What Issues Should Be Paid Attention To When Brewing Craft Beer

As consumers pursue more flavor, quality and personalization, craft beer is developing rapidly around the world, especially in the Chinese market, which has set off an unprecedented brewing boom. Different from the standardization and large-scale mass production of industrial beer, craft beer focuses on the diversity of raw materials, the richness of flavor and the uniqueness of brewing technology, and emphasizes that "every drop is worth savoring."

Material selection stage: the quality of raw materials directly affects the flavor of beer

1.1 Selection and storage of malt

Malt is the main sugar source of beer, and its variety and quality directly determine the flavor, color and taste of wort. Craft beer usually uses a mixture of multiple malts, such as basic malt, caramel malt, black malt, special malt, etc.

Precautions:

To avoid moisture and mold, malt should be stored in a dry, ventilated and light-proof environment;

When grinding, the particle size should be controlled moderately to avoid too fine grinding to cause saccharification and filtration difficulties.

1.2 Type of hops and time of addition

Hops bring bitterness and aroma to beer and have a natural preservative effect. Common types include bitter types (such as Magnum), aromatic types (such as Cascade) and dual-purpose types (such as Centennial).

Precautions:

Bitter hops should be added early in the boiling process, and aromatic hops should be used in the later stage or dry hopping;

Storage must be refrigerated or frozen to avoid oxidation;

The amount of addition should be precisely controlled, otherwise it may cause an imbalance in bitterness.

Saccharification stage: Saccharification process determines saccharification rate and brewing stability

Saccharification is the process of converting starch in malt into fermentable sugars through heating and enzymatic hydrolysis. It is one of the key steps in the formation of the flavor and alcohol content of the entire beer.

2.1 Water quality control is crucial

Water accounts for more than 90% of beer, and water quality will affect the taste, color and even fermentation effect of beer.

Notes:

Residual chlorine needs to be removed from brewing water to avoid affecting yeast growth;

Different styles of beer have different requirements for water hardness (Ca2+, Mg2+);

The pH value is preferably controlled at 5.2~5.6, which can be adjusted with lactic acid or acidified malt.

2.2 Temperature curve and saccharification time control

The activity of starch decomposing enzymes is different at different temperatures. Improper temperature control will lead to low saccharification efficiency or unreasonable sugar distribution.

Notes:

Normal saccharification temperature stage: 50°C (protein decomposition) → 63~65°C (β-amylase) → 72°C (α-amylase) → 78°C (termination);

The saccharification time is generally 60~90 minutes, depending on the malt characteristics and target beer body;

Using an automatic temperature-controlled saccharification pot helps achieve precise control.

Boiling and cooling: sterilization, bitterness formation and cooling efficiency control

3.1 Thermal stability management during boiling

Boiling can not only sterilize and evaporate odors, but also realize the isomerization bitterness formation of hops.

Notes:

The boiling time is usually 60~90 minutes. Too short will affect bitterness, and too long will increase energy consumption;

Overflow and over-oxidation should be avoided during the boiling process;

The time of adding hops should be accurately controlled to stably achieve flavor design.

3.2 Cooling efficiency determines yeast survival and subsequent fermentation quality

After boiling, the wort must be quickly cooled to about 20°C to inoculate yeast and avoid contamination.

Notes:

Using a plate heat exchanger can quickly cool the wort within 5~15 minutes;

Cooling water should be clean source water or a circulating cooling system;

Ensure that the cooled wort has sufficient oxygen to facilitate yeast metabolism.

Brewing an excellent craft beer is by no means a simple "recipe + equipment" stacking, but an art of precise control of every detail. From material selection to filling, every link may become a key point affecting flavor and quality. Especially for the selection and use of beer equipment, it is directly related to production efficiency, quality stability and cost control. As a professional beer equipment manufacturer in China, we are well aware of the technical and process requirements of craft brewing, and provide a full set of solutions covering saccharification system, fermentation system, refrigeration system, filling equipment and intelligent control, helping customers to build an efficient and stable craft brewery from 0 to 1.

Welcome to contact us for more brewing technology information, equipment selection suggestions and project cooperation plans.