What changes will happen to craft beer after it is boiled?

Craft beer equipment needs to be boiled during the brewing process, during which some fantastic changes occur. But for some friends who are new to craft beer, they don’t know what changes will happen.

Changes in the wort when it is boiled

• Dissolution and transformation of hops;

• Formation and separation of protein-polyphenol complexes;

• Water evaporation;

• Wort sterilization;

• Destruction of enzymes;

• The color of the wort increases;

• The acidity of wort increases;

• The formation of reducing substances;

• Content of volatile substances in wort.

1.Dissolution and transformation of hops

• Hop resin or hop bitter substances;

• Hop oil;

• Hop polyphenols.

2.Formation and separation of protein-polyphenol complexes

Whether it is the polyphenols in hops or malt, they will be completely dissolved in the wort and combined with the proteins in the wort, but some of the polyphenols exist in an oxidized state, and the molecular size of the proteins is also different, so there will be different complex of properties.

The complexes formed by protein and polyphenols and protein and oxidized polyphenols do not dissolve when heated, and are precipitated in the form of coagulates when the wort is boiled, so it should be separated from the wort as much as possible.

3.Water evaporation

The more intense the boiling, the more intense the movement of the wort, and the more intense the evaporation of water, so the amount of water evaporation is directly related to the precipitation of protein.

But excessive evaporation not only consumes water and energy, but also costs, so everyone should avoid boiling overtime when boiling.

4.Wort sterilization

We cannot avoid bacteria entering the wort during the brewing process, and boiling can kill these microorganisms.

5.Wort color rise

Oxidation of the melanoids and polyphenols formed during boiling increases the color of the wort.

6.Wort acidity rises

During the boiling process, the acid melanoids formed and the acidic substances introduced by the hops will increase the acidity of the wort.

As the acidity rises, the pH in the wort will decrease, which will allow many important processes to proceed faster and be more conducive to the production of craft beer.

7.Volatile content in wort

Dimethyl sulfide is a volatile compound whose content affects the flavor of craft beer. Appropriate amount is beneficial to the flavor of craft beer, while too much content will make the flavor of craft beer incorrect.

Therefore, the boiling temperature and boiling time must be strictly implemented in accordance with the regulations.