixed with water it has to be degassed in order to avoid an unwanted oxygene uptake. Mixing kieselguhr with beer avoids this.

11. d) At the beginning of the fermentation process the yeast needs oxygen for growth. So the wort needs to be aerated before pitching. An oxygen level of 7 to 10 mg O 2 /l is desired. Too less aeration leads to a weak fermentation, too much aeration leads to other negative effects.

12. a) The storage time has no direct influence on the CO 2 content. Blending and carbonising are appropriate measures.

ANALYTICAL SERVICES RELATED TO HOPS, HOP PRODUCTS AND HOPPY BEER

+ Hop bitter acid analysis by conductometry, spectroscopy or HPLC

+ Determination of hop oil content and analysis of aroma compounds (terpenes, terpenoids, esters, acids, thiols etc.)

+ Analysis of hop polyphenols, xanthohumol, nitrate, and heavy metals

+ Analysis of hop derived compounds in wort and beer

VLB Berlin e.V. Research Institute for Beer and Beverage Analysis Seestrasse 13, 13353 Berlin – Germany, zentrallabor@vlb-berlin.org

www.vlb-berlin.org

 VLB NEWS

37 students of the Certified Brewmaster Course defy Corona

On January 13, this year's VLB Berlin Certified Brewmaster Course started. 37 participants from 23 nations embarked on a six-month, intensive learning program. But the biggest challenge this year was less the extensive curriculum than the start of the Corona pandemic in Germany in March.

Photo: oh

Plan B due to Corona: The lectures were now held via video conference and the students learned from home

(ew) Heike Flohr, coordinator of the Certified Brewmaster Course, and Burghard Meyer, head of the international brewery courses, welcomed the group on January 13 in the Singha room of the VLB's training and further education center. More than 20 teachers from all VLB research institutes were ready to teach students in all areas relevant to the brewery in a mix of theory and practice. Flohr once again made it clear in her welcoming speech that successful completion was not a matter of course. At the time, however, no one suspected that the 2020 course in the wake of the Corona crisis would not only have to overcome the hurdle of an extensive curriculum.

Violent cuts end of February

The course started well. The participants settled in and got used to the winter weather in Germany. On February 27, the VLB postponed its 107 th Brewing and Engineering Conference to the end of October – it was originally scheduled to take place in Leipzig from March 9 to 11. By March 14 the cancellation of the spring conference was the smallest problem for the prospective brewers from 23 differentcountries. The Berlin Senate issued an order stating that institutions offering vocational training were not allowed to conduct face-to-face courses till April 19 (which was then further extended to April 26). Due to this officialrestrictions, 13 participants returned to their home countries as a result of being immediately being ordered back by their employers or leaving voluntarily.

Lectures via video conference

Plan B had to be drawn up in a very short time – course manager Burghard Meyer and the team of lecturers reacted quickly: not only individual business areas of the VLB were relocated to the home office, the students ofthe Certified Brewmaster Course also learned from home. The lectures were now held via video conference. The theoretical part has been bundled and designed for the period up to the end of May in order to then hold all practical exercises in June and July. “We changed the timetable at short notice and brought the lectures forward. We then want to postpone the internships in our laboratories and in our Wilfried Rinke Technical Center as a compact presence module,” explains course manager Burghard Meyer. The exams take place at the end of the respective module hoping that the certificates can be handed over on July 10. The students were happy that the events continued, albeit in a different form: "Initially, I decided to come to VLB Berlin,

Photos: ew (2)

The Certified Brewmaster Course 2020 started on January 13, 37 students were looking forward to six exciting months

because I wanted to share the culture of beer with the people in Germany," said Eduardo Mirabal, a student from Venezuela. "And I have to confess that the experience being in the institute is better than having online classes. But Corona virus surprised everybody in the world. So VLB's decision to continue online was great. Because we could go on studying and in the end become certified brewmasters."

Course 2021 with a modified concept

In order to react to the currently unclear development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the upcoming Certified Brewmaster Course starts with a modified concept. The plan for the

participants is to complete a theory module online from mid-January to the end of May and then travel to Germany for the practical part in June and July. With the modified concept, the VLB is conviced that the course can take place even if the wave of illnesses has not completely subsided by the end of the year. Another division in two part has the advantage that the participants, who now had to leave in March, can do the practical exercises at the latest in the summer 2021.

Certified Brewmaster Course in the future

In the long term, however, everyone involved agrees that the Certified Brew

Burghard Meyer and the students of the Certified Brewmaster Course were able to hang up the wires in the hop garden of VLB Berlin just in time before public life came to a standstill in the wake of the corona pandemic

master Course should not be an event with an online focus. Rather, one is convinced that the success of the format is also due to the fact that theory and practice go hand in hand. In addition, the personal contact between participants from all over the world is an important element of the training. For the 2021 course, however, the decision was made to maintain the concept that had been tried and tested during the pandemic, so that interested parties can complete an English-language master brewer training regardless of the crisis. "By quickly switching to online learning, we enabled our participants to continue the course," said VLB Managing Director Dr. Josef Fontaine. "We are currently in the process of relocating this course offering to the online area for the coming year to ensure planning security for lecturers and students."

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Due to COVID-19 pandemic the Certified Brewmaster Course 2021 exceptionally takes place with a special concept. The course will be offered in 2 blocks: 1 st theory, 2 nd practice. The 1 st part will be a hybrid event, i.e. all theory lectures from January 11 to approx. MidMay will be held via video conference – but students who want to attend lectures at VLB Berlin, may do so. Extensive practical work in our laboratories will start Mid-May as a 2 nd blockevent – now, the students have to come to Berlin.

Location: Part I (Theory): Online at home or on-site at VLB Berlin Part II (Practice): On-site at VLB Berlin, Germany Next date: 11 January – 25 July 2021 Information/Registration: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/ cbc2021

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VLB course offerings 2020

Since its foundation in 1883, VLB has also been a brewing school. VLB supports the regular study programs for brewers at Technische Universität Berlin. Furthermore, it provides continuing training in the field of beer brewing and beverage technology – in German and English. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, VLB has temporarily modified some of its workshop concepts. The Certified Brewmaster Course 2021 will be a two block event. The upcoming Craft Brewing in Practice will become Craft Brewing Online.

l Certified Brewmaster Course The VLB’s flagship training course for prospective brewers contains a six-month full-time program providing in-depth understanding of brewing technology with its related major fields ofengineering, filling/ packaging and quality control. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Certified Brewmaster Course 2021 exceptionally starts with a different concept. The course will be offered in two blocks: first theory, second practice. The first part will take place as a hybrid event, i.e. all theory lectures from January 11 to approximately Mid-May will be held via video conference – but students, who want to attend lectures personally at VLB Berlin, are welcome to do so. Extensive practical work in our laboratories will

Photo: ew

start Mid-May as a second blockevent – for this block the students will have to come to Berlin. With lectures and desktop studies in the theory block, the participants will prepare themselves for the practical work in part two. Despite the Corona concept 2021, the Berlin brewmaster education is still focused on a comprehensive, practice-oriented knowledge transfer and on an open dialog with the lecturers. To receive the VLB BrewmasterCertificate, the graduates have to finish the course and all exams successfully. In addition, they have to prove a minimum of 3 months practical work in a brewery before coming to the VLB. A reasonable group size for practical work guarantees an intensive and individual teaching.

Location: Part one (Theory): Online at home or on-site at VLB Berlin Part two (Practice): On-site at VLB Berlin, Germany Next date: 11 January – 25 July 2021 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/cbc2021

l Craft Brewing Online This is a ten-day full-time training course providing up-to-date knowledge in the field of pub and micro brewing. It covers the basics of beer brewing. The lectures will approach topics such as raw materials (water, malt, hops, and yeast), the brewing process, yeast management, fermentation, hygiene, sensory evaluation, basics of quality control as well as economic and legal aspects for starting a pub brewery. Due to the Corona pandemic, the Course 2020 will be conducted as a 100 % online training.

Location: Online Next date: 14 – 25 September 2020 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/events/ craftbrewing2020

l Applied Microbiology Applied Microbiology is a oneweek full-time training course providing up-to-date knowledge in the field of practical microbiology with relevance for the brewing and beverage industry. It covers the basics of microbiology, laboratory techniques as well as microbial sampling in theory and practice. The course is conducted in the VLB’s microbiological training laboratory and in our pilot brewery. Applied Microbiology will be held as residential course. Location: Berlin, Germany Next date: 2 – 6 November 2020 More information: www.vlb-berlin.org/en/events/ microbiology2020

l Brewing in a Nutshell This 2-day course covers the basics of beer brewing. It approaches the general principals of the brewing and malting processes, the raw materials as wellas fillingand packaging in theory. A professional beer tasting completes the program. Location: Berlin, Germany Next date: December 2020 More information: www.vlb-berlin.rg/en/events/ nutshell2020