As we all know, after the beer brewing process, the soluble extract and insoluble wort in the mash should be separated as quickly as possible to obtain clear wort. In reality, the separation process of wort is a filtration process, and the husk in the malt acts as a filter medium. Although filtration has few process parameters in the entire saccharification production, the operation technology is the most demanding process.
1. Cleaning of the filter tank. After each filtration, the entire tank should be immediately washed using in-situ cleaning. The space between the sieve plate and the bottom of the tank should be rinsed through the nozzle at the bottom to remove spent grains and powdery residue. Under normal circumstances, soak and rinse with a 40-50°C, 2-3% lye solution every 3-4 saccharification cycles, followed by a pickle with 1% H3PO4 after each caustic wash to neutralize any remaining alkaline substances. Failure to clean the filter tank thoroughly can lead to microbial contamination, filtration difficulties, and impact the taste, color, and stability of the beer.
2. Control of the layer thickness. If the wort layer is too thick, the filtration speed will be slow and the filtration time will be prolonged. Conversely, if the wort layer is too thin, although the filtration speed will improve, the transparency of the wort will decrease. In production, the thickness of the layer is generally controlled at 30-50cm (for dry crushing) or 40-50cm (for wet crushing).
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3. Control of filtration speed. During filtration, if the speed is too fast, the suction becomes strong, compressing the grain layer and reducing permeability, making filtration difficult. Therefore, proper filtration operation requires balancing the outflow of wort with the amount of wort passing through the spent grains. Especially at the beginning of filtration, the wort discharge valve should be slightly opened to control the flow rate and prevent excessive suction and compression of the wort layer. The wort discharge valve should be gradually opened based on the wort flow rate to maintain a balance between the wort seeping out from the wort layer and flowing out of the discharge valve.
4. Iodine inspection and control of the first wort. An iodine test is required at the start of filtration to check the saccharification effect and determine the flow rate. Another iodine test is conducted at the end of the first wort filtration to check the formation of the filter layer and the presence of dextrin in the wort, thus preventing starch paste from entering the wort. The iodine value of the filtered wort is generally controlled at △E.
I hope this information is helpful to you. If you have any questions or suggestions during the brewing process or when selecting beer equipment, please leave a message for ACE Equipment.
