Pilot Scale Production of a Lager Beer from a Grist Containing 50% Unmalted Sorghum

Pilot scale (1000 L) brews were carried out with a grist comprising of unmalted sorghum (50% of total wet weight of grain) (South African variety) and malted barley (50% of total wet weight of grain) grist using a mashing program with rests at 50°C, 95°C and 60°C. Mashes were supplemented with a high heat stable bacterial α‐amylase, a bacterial neutral protease and a fungal α‐amylase. A control brew containing 100% malted barley was also carried out. Saccharification difficulties were encountered during mashing, and extraction of the grist was lower for the sorghum mashes. The sorghum mashes showed comparable lautering behaviour to that of the control mash. At mashing off the sorghum worts were starch positive. Apparent degree of fermentation of the sorghum gyles were less than the control gyles. Green beer filtration proved unproblematic. The sorghum beers compared quite closely with the control beer with regard to colour, pH and colloidal stability. Foam stability deficiencies were apparent with the sorghum beer. However, the fermentability of the sorghum worts were lower. Hence the sorghum beers were lower in total alcohol. Sensory analysis indicated that no significant differences existed between the sorghum beer and both the control beer and a commercial malted barley beer with regard to aroma, mouth‐feel, after‐taste and clarity. However, the sorghum beer was found to be significantly different to both of the other beers with regard to colour, initial taste and foam stability.     

Quality Assessment of a Sorghum Variety Malted Commercially under Tropical Conditions and Controlled Tropical Temperatures in the Laboratory

A sorghum variety was supplied as commercial malt and as an unmalted cereal by a maltster. The commercial sample had been malted in a tropical country. Sub‐samples of the unmalted cereal were malted in the laboratory under controlled germination temperatures of 28°C and 30°C. Laboratory and commercially malted sorghum were studied for their brewing qualities. The α‐amylase development in sorghum malt was enhanced when germination was carried out at the higher temperature of 30°C rather than at 28°C. Hot water extract (HWE) was more variable. With infusion mashing, results showed a significant difference for germination time (3–6 days), but no significant difference relating to germination temperature. With the decantation mashing method the reverse was observed. The low numerical values of HWE obtained from sorghum malt in the infusion mashing process confirmed that this process is not suitable to produce optimal extract development from malted sorghum. The 28°C germinated sorghum released more FAN products into the worts than the 30°C malt, using both the infusion and decantation methods. With regard to the parameters tested, commercially malted sorghum gave lower analytical values than laboratory malted sorghum. It was also observed that variations in malting temperatures and mashing processes can cause unexpected variations in the analyses of sorghum malt. These findings suggest that careful process control is required during the malting and mashing of sorghum.     

EXTRUDED SORGHUM AS A BREWING RAW MATERIAL

Small scale mashes (50 g total grist) with grists containing up to 50% by weight of extruded whole sorghum produced worts of high extract yield and low viscosity. Increasing the proportion of extruded sorghum in the grist resulted in decreasing wort filtration volume, total nitrogen and free amino nitrogen content. The wort filtration behaviour of mashes containing sorghum extruded at 175°C was superior to that of mashes containing sorghum extruded at 165°C or 185°C. The results from such small scale mashing experiments suggested that extruded sorghum compared favourably to extruded barley and extruded wheat as a brewing adjunct. Worts and beers were produced on a pilot brewery scale (100 1) from grists comprising 70% malt + 30% extruded sorghum and 100% malt under isothermal infusion mashing conditions. Mashes containing sorghum extruded at 175°C showed comparable wort filtration behaviour to that of the all malt control mash whereas mashes containing sorghum extruded at 165°C or 185°C showed poor wort filtration behaviour. Worts produced from grists containing extruded sorghum fermented more quickly than the control wort and attained lower values of final gravity. The resulting beers were filtered without difficulty. Beers produced from grists containing extruded sorghum contained lower levels of total nitrogen and free amino nitrogen compared to the control beer consistent with extruded sorghum contributing little or no nitrogenous material to the wort and beer. Beers brewed from grists containing extruded sorghum were of sound flavour and showed reasonable foam stability behaviour.     

Influence of malted barley and exogenous enzymes on the glucose/maltose balance of worts with sorghum or barley as an adjunct

The sugar profile of wort from laboratory malted barley, malted sorghum, unmalted barley and unmalted sorghum grains mashed with commercial enzyme preparations were studied. Similar levels of glucose to maltose (1:7) were observed in wort of malted barley and malted sorghum. Mashing barley or sorghum grains with commercial enzymes changed the glucose to maltose ratio in both worts, with a greater change in wort from sorghum grains. Although hydrolysis with commercial enzymes released more glucose from maltose in sorghum wort, the same treatment retained more maltose in barley wort. Adding malted barley to sorghum grains mashed with commercial enzymes restored the glucose to maltose ratio in sorghum mash. Fermentation of wort produced from all barley malt (ABM) mash and commercial enzyme/barley malt/sorghum adjunct (CEBMSA) mash of similar wort gravity was also studied. ABM and CEBMSA worts exhibited similar glucose to maltose ratios and similar amino acid spectra. However, ABM released more individual amino acids and five times more proline than wort from commercial enzyme/barley malt/sorghum adjunct. ABM produced 27% more glucose and 7% more maltose than CEBMSA. After fermentation, ABM mash produced 9.45% ABV whilst commercial enzyme/barley malt/sorghum adjunct mash produced 9.06% ABV. Restoration of the glucose/maltose ratio in the CEBMSA mash produced wort with a sugar balance required for high gravity brewing. © 2020 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Effect of unmalted oats (Avena sativa L.) on the quality of high-gravity mashes and worts without or with exogenous enzyme addition

Barley malt is the preferred brewing material these days because of its high extract content and high enzyme activities. However, when substituting malted barley with oats to create a unique beer flavor and aroma, endogenous malt enzymes become the limiting factor. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of 10–40 % unmalted oats on the quality of high-gravity mashes/worts and to investigate the limitations of endogenous malt enzymes as well as the benefits of the application of industrial enzymes. The enzyme mix Ondea^® Pro was found to be particularly suitable for mashing with unmalted oats and was therefore used in the present rheological tests and laboratory-scale mashing trials. In order to gain detailed information about the biochemical processes occurring during mashing, the quality of mashes was comprehensively analyzed after each mash rest using standard methods described by Mitteleuropäische Brautechnische Analysenkommission and Lab-on-a-Chip capillary electrophoresis. Mashing with up to 40 % oats resulted in increased mash consistencies, color/pH (20 °C) values, β-glucan concentrations, wort viscosities 12.0 %, and filtration times as well as decreased FAN and extract contents. The application of Ondea^® Pro enormously increased the color of worts despite lower pH values but considerably improved the quality and processability of 30 or 40 % oat-containing mashes/worts. However, the substitution of up to 20 % barley malt with unmalted oats can easily be realized without the addition of exogenous enzymes.     

Effect of malting time,mashing temperature and added commercial enzymes on extract recovery from a Nigerian malted yellow sorghum variety

Preliminary microbiological studies carried out on sorghum grains showed that the major microorganisms found were mainly bacteria and that aflatoxin‐producing fungi were not found. The effect of added commercial enzyme preparations and different infusion mashing temperatures on extract yield, from sorghum malted at 30 °C, was studied. The infusion mashing method (65 °C) developed for mashing well‐modified barley malt produces poor extract yields with sorghum malt. The extract yield from the sorghum malt in this study was very low with infusion mashing at 65 °C, without the addition of commercial enzyme preparations. A higher extract yield was obtained from the sorghum malt, without the commercial enzyme addition, when using infusion mashing at 85 °C. Both infusion mashing temperatures (65 and 85 °C) showed an improved extract yield over the control malt when commercial enzyme preparations were used during mashing of the sorghum malt. The added enzyme preparations resulted in a higher extract yield from the germinated sorghum when infusion mashing was performed at 65 °C over mashing at 85 °C. The use of individual commercial enzymes (α‐amylase, β‐glucanase, protease, xylanase, saccharifying enzyme and combinations of some hydrolytic enzyme) increased extract yields, when complemented with the enzymes that had developed in the sorghum malt. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Quality Assessment of Different Sorghum Varieties for Their Brewing Potential

Four sorghum varieties (SK 5912, KSV 4, KSV 8, ICSV 400) were malted and extracted under similar conditions to assess their quality for brewing. The results showed that, in general, the sorghum varieties had high malting loss which was attributed to the high germination temperature used. The sorghum varieties also developed low levels of amylolytic activity (α‐amylase and β‐amylase), and with similar ratios. When the sorghum malts were mashed at different temperatures with the aid of commercial enzyme preparations, it was observed that mashing temperatures were more important in sugar release than additions of commercial enzymes. This was because at the lower mashing temperature, sorghum starch was not adequately gelatinised. However, when commercial enzyme preparations were added, low levels of enzymes were very effective in reducing wort viscosity and producing free amino nitrogen (FAN). Although, both commercial enzyme preparation and mashing temperature influenced sugar production, the malts produced glucose and maltose at similar ratios. Therefore good quality malts can be produced from sorghum, however mashing will employ commercial enzymes and mashing regimes are not yet optimised.     

Optimisation of the Mashing Procedure for 100% Malted Proso Millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) as a Raw Material for Gluten‐free Beverages and Beers

Proso millet is a gluten‐free cereal and is therefore considered a suitable raw material for the manufacturing of foods and beverages for people suffering from celiac disease. The objective of this study was to develop an optimal mashing procedure for 100% proso millet malt with a specific emphasis on high amylolytic activity. Therefore, the influence of temperature and pH on the amylolytic enzyme activity during mashing was investigated. Size exclusion chromatography was used to extract different amylolytic enzyme fractions from proso millet malt. These enzymes were added into a pH‐adjusted, cold water extract of proso millet malt and an isothermal mashing procedure was applied. The temperatures and pH optima for amylolytic enzyme activities were determined. The α‐amylase enzyme showed highest activity at a temperature of 60°C and at pH 5.0, whereas the β‐amylase activity was optimum at 40°C and pH 5.3. The limit dextrinase enzyme reached maximum activity at 50°C and pH 5.3. In the subsequent mashing regimen, the mash was separated and 40% was held for 10 min at 68°C to achieve gelatinisation. The next step in the mashing procedure was the mixture of the part mashes. The combined mash was then subjected to an infusion mashing regimen, taking the temperature optima of the various amylolytic enzymes into account. It was possible to obtain full saccharification of the wort with this mashing regimen. The analytical data obtained with the optimised proso millet mash were comparable to barley wort, which served as a control.     

DEVELOPMENT OF A MASHING PROFILE FOR THE USE OF MICROBIAL ENZYMES IN BREWING WITH RAW SORGHUM (80%) AND MALTED BARLEY OR SORGHUM MALT (20%)

Different time and temperature programmes were used to evaluate the production of hot water extract (HWE) and free amino nitrogen (FAN) from mashes containing raw sorghum and either malted sorghum or malted barley in the presence of microbial enzymes. Two malted varieties of sorghum (SK 5912 and Zaria) were used. The former gave higher HWE but lower FAN than the latter. Sorghum malts were unable to provide enzyme activity for starch extraction and exogenous enzymes were always needed. Seventeen commercially available enzyme preparations were assessed. A double-mash process was developed. Inclusion of calcium ions (200 ppm) was beneficial but adjustment of mash pH had little effect. Raw sorghum was gelatinised at 100°C for 30–40 min in the presence of a heat-stable α-amylase followed by mixing with a malt mash (started at B0°C) to give a temperature of 65°C with a total mash time of 167 min (127 min from mixing the mashes). The inclusion of a single commercial enzyme preparation (containing both proteolytic and amylolytic activities) was sufficient to achieve satisfactory HWE and FAN. Addition of different activities or combinations of activities gave no significant advantages. To obtain levels of FAN of 100–140 mg/l however excessive amounts of enzymes were required.     

Current Developments in Malting and Brewing Trials with Sorghum in Nigeria: A Review

Initially, large‐scale lager beer brewing with sorghum malts proved highly intractable due to a number of biochemical problems including: high malting losses estimated at 10–30% as against 8–10% for barley; high gelatinisation temperatures which limited starch solubilisation/ hydrolysis by the amylolytic enzymes during mashing; low extract yield/low diastatic power (DP) due to inadequate hydrolytic enzyme activities especially β‐amylase; low free α‐amino nitrogen (FAN) due to inadequate proteolysis limiting yeast growth during fermentation; high wort viscosities/beer filtration problems due to low endo‐β‐1,3; 1–4‐glucanase activities on the endosperm cell walls causing the release of some β‐glucans. Strident research efforts using improved Nigerian sorghum malt varieties (SK5912, KSV8 and ICSV400) have reported some encouraging results. The knowledge of the biochemical integrity of the endo‐β‐glucanases of the sorghum malt is helping to elucidate their mode of activity in the depolymerisation of the β‐glucans. This is bound to ensure process efficiency in sorghum beer brewing, reduce beer production costs and ultimately, produce a Pilsner‐type of lager beer with 100% sorghum malt.     

Brewing with up to 40% unmalted oats (Avena sativa) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor): a review

Beer production with up to 40% unmalted cereals such as barley, wheat, rice and maize is legally allowed and thus practised in many European countries. The use of oats and sorghum as brewing adjuncts has great potential for creating new beer types/flavours and saving costs. In contrast to oats, sorghum is not as well known within Europe; however, its versatility makes it a very promising crop for exploitation in these temperate‐zone regions. This review describes the brewing‐relevant characteristics of unmalted oat and sorghum grain, investigates the role and properties of endogenous/exogenous enzymes during mashing, discusses the processability/quality of mashes, worts and beers produced with up to 40% oat or sorghum adjunct, and examines the effectiveness/limitations of endogenous enzymes as well as the benefits of the application of exogenous enzymes. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

THE PROPERTIES,COMPOSITION AND FERMENTABILITIES OF WORTS MADE FROM 100% RAW SORGHUM AND COMMERCIAL ENZYMES

A mashing regime was developed using 100% raw sorghum which enabled commercially acceptable hot water extracts to be obtained in 85 minutes with minimal use of a heat stable α-amylase and proteolytic enzymes. This gave worts of HWE 295 1°/kg, with FAN levels of about 40 mg/l and ammonium ion concentration of about 60 mg/l. Higher, but commercially unacceptable, levels of proteolytic enzymes gave worts with FAN from 84.5 to 95 (mg/l). Addition of an amyloglucosidase as the commercial preparation Amylo300L, was required to convert the HWE to fermentable extract. The addition of Amylo300L, increased the DP1, DP2 and DP3 carbohydrate fractions of the worts from 22% to more than 90% of the total, compared to about 80% for a wort made from malted barley without the use of enzymes. Two different proteolytic enzymes gave different extracts and FAN contents presumably reflecting either differences in susceptibilities of the sorghum to the two enzymes or the presence of different additional enzyme activities in the different preparations. The level of ammonium ions in malted barley worts was 86 mg/l and up to 88 mg/l in worts produced from sorghum and enzymes. Enzyme addition produced increased levels of ammonia. The content of Group A (the most readily assimilated) amino acids was proportionally higher in sorghum worts compared to malted barley wort. Worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes, containing as little as 40 mg/l FAN, were fully attenuated. The yeast consumed about 35 mg/l FAN and 45 mg/l ammonium ions. Under identical fermentation conditions, the same yeast, fermenting a malted barley wort of comparable extract consumed 104 mg/l FAN and 37 mg/l ammonium ions.     

ENZYMIC BREAKDOWN OF ENDOSPERM PROTEINS OF SORGHUM AT DIFFERENT MALTING TEMPERATURES

Enzymic breakdown of endosperm proteins of sorghum was more effective at 20°C than at 25°C and 30°C, as regards total protein solubilization, α-amino nitrogen and peptide production. Although the embryos (axes and scutella), of the three temperature treatments contained similar quantities of protein, it appeared that less proteins, in terms of amino acids and peptides, were transferred to the roots during malting at 30°C than at 25°C and 20°C. During mashing, higher levels of peptides but lower levels of α-amino nitrogen and total soluble nitrogen were released in an infusion mash at 65°C than in a decantation mash where enzymically active wort was decanted and used to mash gelatinized sorghum starch at 65°C. Although more of the maltose-producing enzyme—β—amylase was found in sorghum malts made at 25°C and 30°C than at 20°C, it would seem that, for sorghum, malting temperature of 20°C to 25°C were optimal as regards protein breakdown during malting. The protein breakdown produced when sorghum is malted at 20°C is comparable to that found in barley malt and should support similar levels of adjuncts and yeast growth during brewing.     

α-GLUCOSIDASE ACTIVITY OF SORGHUM AND BARLEY MALTS

Sorghum malt α-glucosidase activity was highest at pH 3.75 while that of barley malt was highest at pH 4.6. At pH 5.4 employed in mashing sorghum malt α-glucosidase was more active than the corresponding enzyme of barley malt. α-Glucosidase was partly extracted in water but was readily extracted when L-cysteine was included in the extraction buffer, pH 8. Sorghum malt made at 30°C had higher α-glucosidase activities than the corresponding malts made at 20°C and 25°C. Nevertheless, the sorghum malts made at 20°C and 25°C produced worts which contained more glucose than worts of malt made at 30°C. Although barley malts contained more α-glucosidase activity than sorghum malts, the worts of barley had the lowest levels of glucose. The limitation to maltose production in sorghum worts, produced at 65°C, is due to inadequate gelatinization of starch and not to limitation to β-amylase and α-amylase activities. Gelatinization of the starch granules of sorghum malt in the decantation mashing procedure resulted in the production of sorghum worts which contained high levels of maltose, especially when sorghum malt was produced at 30°C. Although the β-amylase and α-amylase levels of barley malt was significantly higher than those of sorghum malted optimally at 30°C, sorghum worts contained higher levels of glucose and equivalent levels of maltose to those of barley malt. It would appear that the individual activities of α-glucosidase, α-amylase and β-amylase of sorghum malts or barley malts do not correlate with the sugar profile of the corresponding worts. In consequence, specifications for enzymes such as α-amylase and β-amylase in malt is best set at a range of values rather than as single values.     

SMALL SCALE MASHING EXPERIMENTS WITH GRISTS CONTAINING HIGH PROPORTIONS OF RAW SORGHUM

Small scale mashes (50 g total grist) with grists containing high proportions of raw sorghum (50%–80% malt replacement) showed high values of extract recovery and produced worts of lower total nitrogen, free amino nitrogen, viscosity and colour but higher values of pH compared to worts produced from all malt mashes. Increasing the proportion of raw sorghum in the grist relative to malt resulted in a decline in extract recovery, wort total nitrogen, free amino nitrogen and an increase in wort pH. Addition of industrial enzyme preparations to mashes containing raw sorghum resulted in higher values of extract recovery (enzyme preparations containing α amylase and β glucanase), higher values of wort total nitrogen and free amino nitrogen (enzyme preparations containing a neutral proteinase) and decreased wort viscosity (enzyme preparations containing β glucanase or cellulases) compared to worts produced from untreated mashes. Worts and beers were produced on a pilot brewery scale from 50% malt and 50% polished (whole) sorghum (single decoction mashing regime) and 20% malt and 80% raw sorghum supplemented with an industrial enzyme preparation (double mashing regime). Mashes comprising 50% malt and 50% polished sorghum showed comparable wort filtration behaviour (lautering) to that of control mashes (70% malt and 30% maize grists) whereas wort produced from 20% malt and 80% raw sorghum filtered slowly. Worts produced from grists containing sorghum were of high fermentability and showed lower levels of total nitrogen and free amino nitrogen compared to control worts. Analysis of worts produced from small scale mashes containing raw sorghum and a pilot brewery scale mash comprising 20% malt and 80% raw sorghum demonstrated that the levels of total nitrogen and free amino nitrogen were higher than expected from the reduction in the malt content of the mash, consistent with the release of nitrogenous components (polypeptides, peptides and amino acids) derived from sorghum into the wort. Beers produced from 50% malt and 50% polished sorghum and 20% malt and 80% raw sorghum were filtered without difficulty and were of sound flavour. Beers produced from 50% malt and 50% polished sorghum contained lower levels of isobutanol, 2-methylbutanol, dimethylsulphide and higher levels of n propanol and diacetyl compared to control beers.     

THE EFFECTS OF MASHING TEMPERATURE AND MASH THICKNESS ON WORT CARBOHYDRATE COMPOSITION

Temperature and mash thickness are shown to affect both mash performance and enzyme activity. Alpha amylase was found to be considerably more resistant to heat inactivation than was beta amylase. This difference was reflected by changes in wort fermentability that were manifest at temperatures below those which affected levels of extract. Increasing the mashing temperature from 65°C to 80°C had only a slight effect on extract but reduced wort fermentability from over 70% to less than 30%. At 85°C and over, when temperature had a significant effect on alpha amylase, as well as on beta-amylase, extract was lost and starch was present in the wort. Diluting the mash with liquor had a similar effect to that of increasing temperature on both the amylolytic enzymes and on the mash performance. Thin mashes contained more starch and fewer fermentable sugars than did thick mashes at the same temperature. These changes can be related to the stability of the amylolytic enzymes.     

Effect of varying starch properties and mashing conditions on wort sugar profiles

The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between starch composition in barley and its malted counterpart alongside malt enzyme activity and determine how these factors contribute to the fermentable sugar profile of wort. Two Australian malting barley varieties, Commander and Gairdner, were sourced from eight growing locations alongside a commercial sample of each. For barley and malt, total starch and gelatinisation temperature were taken, and for malt, α‐ and β‐amylase activities were measured. Samples were mashed using two mashing profiles (infusion and Congress) and the subsequent wort sugar composition and other quality measures (colour, original gravity, soluble nitrogen) were tested. Variety had no significant (<0.05) effect on any barley, malt, enzyme or wort characteristics. However, growing location impacted gelatinisation temperature, colour, malt protein content and original gravity. The gelatinisation temperature in malt samples was higher, by ~0.8°C, than in the equivalent barley sample. Several malt samples, even with protein contents <12.0%, had gelatinisation temperature >65°C. The fermentable sugars measured in the malt prior to mashing showed a higher proportion of maltose than glucose or maltotriose. In addition, there were significant differences in the amount of sugar produced by each mashing method with the high temperature infusion producing a higher amount of sugar and proportionally more maltose. There is scope for further research on the effect of genetics and growing environment on gelatinisation temperature, mash performance and fermentable sugar development. Routinely measuring gelatinisation temperature and providing this information on malt specification sheets could help brewers optimise performance. © 2019 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

FERMENTATION OF WORTS MADE FROM 100% RAW SORGHUM AND ENZYMES

Worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes were successfully fermented even though the level of FAN present (51 mg/l) is well below that essential for fermentation of wort made from malted barley. Changes in typical fermentation parameters such as specific gravity, pH uptake of free amino nitrogen (FAN) and ammonium ions mirrored the increase in yeast cell concentration. Yeast viability remained high throughout the fermentation. Under identical fermentation conditions, malted barley worts showed typical fermentation profiles. However, malted barley worts with specific gravity maintained by the addition of D-glucose, but in which the FAN was diluted to a level similar to that found in a wort made from sorghum and enzymes, fermented more slowly and failed to attenuate fully. Five consecutive fermentations, using yeast cropped from the preceding to pitch the current fermentation were conducted. The specific gravity profiles were essentially the same in all five fermentations. Final values of pH, yeast in suspension, yeast viability and FAN were also indistinguishable. The yeast crop taken from fermentations of worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes represented a 5-fold increase over the initial pitching rate. When compared to commercial beers, the beers derived from fermentation of worts made from raw sorghum and enzymes contained lower levels of ethyl acetate, and higher levels of both 2- and 3-methyl butanol. In the beers derived from sorghum, isobutanol was always less than 20% of the total higher alcohol concentration.     

Comparison of the impact on the performance of small‐scale mashing with different proportions of unmalted barley,Ondea Pro®, malt and rice

The impact of using different combinations of unmalted barley, Ondea Pro® and barley malt in conjunction with a 35% rice adjunct on mashing performance was examined in a series of small scale mashing trials. The objective was to identify the potential optimal levels and boundaries for the mashing combinations of barley, Ondea Pro®, malt and 35% rice (BOMR) that might apply in commercial brewing. Barley and malt samples used for the trials were selected from a range of Australian commercial barley and malt samples following evaluation by small‐scale mashing. This investigation builds on previous studies in order to adapt the technology to brewing styles common in Asia, where the use of high levels of rice adjunct is common. Mashing with the rice adjunct, combined with differing proportions of barley, Ondea Pro® and malt, resulted in higher extract levels than were observed for reference mashing, using either 100% malt reference or 100% barley reference and Ondea Pro® enzymes. Synergistic mashing effects between barley, Ondea Pro® and malt were observed for mash quality and efficiency parameters, particularly wort fermentability. The optimum levels of barley in the grist (with the relative level of Ondea Pro®) were assessed to be in the range 45–55% when paired with 10–20% malt and 35% rice. When the proportion of malt was reduced below 10% of the grist, substantial reductions in wort quality were observed for wort quality parameters including extract, lautering, fermentability, free amino nitrogen and haze. Extension of this new approach to brewing with rice adjuncts will benefit from further research into barley varietal selection in order to better meet brewer's quality requirements for the finished beer. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Malted and unmalted oats in brewing

Using oats as a raw material in brewing has recently become the focus of increased interest. This is due to research findings that have shown that oats can be consumed safely by coeliac sufferers. It is also a response to consumer demand for products with novel sensory properties. In this study, beer was produced entirely from oat malt, from barley malt and from oat and barley malts mixed with various quantities of unmalted oats. Compared with barley wort, wort made from malted oats provided a lower extract content and had a higher protein content, but a lower free amino nitrogen content (FAN). The oat wort also showed increased viscosity and haze. The addition of unmalted oats during wort production produced significant changes in the physico‐chemical parameters of both oat and barley worts and beers. Unmalted oats caused an increase in wort viscosity and haze, and a reduction in total soluble nitrogen and FAN. Unmalted oats also contributed to lowering the concentration of higher alcohols and esters. Beer made from 100% oat and barley malts exhibited a similar alcohol content. The use of an oat adjunct in both cases resulted in a lower ethanol content. The introduction of enzyme preparations during the production of wort with oat adjunct had many benefits: increased extract content and FAN; a higher volume of wort; and a lower viscosity that led to faster wort filtration. This research suggests that the use of enzymes is necessary to make production using a high proportion of oats in the grist profitable. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling