Key Points for Successful Beer Fermentation

Brewing Nature

Why is it important to homebrew or use professional equipment to brew craft beer for commercial use? because of the small batches and flexibility of home brewing, the brewer is free to make certain changes, additions, and manipulations to the fermentation process (adding sugar to increase alcohol production). The fermentation of professional equipment cannot be adjusted.

Sugar Content

Remember, sugar is a source of alcohol. No sugar, no fermentation, no alcohol. So, the more sugar the better. To some extent, this is true. But two aspects of the choice of yeast to use play an important role here – sugar tolerance and alcohol tolerance. Alcohol tolerance is the percentage of ABV at which yeast die due to the presence of excess alcohol and sugar tolerance is the percentage of Brix at which yeast die due to excess sugar. The high concentration of sugar acts as a desiccant and “draws water” from the yeast cells, and in the process, the yeast cells dehydrate and die.

So, the best solution to adjust the sugar content of the wort during beer brewing is to increase the initial wort concentration (OG) instead of adding sugar to the wort.

Yeast Used

As mentioned in the previous step, two aspects of the yeast will affect the fermentation process from the start – alcohol tolerance and sugar tolerance. Brewing low-alcohol beers, where there is only enough sugar in the wort to produce a 9% ABV beer, does not must the use of 18% ABV-tolerant yeast. But when brewing beer or spirits with high alcohol content, using yeast with low alcohol tolerance will affect the activity of yeast during fermentation, resulting in failure or insufficient fermentation.

The PH Of The Wort

As with sugar tolerance and alcohol tolerance, each type of yeast has an optimal pH environment for effectiveness, although this is usually related to the ingredients. When the pH value of the wort of beer before fermentation is usually 5.2-5.6, as the fermentation progresses, the pH continues to drop. So check the cold wort pH before fermentation starts to make sure it doesn’t affect the fermentation process.

Enough Oxygen In The Fermenter

Yeast produces energy through its metabolism during the fermentation process through aerobic and anaerobic stages. In an aerobic environment, yeast respires and reproduces. This allows us to use small amounts of yeast in large batches. So, for a beer with insufficient oxygen content, it is necessary to perform wort oxygenation before the fermentation process. But the fermentation of most beer is isolated from the air, that is, in closed fermenters. Because this allows the yeast to force fermentation after all the oxygen in the tank has been consumed, creating a carbon dioxide-rich environment.

Fermentation Temperature

In general, ales (18°C-22°C) are almost always fermented at higher temperatures than lagers (7°C-16°C).

In a sense, the heat acts as a catalyst, causing the particles in the beer to become more active and move faster. The hotter the beer, the faster the yeast can consume the sugar and convert it into alcohol and CO2.But high temperatures can also create a number of problems.

• Fusel Alcohols

Warmer temperatures cause yeast to produce more fusel alcohols, which are particularly strong alcohols that can give a beer a burn when you taste it. It’s often compared to cheap booze that overpowers the flavors of beer’s key ingredients.

• Acetaldehyde

Warm yeast can also promote the production of more acetaldehyde. This occurring compound is present in trace amounts as part of normal fermentation, but too much can lead to green apple flavors in beer.

Following the above steps in the planning and execution of beer fermentations will reduce the possibility of fermentation problems, as well as better alcohol yields and better flavor profiles.