http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/default.htm en Master Brewers Association of the America 2011 The Technical Quarterly is an online journal. It features both reviewed and nonreviewed papers covering wide technical aspects of brewing ingredients, the brewing process, brewing by-products, environmental considerations in breweries, beer packaging, and beer flavor and physical stability. Authors: Y.-Y. Ford, K. T. Westwood, A. Gahr, A. Rajca Ferreira, K. Wolinska, M. Lad, B. Wolf, and T. Foster. The composition of an antifoam prepared from hop fats and waxes emulsified into water with the aid of sunflower lecithin was investigated to maximize antifoam performance. Pilot brewery trials were conducted, using the hop extract emulsions as antifoam agents during fermentation, to assess both the antifoam performance and the effects on the final beer. Dose rates of 5–25 ppm hop extract successfully suppressed foaming to the same extent as a commercial silicone antifoam, used at the recommended 5 mL/hL. Use of the hop extract emulsions increased the apparent utilization of the hop bitter acids from kettle to final beer compared to the control (no antifoam). In addition, the hop extract emulsions also had a positive effect on the final beer foam stability. A simple, rapid, and reproducible shake method was devised to test antifoam performance in the laboratory and this method was found to be a reliable predictor of antifoam performance at pilot brewery scale. Storage trials conducted under ambient and accelerated ageing conditions showed that the antifoam emulsions remained microbiologically stable and effective as antifoams for at least 12 months. http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0308-01.htm http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0308-01.htm Mon, 7 May 2012 3:00:00 CST Authors: A. Pompei, M. Grossi, M. Lanzoni, G. Perretti, R. Lazzarini, B. Riccò, and D. Matteuzzi. Product quality is a primary concern in the brewing industry because the presence of high concentrations of bacteria can alter important organoleptic characteristics of the product (such as flavor and aroma defects and turbidity problems). Microbial concentration is usually measured by the standard plate count (SPC) technique, which produces accurate results but is slow and must be performed by laboratory tests with the aid of qualified personnel. This precludes the possibility of on-line monitoring of bacterial concentration at different steps of the production line. This study shows an alternative method based on impedance measurements, which proves to be competitive with SPC since it can detect the microbial concentration of 10(^4) cfu/mL with measurement times as low as 10–12 hours against the 24–72 hours needed by SPC. It also features the possibility of industrial automation, thus making it very attractive for microbial screening on brewery production lines. Different media have been tested to obtain the highest bacterial growth rate (i.e., minimizing response time) and accuracy in lactobacilli concentration measured by electrical parameters. The need of selective determination of lactobacilli concentration has been achieved by adding cycloheximide to the samples and using filters of gradual size diameters to separate yeast cells from lactobacilli. http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0315-01.htm http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0315-01.htm Mon, 7 May 2012 3:00:00 CST Authors: R. C. Agu and J. Walker. Wheat varieties of distilling quality were grown at two locations where different nitrogen fertilizer treatments were administered. Relationships between parameters used to assess wheat quality for Scotch whisky grain distilling such as moisture, nitrogen, hardness, and alcohol yield were assessed after harvest and reassessed after one year to determine the effect storage had on wheat quality. Changes observed in these parameters affected wheat quality in different ways. An increase in average wheat alcohol yield (dry weight basis [dwb]) of 1.6% was found for wheat grown at the lower nitrogen site. These samples had a higher average moisture level at harvest, and showed greater moisture loss (average = 8.7%) during storage. In contrast, a decrease in average wheat alcohol yield (dwb) of 0.6% was observed for wheat grown at the higher nitrogen site. This set of wheat samples had lower moisture levels at harvest, and lower moisture loss (4.1%) after storage. Both sets of wheat showed marginal increases in total nitrogen content which ranged from 0.01–0.12% for lower and 0.01–0.08% higher nitrogen wheat. When the harvest and stored data was compared, weak correlations for oven moisture (R = 0.2766) and grain hardness (R = 0.1789) were found for wheat varieties grown at the lower nitrogen site, while stronger correlations were observed for moisture (R = 0.6573) and hardness (R = 0.8403) for wheat grown at the higher nitrogen site over the same period. The lower nitrogen wheat, which showed a greater loss of moisture during storage, showed a strong correlation for NIR nitrogen (R = 0.9269) compared to wheat grown at the higher nitrogen site (R = 0.7652). Changes observed for moisture, nitrogen, and hardness of stored wheat appeared to have little effect on alcohol yield. Correlation results for alcohol yield assessed before and after storage for lower nitrogen (R = 0.8616) and higher nitrogen wheat (R = 0.8814) were similar and shows that storage did not have a dramatic effect on wheat alcohol yield. This observation has important commercial value because it demonstrates that storage of wheat does not have a detrimental effect on alcohol yield when such wheat is processed for alcohol production. http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0316-01.htm http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0316-01.htm Mon, 7 May 2012 3:00:00 CST Author: Karen Hertsgaard. Barley acreage in the U.S. has been declining steadily since the 1980s and shows no sign of rebounding (Figure 1). In fact, recent reports indicate a possible 35% decrease in production from the 2010 crop, which was a record low production year. However, excellent growing conditions produced record yields and quality in both 2009 and 2010, which has served to fill the short-term needs of maltsters and brewers. Competition from other crops, changes in U.S. farm policy, and disease have all contributed to the decline. The real problem is finding ways to address the decline and endure a long-term supply of quality barley for U.S. companies. This paper will address the causes of declining production, why this is a serious problem for the malting and brewing industries, and how barley stakeholders can address the problem. Multiple groups are working on methods to assist growers to produce more quality barley for malting and brewing. These include the development of new varieties and genetic research, investigations on cropping systems, development of new crop insurance products, and educational activities offered by the Institute of Barley and Malt Sciences and commodity organizations. These projects will be presented and discussed in order to help identify which are potentially most helpful and to determine if other information is needed. http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0314-01.htm http://www.mbaa.com/TechQuarterly/Abstracts/2012/TQ-49-1-0314-01.htm Mon, 7 May 2012 3:00:00 CST