Winemakers all understand one thing: even if the same raw materials and the same craftsmanship are used, the taste of craft beer produced in each batch will be different. This is because they know that brewing craft beer depends 70% on hygiene and 30% on technology. This emphasizes the importance of hygiene.
With the rapid development of the beer industry and increasing competition between breweries, most domestic breweries are paying more and more attention to the flavor stability of beer, gradually moving towards “brewing pure biochemical” methods. Since beer is a consumable product, craft beer equipment must be carefully disinfected without any negligence.
When brewing craft beer, it is necessary not only to have high-quality craft beer equipment, but also a corresponding cleaning process to ensure that the produced craft beer is not contaminated. Proper and timely cleaning, as well as simultaneous disinfection and sterilization of beer equipment, will guarantee the production of high-quality craft beer with a long shelf life. However, both the environmental hygiene of the brewing site and the cleaning of the interior and pipes of craft beer equipment have strict requirements. Incomplete cleaning and sterilization may leave fouling on the inner wall of the equipment, allowing microorganisms to multiply and weaken the fungicide’s effectiveness. Dirt such as yeast and protein impurities, hops and hop resin compounds, and beer stones are deposited on the equipment’s surface due to static electricity and other factors, roughening the surface and providing a refuge for microbial growth. Microbial colonies must be removed during washing. Since fungicides are suitable for surface sterilization and have little effect on bacteria surviving on the inside, re-contamination can easily occur. The purpose of cleaning and sterilization is to remove as much dirt as possible from the inner walls of pipelines and equipment during the production process, prevent cross-contamination of microorganisms from different materials, and eliminate the threat of spoilage microorganisms to beer.
It can be seen that cleaning beer equipment is highly important. Now, let’s take a look at the main factors that affect the cleaning of beer equipment:
1. Surface roughness of the beer equipment.
2. Dirt hardness and adhesion, among other factors.
3. Cleaning strength.
4. Concentration and types of cleaning agents and fungicides.
5. Cleaning water temperature and duration.
If you are in the catering industry and require the cleaning of beer equipment, reading this article carefully may be helpful to you.
