Wort preparation is the most crucial step in the beer brewing process and a significant prerequisite for fermentation.
1. Saccharification process
Malt Crush→Malt powder→Feeding→Protein rest→Mashing→Stop mashing→Lautering (Disposal spent grains)→wort boiling (add hops)→Whirlpool precipitation→discharge sediment→cooling(wort aeration)→ferment(add hops)
2. Operation process
☆Malt crushed
(1) Check the malt. Check whether the type, quantity, and quality of the malt meet the requirements of the mashing process.
(2) Weigh the malt. Accurately weigh the malt according to the requirements of the saccharification process. Seal and return the remaining malt to storage after weighing.
(3) Start the grinder. Start the pulverizer following the “Operating Instructions for the Pulverizer”.
(4) Begin milling the malt. Once the pulverizer is operating normally, start feeding and milling the malt. During the milling process, check the degree of pulverization according to the process requirements. After milling, allow the pulverizer to continue running for about 1 minute to ensure complete pulverization of the malt between the rollers and prevent accumulation. Turn off the pulverizer.
(5) Clean the surroundings. Clean up the milling area and put the milling aids back in their proper place.
☆Saccharification/mashing
(1) Equipment inspection. Before feeding, check and confirm that the saccharification equipment, pipelines, valves, water supply, steam supply, etc., are functioning properly.
(2) Feeding. Add saccharification water to the saccharification pot according to the process requirements before feeding. Start the saccharification stirring, then begin feeding into the saccharification pot and record the time.
(3) Protein rest. Turn off the stirring one minute after feeding, rinse the pot inside and out, and adjust the mash temperature to maintain warmth. Allow for protein decomposition and let it stand according to the process requirements. Record the time.
(4) Saccharification. When protein decomposition is complete, start stirring to increase the temperature to the saccharification temperature specified by the process. Let it stand and carry out saccharification for the required time. Perform iodine detection shortly before the saccharification is complete and record the time.
☆Wort filtration
(1) Equipment inspection. Double-check that the filtration equipment, pipelines, valves, etc., are all working properly. Fill the filter tank with bottom water at an appropriate temperature and ensure the drain port is securely closed.
(2) Pump the mash into the filter tank. Start stirring and heat up to the mash-killing temperature according to the process requirements. Pump the mash into the filter tank and let it settle. Record the time.
(3) Wort filtration. Prior to starting wort filtration, reflux for 5-10 minutes or until the wort becomes clear and transparent. Then filter the wort into the temporary storage tank. When about half of the first wort is filtered, take a sample to measure its concentration. Based on the concentration and quantity of the first wort, estimate the total amount of mixed wort and record the time.
(4) Spent grain rinsing. When the first wort is almost completely filtered, rinse the grains with water. Follow the process requirements for the amount of water, temperature, and residual sugar during rinsing. After filtration is complete, stop the wort pump and record the time.
(5) Discharge spent grains. After stopping the wort pump, open the drain valve to drain the wort and rinse the remaining grains with water. Close the drain valve and wort outlet, returning to standby mode.
☆Boiling the wort
(1) Equipment inspection. Confirm that the boiling equipment, piping, valves, etc., are all in proper order.
(2) Wort boiling. Once the equipment is confirmed to be functioning normally, pump the wort into the boiling pot and start boiling. Record the time. Take samples to measure the wort concentration and add hops according to the process requirements. Record the time.
☆Wort whirlpool
After boiling the wort, take a sample to measure its concentration. Pump it into the whirlpool sedimentation tank and let it settle for the required time according to the process. Check if the whirlpool sedimentation tank is in a normal state before entering.
☆Wort cooling
(1) Before pumping the wort into the cooling system, sterilize the plate heat exchanger and wort pipeline with hot water above 90℃ for 20 minutes, as per the operation process requirements, then pass the wort through.
(2) Cooling. Once the temperature of the plate heat exchanger drops to the required level, open the wort outlet valve and inlet valve, and start the wort pump for cooling. After 5 minutes, turn on the wort aerator and control the flow for oxygenation. During the wort cooling process, close all valves unrelated to overfeeding, monitor the wort temperature, and adjust the pump speed and valve opening as needed.
(3) After the wort has passed through, stop the wort pump, close the wort outlet valve, turn off the cold water pump and outlet valve, and shut off the oxygen. Record the time.
☆Other
(1) Rinse the whirlpool sedimentation tank. Open the blowdown valve of the whirlpool sedimentation tank, drain the hops and hot trub, rinse the tank, and close the blowdown valve.
(2) Clean the plate heat exchanger system. After feeding is complete and the wort pipes are emptied, clean the plate heat exchanger and wort pipes with hot water for the required duration as specified in the process.
(3) Clean the saccharification system, plate heat exchanger system, and saccharification pipeline system according to the process requirements. Then rinse the systems with hot water until clean (pH neutral).
