The effect of different oat (Avena sativa L) malt contents in a top-fermented beer recipe on the brewing process performance and product quality

Abstract

In brewing, barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) malt is increasingly being replaced by other cereals. This stems from the desire to add new characteristics to beer and/or to improve the brewing process or cost of production. This research aimed to analyse the effect of different percentage shares (0, 10, 50 and 100 %) of oat (Avena sativa L.) malt in the recipe on the course of top-fermented beer production. The analysis conducted did not show any negative effect of the application of 10 % share of oat malt in the recipe on the brewing process and the quality of the final product, as compared to the no-oat-malt recipe. On the other hand, in the case of higher oat malt content, prolongation of lautering time (up to ca. 120 min), lower quantity of wort (up to ca. 30 %), its extract content (up to ca. 35 %), and thus alcohol concentration, as well as intensified colour of beer were observed. In oat and barley beers, the content of D-chiro-inositol was below the detection threshold, while small amounts of myo-inositol were determined in the samples. Furthermore, the application of oat malt affected the ionic content of the wort and did not affect the level of phenolic compounds.