Brewery Quality Crash Course Ben Bailey Quality Assurance Manager Troegs Brewing Company bbailey@troegs.com
Outline of Discussion - Process Measurements vs. Quality Control vs. Quality Assurance vs. Quality System - Defining the role of the lab in your brewery’s Quality Program - Process Measurements (Choosing what to measure) - Individual Tests - Yeast Propagation - Sanitation / Microbiological Testing - Sensory / Taste Testing - Setting Up Limits for Beer Parameters / Control Charts - Example of Small Brewery Quality Lab
What does QA / QC mean?
Process Measurements / Quality Control / Quality Assurance ● Process Measurements are the first step to Quality Control. ● Volume of wort collected in the kettle ● Weight of specialty malts added to the grist ● Temperature of the Hot Liquor Tank ● Quality Control is measuring the results of a process. REACTIVE ● IBU of beer at the end of fermentation ● Go / No-Go Tastes prior to packaging ● ATP Swabs on Packaging Line prior to production ● Quality Assurance is making sure QC results are good the first time. PROACTIVE ● Validation / Calibration of temperature probes in the mash tun ● Assurance that the temperature measurements are correct ● Hygienic Design of Packaging Line ● Assurance that the equipment is cleanable ● Quality System is a set of rules and procedures that ensure that a quality product is being produced. The Book / Binder / Bible ● List of specifications to be met for a brand in a Brite Tank prior to release for packaging ● Frequency that a DO meter needs to be validated / calibrated. ● Requirements for each supplier to meet during qualification/audits. ● Actions to take when any requirement results in a deviation or Out Of Spec (OOS) result.
Quality Assurance Example Does not conform to EHEDG guidelines! Hygienic Design “Tri-Clamp” Connection DIN 11851 Connection DIN 32676 / ISO 2852
Choosing which tests to perform Test? Perform N CoA? Test Y Perform Legally Y Required? Test N Would OOS result cause Perform Y rework, hold or refusal of Test batch being tested? N Would OOS result cause Perform Y change in processing for Test current or future batches? N Is there Parameter is Consider testing if N Y a cost probably not response to OOS to OOS worth testing. result is available result?
Ranking testing by importance / ability to react ● In order of importance ● Legally required ● Rinse water testing (FDA) ● ABV Testing (TTB) (some states) ● Fill Level verification (TTB) ● Process Inputs (Inputs can be corrected prior to start of process step) ● Temperatures of HLT & CLT ● Yeast Counting ● Measuring Concentration of Cleaning Chemicals ● Measuring Malt Weights ● ATP Swabs (High RLU results) ● Micro Plating with dependent release ● Beer is held in warehouse after packaging until results show beer is ok to ship. Out of spec beer would likely be destroyed, but should protect the brewery from micro based recalls. ● Process Outputs ● Correction on same batch (beer tested can be brought in spec) ● CO2 in BBT ● DO in BBT ● Conversion in Mash Tun ● ABV% (if high, dilution still possible) ● Correction on subsequent batches (beer or process tested can’t be brought into spec without blending) ● Mill Sieve Testing ● Color ● IBUs ● Traditional Micro Plating (beer shipped before results are available)
Prioritizing Supplier Audits Perform Y Test Test? Perform Y CoA? Test N Would OOS result cause Perform Y change in processing for Test current or future batches? N Is OOS Consider testing if Parameter is N Y result response to OOS probably not likely? result is available worth testing. Slide from 2015 MBAA Presentation by Brad Rush
Individual Tests
Density Density measurement is one of the most important parameters to measure. Density is a simple way to measure concentrations of binary mixtures (sugar/water, Pycnometer Hydrometer ethanol/water, caustic/water) Hydrometer is cheapest, but least accurate Pycnometer is very accurate, but is also very time consuming Digital Density meter is fast and accurate. No operator differences in results. Digital Density meters
pH pH is another measurement that every brewery should be performing. Required for proper enzyme control in the mash, and to meet FDA requirements. Invest in a good pH meter with ATC and a quality all-in-one probe. Need to be calibrated daily.
Yeast Viability Equipment ● Microscope capable of 100x magnification (400x for bacteria) ● Hemacytometer ● Methylene Blue (White Labs) ● Pipettes or beakers to dilute slurry ● Tally Counter or Hemacytometer iPhone App
Carbonation • Every brewery should be checking carbonation levels. • Zahm & Nagel tester is relatively inexpensive. • Digital meters that work on various principles. • Some can measure other dissolved gasses like Nitrogen or Oxygen simultaneously. • Digital Meters are pricey, but offer repeatable results. • All instruments require proper care and calibration. • Carbonation meters are often abused by brewers in the cellar
Oxygen Measurement ● Wort DO measurement is important for every brewery ● Oxygen measurement is very important for all packaging breweries ● Air testing using the Zahm equipment can give a decent idea of oxygen levels, and is not too expensive ● Testing with an optical DO meter can give more information (DO and TPO) and can be used elsewhere in the process to troubleshoot ● Package Analyzers are also available which can directly measure headspace O2 and DO, or calculate TPO.
Alcohol Measurement ● Distillation of beer creates a “binary mixture” of ethanol and water. The concentration of this mixture can be determined by density (digital density meter or pycnometer) ● Takes about 12-15 minutes per sample ● TTB accepted method for verifying label claim of alcohol ● When coupled with the measurement of the AE prior to distillation, most relevant parameters can be calculated. AE, ABV, ABW, OG, RE, E/A, kCal. ● Alternative to purchase of Alcolyzer. Alcolyzer can complete the same analysis in less than 3 minutes. Density meter coupled with NIR measurement of ethanol.
Color ● Most easily measured by UV-Spec ● Can also be measured with a comparator ● ASBC Beer-10 ● Simple quick measurement that can show deviations in the brewhouse such as; recipe, hot time, hot side oxidation. ● Samples need to be filtered prior to measurement ● Dark beers will need to be diluted or measured with a smaller cuvette (1mm vs. 1cm)
IBUs ● Need a UV-Spec that can measure in accurately at 275 nm (UV Range) ● Can help a great deal when determining hop addition times or rates during recipe development ● Consistent bitterness is key to maintaining a consistent flavor profile ● Uses Iso-Octane which is an organic solvent, and needs to be properly disposed of or regenerated ● DO NOT PUT DOWN DRAIN!! ● Iso-Octane regeneration saves on both consumable use and hazardous waste disposal costs ● Equipment shown on right ● 2013 MBAA Poster describing method ● Upcoming MBAA TQ Article
Other Tests done with a UV-Spec ● Iron concentration ● Thiobarbituric Acid Index ● FAN ● Total Polyphenols ● SO 2 ● Testing for Glycol contamination ● Many other methods available, such as HSI, however most of these have limited use in monitoring brewery production.
Optimization of Mill Settings ● Sieves to optimize mill settings for maximum brewhouse extract efficiency are a good investment even for small breweries ● Van Havig’s MBAA presentation showed 70 lb. of malt savings per brew on a 10 bbl system ● Sieves are about $50 a piece, need 6 (plus pan) for ASBC method, 4 for method described by Van Havig ● Shaker is great for repeatability of sieve testing. Start around $850 ● Sieve results need to be compared with Brewhouse Extract Efficiency numbers and lauter times to determine optimum settings for your system.
Turbidity and Stability Testing ● Tyndall Light box can be built inexpensively and when used with Formazin standards for comparison, can give pretty good results. ● Beer Turbidity meters give readings at two different angles and can measure accurately at near 0 deg. C. Water turbidity meters will not work due to condensation! ● Turbidity is a way to measure shelf stability and validate the effectiveness of stabilization. Hazy beers can also be measured to ensure that they are consistently hazy. ● The ratio of 90 ⁰ /11 ⁰ or 90 ⁰ /25 ⁰ can give you an indication of how stable your hazy beer is. For German style Wheat Beers, a ratio of 0.9 is a good target.
Yeast Propagation
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