The BeerLab is a robust, maintenance free LED photometric analyzer that can provide key analytical lab data in minutes. Reagents and cuvettes are bundled together in validated test kits, which steamlines the chemistry – you only need to use a pipette! Step by step instructions and results are shown on the screen, eliminating the need for conversions and calculations. The data can then be exported to USB in XML format for integration into most databases.
Case Study: Long Man Brewery Mashing Analysis
Introduction
The brewing process can generally be defined as 4 key steps; mashing malted barley (possibly with other cereal additions), boiling and bittering of the resulting sweet wort, fermentation of the boiled wort and then conditioning of the resulting beer before packaging. All of these steps are important in producing great beer; however they are all redundant without a well-executed mash. In this process, the malted barley is steeped in hot water for approximately an hour in order to activate certain enzymes that break down the complex starches of the grain to fermentable sugars.
The end-point of the mash process is not typically measured in the microbrewery; however specific gravity will usually be taken after transferring the sweet wort into the copper to ensure that the mash has produced the desired amount of sugar for the style of beer.
Author: Dr Lee Walsh, QCL, Riverside, Forest Row Business Park, Forest Row, East Sussex, RH18 5DW, UK
