During the fermentation of beer, the sugar in the wort will be consumed, and new yeast cells will be formed with the production of ethanol, carbon dioxide, and flavor compounds. As professional brewers, we should control various elements of fermentation to facilitate the production of finished beer as planned. The key elements in the fermentation process are:
- Temperature
- Oxygen level
- Pitch rate
- Yeast selection
Beer fermentation stage-lag stage
Once the yeast is put into the wort, it will enter what we call the lag phase. Although there are no obvious signs of fermentation at this stage, something is still happening. Yeast is absorbing the oxygen in the wort and produces sterols, which is essential for the reproduction and healthy growth of yeast. So, what is yeast?
Yeast is a single-celled eukaryotic microorganism and is classified as a member of the kingdom Fungi. The first yeast cell originated hundreds of millions of years ago. At present, humans have discovered at least 1,500 yeast cells. The yeast cell is a living organism, so it needs oxygen to maintain vital signs. This is why aeration of wort is very important in commercial brewing. Yeast cells need oxygen to grow and produce important cell wall components. In addition, yeast cells need to absorb oxygen, and they also need some vitamins and minerals needed for growth.
In modern brewing processes, all the vitamins needed for yeast growth can be found in high-quality malt. If your brewing recipe contains a lot of additives, you may need to add some yeast nutrients during the boiling process to help the yeast work. A simple brewing trick is to add some inactive yeast from the cooled cone-shaped beer fermentation tank during the boiling process of the nearest 10 minutes from the fermentation. If the nutrients in the wort are insufficient, this will provide the yeast with the minerals and vitamins needed for a healthy fermentation.
It is a good thing that you do not understand any activity in the later stages of the fermentation process. Yeast cells are gradually adapting to the environment and establishing the necessary growth for a healthy fermentation. You can reduce the lag period by increasing the pitch rates of the yeast, but each yeast cell may not be very healthy at the end of the fermentation. Over time, each re-throw will affect the fermentation process. Therefore, do not over-magnify the influence of pitch rates on fermentation.
Beer fermentation stage-active stage
The yeast cell count will increase rapidly during the active phase, and the yeast will start to consume the sugar in the wort. As the number of yeast cells increases, ethanol and flavor compounds are produced. Once the fermentation has dropped a few points (2 Plato or 0.07 SG) you can begin to brew most styles of beer. If the beer isn’t being spunded (for example, you plan to dry hop the beer), then you’ll see lots of gas being produced and escaping from the fermentation vessels (FV). This is the CO2 formed by yeast cells breaking down sugar. In addition, a thick layer of foam is formed on the top layer of the wort, which is called Krausen.
The active phase of fermentation usually lasts 4 to 8 days, depending on:
- Beer style
- Yeast used
- Pitch rate
- Fermentation temperature
Beer fermentation stage-stationary stage
During the stationary phase, the beer will be conditioned. At this stage the yeast re-absorbs the diacetyl produced during the fermentation process, hydrogen sulfide will also escape from the fermentation tank in the form of gas, Krausen descends, and the yeast begins to precipitate or flocculate. At this stage, you can hardly see any changes, and you must measure the gravity of the wort to detect the degree of attenuation. Once the gravity reading stabilizes at the same level within a few days, you know that fermentation is complete.
Please note: some yeast strains will flocculate before reaching final gravity. If this happens, you need to “wake up” the yeast back into the solution. To do this, let the beer quickly spray carbon dioxide through the bottom of the tank outlet and never use oxygen.
Beer fermentation stage-conditioning stage
In ale beer, the desired flavor and aroma may decrease over time. For example, in IPA that requires a good hop aroma, aging will reduce the taste of hops. In addition, any oxygen entering at this stage will damage the overall quality of the beer and shorten the shelf life.
In this conditioning stage, we will see:
- Most of the yeast falls out of the beer (which can be dumped) making the beer clearer.
- Haze-forming proteins are formed and precipitate.
- The beer becomes “smoother” as harsh flavors mellow out or are reduced.
- There’s a reduction in sulfur compounds, diacetyl, and acetaldehyde.
- Overall flavor stabilization.
Simple fermentation plan
- Just before adding the yeast, record your initial gravity sample.
- Pitch your yeast and set the specified fermentation temperature.
- Use hygiene habits to record your gravity every day.
- If temperature control is available to you… When your gravity is within 2–3 points of the expected final gravity, raise the temperature of your fermentation 3–4 degrees celsius. This is very important for the quality of beer because it ensures that your yeast remains healthy and can clean up any undesired by-products produced during the fermentation process.
- Continue to record your gravity every day. When the gravity stays the same for 3 days, you can be sure that the fermentation is complete.
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Beer Brewery Equipment Manufacturer The brewing supplies provided by Micet Craft can support your brewing needs from small batches of micro beer brewing equipment to 100 barrels capacity. Micet Craft has reached cooperation with many breweries around the world, we can design and manufacture professional brewing systems for breweries, including cellar beer brewing equipment and other
China stainless steel fermentation vessels manufacturer The fermentation tank is where the beer carry out the fermentation process, it provides a place suitable for life activities and metabolism for microorganisms. To adapt to the use of different sizes of breweries, Micet Craft produced a variety of sizes and specifications of fermentation tanks. Customers can choose
Professional bright Beer tank manufacturer from China The bright tank is a vessel for storing and carbonated beer, it is also called the brite tank. The bright tank is an important part of the workflow of professional beer brewers. It can be used to store and carbonate beer, thus eliminating the trouble of cleaning beer
China brewing equipment manufacturer and suppliers Micet Craft has cooperated with breweries in many countries around the world to provide them with brewing equipment. We provide customers with turnkey brewery solutions, which include designing, manufacturing and installing customized breweries. The Micet Craft team has decades of experience in the manufacturing of brewing equipment, we not
Best brewhouse equipment manufacturer from china Brewing good beer requires brewhouse equipment. Whether you are brewing beer for home, business or brewery, Micet Craft can provide a turnkey solution according to the daily output you need. We have brewhouse equipment with 2 vessels, 3 vessels and 4 vessels, the unique design allows you to do decoction
Professional beer filling machine manufacturer Beer filling machine is the core equipment of the beer production line. Our beer filling system uses stainless steel as the production material. Stainless steel is not easy to wear, and it is easy to clean. Micet Craft provides you with a cheap and efficient way of filling beer. We
Best beer brewing system manufacturer from china Micet Craft is a professional beer brewing system manufacturer in China. We mainly produce high-end customized turnkey brewing systems. Whether you are planning to open a nano-brewery, microbrewery, or commercial brewery, we can provide you with the most complete turnkey solution. Our beer brewing systems are all price-competitive