Beer part 4: Fermentation Flashcards
What family do yeast belong to?
Fungus.
Fungi are the principal decomposers of the ecological kingdom
How many subclasses of yeast are there?
3 - one is saccharomycetacea, this contains 4 groups, one of which is saccharomycoidea
What is the genus saccharomyces?
Within the saccharomycoidea group, it contains 41 species.
One of the species covers all the brewing and baking yeasts
What are the 3 main yeasts for brewing?
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (top fermenting ales) Saccharomyces Pastorianus (bottom fermenting - lagers) Brettanomyces (wild beers and lambics)
What is yeast responsible for in brewing?
- Metabolic processes that produce ethanol, CO2 (important for 2ndary fermentation)
- A range of other metabolic by-products that contribute to the flavour and finish of beer
- There are hundreds of varieties/strains of the brewing species of yeast, different ones have different alcohol tolerances (8-16%)
- Saccharomyces Cerevisiae has been sequenced and the relationships between the strains have been identified
How does yeast contribute to beer flavour?
- Comes from the esters produced during yeast metabolism
- These esters are the same compounds we smell as fruit ripens
Why does yeast produce smells?
To attract fruit flies to help with dispersion of the yeasts into the environment
Why are scientists developing new yeasts?
with different flavour characteristics for beverage production such as increased banana and pear flavour for belgian style beers
How do local yeasts affect beverage?
Can change flavour of beer and wine - terroir wine regions, wild yeast of lambic beers and kveik yeasts used by home brewers in Norway
What is lager yeast?
Saccharomyces Pastorianus (formerly - Carlsbergensis)
When and where was lager yeast isolated?
Late 19th century
Carlsberg laboratories - given away freely to other breweries
Where is the genetic sequencing of lager yeast?
Early stages
What has recently been discovered regarding lager yeast?
It is a hybrid of s.Cerevisiae and S. Eubayanus
Where has S Eubayanus been found?
Discovered in the wild in Patagonia in 2011, some evidence suggesting Tibetan origin
- Also been found in Wisconsin and China
- Loves the cold
Why do some breweries use 2 yeasts?
Because they have complimentary functions e.g. rapidly fermenting strain and one that generates aromatic by-products
What yeast does Heineken use?
A proprietary yeast called A yeast - has used the same yeast for more than a century
What yeast did Heinekens H-41 beer use?
Wild yeast discovered in 2010 which is a parent of A-yeast - Most likely s-Eubayanus
Why were beers traditionally sour tasting?
Wild yeast used to ferment it added sour flavours.
Why is beer generally now not sour?
Modern yeast cultures don’t add sour compounds
How are sour flavours intentionally added to beer?
Using wild yeast or bacteria
Why is trying to create sour beers risky?
As may not create safe/nice tasting beer
Give some examples of sour beers
Berliner Weisse - A weak beer flavoured with lactobacillus, generally served with syrups to balance tart flavour
Gose - Flavoured with coriander and salt and sourced with lactobacillus
What is a Lambic style beer?
One of the best known sour beers, belgian style beer around 2-8% alcohol and is fermented spontaneously
Why does lambic beer have such a distinct flavour?
Exposed to the wild yeast and bacteria of the zenne valley in Belgium
What is the malt blend of a lambic beer?
70% barley malt and 30% unmalted wheat
Why are large amounts of hops used in a lambic beer?
Because the long inoculation and fermentation times required by wild yeast increase risk of spoilage
What type of hops do modern lambics use and why?
Old dry hops that are less hoppy and flavourful but still have antiseptic properties
How are lambic beers drunk/stored?
Rarely bottled as is
Draught releases are categorized as old or young depending on fermentation time - can be bracingly sour
What is Gueze?
Mix of one and two year old lambics, secondary fermentation happens in bottle
What is a kriek?
Lambic fermented in the presence of cherries
What are fruit lambics?
Lambic mixed with berries/grapes/stone fruits/ tropical fruits
What sour beers have been released recently?
Ones that have no real fruit or secondary fermentation - instead they use souring compounds. The flavour profile of the beer is not as good/complex as a traditional lambic
What are some new strains of yeast that have been identified in relation to wild beers?
- Cultivated from the skins of peaches
- Cultivated from a San Francisco sourdough starter
- Cultivated from plum skins
What is rogue ales bear beer?
American wild ale, brewed from yeast collected on the beard of the brew master - said to have sharp pineapple flavour
What is mikkeller beer greek brunch weasel
An imperial oatmeal stout made with cape cut chon coffee beans collected from civet droppings - pre difested inside the civet
What is the other main flavour compound besides esters?
Phenols (spice instead of fruit)
How are yeasts classified in terms of phenols?
Phenolic Off Flavour positive of negative (POF+/-)
Generally speaking what are wild yeasts in terms of phenols?
POF+
Generally speaking what are commercial yeasts in terms of phenols?
POF-
Other than wild yeasts what can cause phenolic off flavour positive?
Spoilage bacteria
What characteristics do POF+ yeast impart?
Clove like through interaction with the malt that are important for German wheat beers - brewers avoid these flavours in other beer styles.
What flavour do brettanomyces yeasts impart?
Horsey or barnyard flavours due to 4 ethyl phenol production
How can phenol compounds be controlled?
By altering sparge time, sparge temp, wort pH and chlorine levels in water
What are the 6 products of fermentation (and maturation)?
- Ethanol (alcohol) C2H5OH
- Higher alcohols, also known as Fusel alcohols, e.g. propanol, butanol, amyl alcohol
- Organic acids formed (both volatile and non-volatile)
- Esters from interaction of organic acids and alcohols
- Aldehydes - add flavour
- Ketones - add flavour
Does ethanol add flavour to the beer?
Doesn’t directly have flavour but influences flavour delivery of other constituents
How do Fusel alcohols have an effect on flavour?
These will vary the alcohol perception but also introduce medicinal or fuel smells - the higher the fermentation temp, the higher the production of fusel alcohols produced. Also includes phenolic compounds.
How do organic acids effect beer flavour?
Includes fatty acids that affect both stability and flavour.
How do esters affect beer flavour?
Interaction of organic acids and alcohol e.g. ethyl acetate, these add to flavour. In beers only good in small amounts - excess leeds to off flavours, can also turn to off flavours at higher temps.
Why does sterilisation occur and when?
- Essential to all post boil steps
- Boiled wort is a sugar solution so ideal for microorganisms to thrive in
How can sterilisation be carried out?
- Boiling of bottles
- Washing equipment in sodium metabisulphite (kills microorganisms)
- Iodine/bleach/specialists sterilisation chemicals
What happens to equipment following sterilisation?
rinsed to remove flavour of sterilizing chemicals
What must happen to all equipment coming into contact with the boiled wort?
Sterilised
How does the pitching of yeast occur?
- Important to sterilise vessels before yeast is added, many other microorganisms which could feed off wort
- sterilise anything coming into contact with wort
- yeast can be prestarted into a liquid form for more rapid mixing or added directly to wort in powder form
What does yeast require/ the wort need to provide for yeast to grow and multiply after pitching?
- A carbon source (fermentable sugars)
- A nitrogen source (amino acids) - aids growth and metabolism
- Growth factors (vitamins)
- Inorganic ions (minerals)
- Oxygen
- Water
What are the 2 ways that yeast ferments/metabolises sugar?
- Aerobic (with oxygen) - products = co2 and h20 (initial growth and multiplication)
Aerobic yields enough energy for yeast colony to multiply
-Anaerobic (without oxygen) - product = co2 and ethyl alcohol (ethanol) - eventually ethanol becomes toxic to yeast
Anaerobic doesn’t provide enough energy for yeast multiplication
What are the 4 phases in the fermentation life cycle?
- lag phase
- growth phase
- fermentation phase
- Sedimentation phase
What is the lag phase in fermentation of the wort?
1st stage
- Here the yeast strives to reproduce as fast as possible, the key growth ingredient is glycogen, contained within the yeast, which is broken down to glucose to fuel the yeast. Yeast low in glycogen or an insufficient amount leads to different flavours in the beer