Craft Beer Production Research Articles

What Drives the Development of Craft Beer Production in Poland - Insights from a Hedonic Regression Analysis of the Polish Beer Market

ABSTRACT The Polish beer market is characterized by a substantial increase in the number of breweries and the emergence of numerous craft breweries. These craft beers differ significantly among themselves. This provides a unique opportunity for a multidimensional analysis, particularly one employing hedonic regression. For this purpose, we use a sample data set covering Polish craft, regional and macro breweries. Our results showed that the price of a beer is not only related to its main ingredient (malt) but to the fermentation type and hedonic/quality aspects as well – beer rating, beer reviews, and quantity of beer awards.

Consumidores de cervejas artesanais pernambucanas

Nos últimos anos, a produção de cervejas artesanais vem crescendo rapidamente no Brasil. Todavia, além de observar a quantidade de cerveja produzida no país, também se deve levar em consideração a qualidade dessa produção. O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar a qualidade das cervejas artesanais produzidas em Pernambuco a partir da percepção de consumidores masculinos e femininos. Para isso, adotou-se como procedimento metodológico um survey com 73 pessoas. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário aplicado durante análise sensorial das cervejas. Os voluntários avaliaram 04 cervejas artesanais pernambucanas. Os resultados demonstraram, para cada atributo da cerveja que foi analisado, preferências distintas entre os gêneros masculino e feminino. Essa diferença nos resultados gerou um ranking de preferência, que servirá para que as cervejarias possam criar a fórmula da "cerveja perfeita", baseando-se nas bebidas que se saíram melhor em cada atributo e, dessa forma, administrar sua produção.

Non-conventional yeasts from fermented honey by-products: Focus on Hanseniaspora uvarum strains for craft beer production

The increasing interest in novel beer productions focused on non-Saccharomyces yeasts in order to pursue their potential in generating groundbreaking sensory profiles. Traditional fermented beverages represent an important source of yeast strains which could express interesting features during brewing. A total of 404 yeasts were isolated from fermented honey by-products and identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, Zygosaccharomyces bailii, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Hanseniaspora uvarum. Five H. uvarum strains were screened for their brewing capability. Interestingly, Hanseniaspora uvarum strains showed growth in presence of ethanol and hop and a more rapid growth than the control strain S. cerevisiae US-05. Even though all strains showed a very low fermentation power, their concentrations ranged between 7 and 8 Log cycles during fermentation. The statistical analyses showed significant differences among the strains and underlined the ability of YGA2 and YGA34 to grow rapidly in presence of ethanol and hop. The strain YGA34 showed the best technological properties and was selected for beer production. Its presence in mixed- and sequential-culture fermentations with US-05 did not influence attenuation and ethanol concentration but had a significant impact on glycerol and acetic acid concentrations, with a higher sensory complexity and intensity, representing promising co-starters during craft beer production.

Economic and environmental performance of instantaneous water heating system for craft beer production

While microbrewery has become very popular, energy efficiency is a great challenge to microbrewers which causes low profitability margins and poor environmental performance. With a high heating rate, instantaneous water heating system (IWHS) is a potential alternative to steam boiler for beer brewing. This study developed an integrated techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to, for the first time, evaluate the economic and environmental consequences of IWHS implementation in a microbrewery. Results showed that labor, packaging and raw materials were the major variable costs of craft beer. The net present value and internal rate of return calculated indicated that the investment in IWHS was not profitable to the microbrewery with its current productivity. Raw material production and beer processing were the environmental hotspots of craft beer. Due to reduced gas use for mashing and cleaning, IWHS decreased the global warming potential of craft beer by approximately 22.4%. Besides justifying the IWHS investment, enlarging the production scale of the microbrewery can reduce the environmental footprint of its beer. This study provided microbrewers with a holistic tool with clear indicators to evaluate the economic and environmental feasibility of alternative hot water supply systems for a more sustainable craft beer production.

Assessment of non-conventional yeasts with potential probiotic for protein-fortified craft beer production

The use of non-conventional yeasts could be an interesting source of biodiversity for developing innovative fermented beverages. Here, 43 wild yeast strains belonging to different genera such as Lachancea, Kluyveromyces, Torulaspora, Metschnikowia, Kazachstania, Brettanomyces, Pichia, Candida, Hanseniaspora, Rhodotorula, Rodosporidobolus and Saccharomyces, previously evaluated for their probiotic traits, have been tested for craft beer production. Different experimental lines were carried out to develop a new beverage which could combine increased aromatic characteristics and improved nutritional properties: i) beers produced from pils wort (PW); ii) beers from pils wort enriched with lentil (PLW) or chickpea flour extracts (PCW).PW beer trials were characterized by a low ethanol content. The PCW results in beer with an unpleasant aromatic taste, while the presence of lentil (PLW) confers effective fermentative characters and pleasant aromatic notes to the final beers.The selected strains Lachancea thermotolerans, Kazachstania unispora and Saccharomyces cerevisiae determined a significantly increase in the main aromatic compounds such as ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate and higher alcohols in PLW. The sensorial profile indicated that the beers were characterized with emphasized aromatic attributes. The yeasts selected here, could contribute to obtain a premium craft beer, with highly nutritional and functional characteristics, with a distinctive aromatic character.

Levaduras no convencionales como herramientas de innovación y diferenciación en la producción de cerveza

Yeasts play a crucial role in brewing. During fermentation, besides ethanol and carbon dioxide, yeasts produce a considerable number of organic compounds, which are essential for beer flavor. In particular, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces pastorianus are traditionally used in the production of ale and lager beers, respectively. Nowadays, the continuous growth of the craft beer market motivates the production of differential and innovative beers; leading specialists and brewers focus on non-conventional yeasts as tools for new product development. In this work, we describe the potential application of non-conventional yeast species such as those of the genera Brettanomyces, Torulaspora, Lachancea, Wickerhamomyces, Pichia and Mrakia in the craft brewing industry, as well as non-traditional brewing yeasts of the Saccharomyces genus. Furthermore, the fermentation conditions of these non-conventional yeasts are discussed, along with their abilities to assimilate and metabolize diverse wort components providing differential characteristics to the final product. In summary, we present a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art of non-conventional yeasts, which is highly relevant for their application in the production of novel craft beers including flavored beers, non-alcoholic beers, low-calorie beers and functional beers.

Feasibility analysis to establish a non-alcoholic craft beer production and marketing company in the city of Latacunga

Feasibility analysis to establish a non-alcoholic craft beer production and marketing company in the city of Latacunga

A framework for a sustainable craft beer supply chain

PurposeThis study aims to propose a framework for developing strategies for the supply chain of craft beer that can make the business efficient and profitable, and at the same time, generate sustainability benefits from reducing waste, conserving natural resources and reducing pollution.Design/methodology/approachBased on an extensive review of the literature of academic and industry publications, source material from craft brewers primarily situated in the USA and industry experience in craft brewing, the proposed framework describes strategies to establish sustainable craft beer supply chains.FindingsThe framework for craft beer supply chain consists of four categories that contribute to craft beer sustainability: ingredient procurement, recycling efforts, energy usage and distribution systems – some of these mimicking those used by macrobrewers. Each of the categories is further subdivided. Successful practices and examples are highlighted for each of the subcategories.Research limitations/implicationsThis proposed framework was built upon current practices and available literature in the USA and focused on the environmental pillar of sustainability. Further, the proposed framework arises from the fact that current best practices in sustainability were available primarily from larger craft brewers, like Sierra Nevada and New Belgium.Practical implicationsBy paying attention to operational changes in their supply chains, craft brewers can manage costs and improve their sustainability track record by reducing waste, conserving natural resources and improving upon their pollution footprint. Craft brewers can economize in the use of water, grains, hops and yeast by using practices discussed in this paper.Originality/valueThis is the first time that all aspects of supply chain and sustainability considerations in craft beer production are discussed in a comprehensive manner to propose a framework for analysis and enhancement of productivity and sustainability at the same time. The fact that the proposed framework can be used in future studies to empirically evaluate the utility of various sustainability strategies adds to the originality and value of this research.

A single model to monitor multistep craft beer manufacturing using near infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics

This manuscript presents a comprehensive approach to monitoring the whole process of craft beer production (mashing, circulation, boiling, fermentation and carbonatation), using a simple, rapid and green methodology like Near Infrared spectroscopy combined with MSPC (Multivariate Statistics Process Control). A Principal Component Analysis model is calculated with near infrared spectra (range between 800–2500 nm) collected in all the steps of the process (i.e., using a batch-to-batch approach), and a multivariate control chart is generated in order to monitor the beer development. Each batch was composed of a variable number of samples (average of 55 samples per batch) depending on the sampling time of every step. Four batches working under normal operating conditions are used to construct the model. Three external batches are used to validate the proposal (two of them with induced disturbances and another one working under normal operating conditions). The results were compared to those obtained by monitoring the solid soluble content (SSC) by using Partial Least Squares regression to ascertain the richness of the information given by NIR. The results illustrate the versatility and simplicity of the proposal and its reliability towards a global monitor and control of the beer-making procedure.

Optimal Energy Management of a Double-Tracking Grid-Connected Photovoltaic with Battery System for a Microbrewery

Currently, the production of craft beer in microbreweries has become very popular. This craft beer production process is energy intensive due heating and cooling equipment involved. Most of these breweries are classified as commercial loads which are subjected to the applicable commercial time-of-use tariff from the utility company. Renewable energy sources can also be used to assist the breweries in reducing their reliance on the energy from the grid. However, these systems show a common disadvantage of not always meeting the energy demand during the periods where the resources are not available. In this paper, an optimal energy management model of a 5 kWp grid-connected photovoltaic, using a double tracking system with battery storage, is proposed to reduce the microbrewery’s reliance on the grid. For this purpose, a mathematical model describing the system’s variables, objective function, and constraints are developed. Thereafter, the performance of the developed model is simulated and analyzed using the dynamic load demand of a microbrewery brewery as a case study in the South African context. For the selected brewery, the simulation results have shown that for the solar resources as well as applicable grid tariff; up to 53.5% daily operation cost reduction can be achieved when using the proposed system as comped to the usage of the grid alone.

UTILIZAÇÃO DO SORGO NA PRODUÇÃO DE CERVEJA ARTESANAL SEM GLÚTEN: UMA REVISÃO SISTEMÁTICA DA LITERATURA

A produção de cerveja artesanal baseia-se no malte obtido a partir dos grãos de cereais, tais como cevada e trigo, que possuem glúten em sua composição. Tal fato inviabiliza o consumo da bebida por doentes celíacos, problema que pode ser contornado com a adoção de cereais sem glúten, como o sorgo. Na presente pesquisa, é feita uma revisão sistemática de literatura, que busca caracterizar o estado da arte das publicações científicas a respeito do uso do sorgo para produção de cerveja. Com isso, a adoção desta ferramenta bibliométrica permitiu avaliar cientificamente a utilização deste cereal para tal finalidade. A partir de um protocolo pré-estabelecido de busca, é verificada a relevância dos trabalhos, em termos dos países de publicação, instituições afiliadas, anais de publicação, e palavras chaves. Ao final, são feitas considerações gerais sobre os principais artigos resultantes da revisão.

Effect of Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces native yeasts on beer aroma compounds

Recently, the increase in microbreweries and the consequent production of craft beers have reached exponential growth. The interest in non-conventional yeasts for innovation and a unique selling feature in beer fermentation is increasing. This work studied the autochthonous Saccharomyces and non-Saccharomyces yeasts, isolated from various food sources, with the ability to modify and improve the fermentative and aromatic profiles during alcoholic fermentation. The ability to ferment maltose and produce desirable aroma compounds were considered as the key characters for the screening selection. A synthetic beer wort was developed for this purpose, to simulate beer wort composition.A total of forty-seven yeast strains belonging to different genera were analysed according to their fermentation profile, volatile compounds production and sensory analysis. Three native strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Zygoascus meyerae and Pichia anomala were selected to evaluate their aromatic profile in single and mixed fermentations. The strains produced 4-vinylguaiacol, β-phenylethyl alcohol, and isoamyl alcohol at levels significantly above the sensory threshold, making them interesting for wheat and blond craft beer styles. The native Hanseniaspora vineae was also included in a co-fermentation treatment, resulting in a promising yeast to produce fruity beers.

Non-Alcoholic and Craft Beer Production and Challenges

Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world and the third most popular beverage after water and tea. Emerging health-oriented lifestyle trends, demographics, stricter legislation, religious prohibitions, and consumers’ preferences have led to a strong and steady growth of interest for non-alcoholic beers (NABs), low-alcohol beers (LABs), as well for craft beers (CBs). Conventional beer, as the worlds most consumed alcoholic beverage, recently gained more recognition also due to its potential functionality associated with the high content of phenolic antioxidants and low ethanol content. The increasing attention of consumers to health-issues linked to alcohol abuse urges breweries to expand the assortment of conventional beers through novel drinks concepts. The production of these beers employs several techniques that vary in performance, efficiency, and usability. Involved production technologies have been reviewed and evaluated in this paper in terms of efficiency and production costs, given the possibility that craft brewers might want to adapt them and finally introduce novel non-alcoholic drinks in the market.

Balling's attenuation theory and beer composition calculator

This article deals with calculation possibilities and the control of basic parameters of beer on the basis of knowledge of two parameters. The importance of this method increases with the development of craft beer production in our country (mini-breweries, home brewing). The calculations are based on Balling's equations, alcohol factors and attenuation quotients, which have been published unchanged since at least 1876. In Balling's time, they were used to determine an extract with a specific gravities of 17.5 °C/17.5 °C. In current brewing, specific gravities of 20 °C/20 °C are used. For this reason, new alcohol factors of apparent attenuation were derived, and based on linear regression, regression coefficients of the dependence of the alcohol factor of apparent attenuation on the extract in original wort were calculated. Some variants of calculations based on two input parameters were incorporated into the beer composition calculator using formulas that replace extract and alcohol tables. The accuracy of the results from the calculator was checked with analyses from the Anton Paar automatic analyzer and with analyses obtained by the distillation method. The calculator is available at www.balling.cz.

Optimal energy management of a grid-connected dual-tracking photovoltaic system with battery storage: Case of a microbrewery under demand response

Nowadays, the production of craft beer in microbreweries has become very popular all over the world. However, recent studies have demonstrated that the craft beer production process in microbreweries can be considered as energy intensive due to the fact that more to 8% of the production cost is allocated to thermal processes such as heating and cooling. Therefore, most microbreweries have been applying some Energy Efficiency actions to their production processes to decrease the amount of energy consumed and maximize the profits.In cases where the amount of energy consumed cannot be reduced using Energy Efficiency actions, Demand Response measures are implemented to reduce the cost of energy needed to supply the different processes involved. From the available literature, most of the studies based on Demand Response in the microbrewery sector have focused on the use of heating resources for the onsite energy generation to directly support the thermal processes. Very few published studies looked at the onsite “electricity” generation with small scale renewable energy sources and onsite energy storage to assist with energy cost reduction strategies.Therefore, this paper develops an optimal energy management model to minimize the energy cost of a microbrewery, under demand response, supplied with a grid-connected photovoltaic system with battery storage system. As a case study, a microbrewery in South Africa has been selected for simulation purposes. The detailed brewing process’s load profile, the solar resource, the system components’ specifications as well as the Time of Use energy cost structure has been used as input to the developed model with the aim of assessing and analyzing the technical and economic performance of the proposed system under the given operation conditions and constraints. The simulation results have shown that, as compared to supplying the microbrewery exclusively by the grid, the break-even point of the proposed supply option happens after 9.5 years of operation, corresponding to ZAR 398583.18 (USD 22592,09) cumulatively spent. For the considered 20 years’ operation lifetime, the projected savings on the lifecycle cost is ZAR 603490.49 (USD 34206,44) or 40.8%. The result of the discounted payback period analysis indicated that the total investment cost may be recovered in 13.8 years.The microbrewery is selected as a case study just to highlight the fact that some processes are critical and cannot be shifted without compromising the quality of the final product. Therefore, the proposed hybrid system, the developed model and the optimization methodology can be applied to any load in different demand sectors (residential, commercial and industrial) implementing demand response measures in order to reduce their operation energy costs.

Peru's emerging craft‐brewing industry and its implications for tourism

AbstractWhile the body of research on craft beer production, consumption, and tourism is growing, some regions, such as Latin America, where beer products are also popular, have received much less attention. This study addresses this knowledge gap, exploring craft breweries in Peru, where in recent years gastronomy has gained significant momentum. In doing so, Porter's three generic competitive strategies and the resource‐based view frameworks are considered. Differentiation and focus strategies, coupled with firm resources, including symbiotic relationships between restaurateurs and craft breweries, camaraderie, and continuous partnership development emerged as key competitive factors, with key implications for tourism development.

New Opportunities for Work Integration in Rural Areas: The ‘Social Flavour’ of Craft Beer in Italy

The last decade has seen a flourishing of social agriculture cooperatives and the exponential growth of the craft beer sector in Italy. Social microbreweries (social cooperatives that operate in the craft beer sector) have started emerging but have not yet been a focus of research. This paper explores the relationship between social agriculture and microbreweries in Italy, bridging the gap between social agricultural cooperation and craft beer production. It deploys a qualitative multiple case study methodology, based on the in-depth analysis of three case studies: Vecchia Orsa, one of the oldest social microbreweries in Italy; Pintalpina, which operates in a unique alpine setting; Articioc, established by a group of friends with a love of craft beer. This research suggests that the craft beer sector provides important opportunities for social innovation in social cooperatives, with a particular focus on the work integration of vulnerable people. In addition, this paper highlights different pathways for scaling social microbreweries, including focusing on organisational growth (growing the size of the business), scaling out (impacting greater numbers) and scaling deep (impacting cultural roots). Different scaling approaches are united by a common scaling strategy: network and partnership building. This emerges as an essential action to increase the impact of social microbreweries.

Design and implementation of a fuzzy temperature control for a craft beer production microplant using PLC

In this study, a fuzzy-based PLC temperature control system was designed and implemented on a craft beer production plant. At present, the temperature-related controls of small-scale plants in Colombia are based on On/Off models, which are not very stable in the preparation of craft beer, which generates significant changes in flavor, scent and texture. Therefore, it is intended to incorporate into the craft beer industry, solutions that guarantee repeatability, minimize costs and potentiate production, for this, a three-stage fuzzy control model is carried out: design, implementation and start up; This is how a study of the plant´s dynamics is carried out, the response is determined from the data, a fuzzy controller is designed by using Matlab software, and a graphical interface in LabView for data capture and storage. The controller demonstrates stability in relation to the temperature variable, which provides repeatability and significant energy savings. Finally, it is concluded that the controller proved to be robust against major disturbances and stable at different temperatures, being a useful tool for efficiently controlling the variable.

Caracterização físico-química de cervejas artesanais de atemoia (Annona cherimoia Mill. x Anonna squamosa L) e de sapoti (Manilkara sapota L.)

O objetivo deste estudo foi produzir cervejas artesanais com adição das frutas tropicais atemoia e sapoti em sua composição. Para elaboração dos mostos cervejeiros as matérias primas utilizadas foram malte tipo Pilsen e levedura cervejeira tipo Lager. A polpa de atemoia foi adicionada no mosto cervejeiro na concentração de 8,5% (p/v) e a polpa de sapoti na concentração de 17% (p/v). O processo de fermentação alcoólica ocorreu a 15ºC por 15 dias e o processo de maturação das cervejas verdes ocorreu a 5ºC por 15 dias. Após engarrafamento e carbonatação na própria garrafa realizaram-se as análises físico-químicas das três cervejas produzidas: cerveja sem adição de frutas (cerveja Pilsen), cerveja com polpa de atemoia (cerveja de atemoia) e cerveja com polpa de sapoti (cerveja de sapoti). A adição das polpas de frutas aumentou o teor alcoólico das cervejas de atemoia (5,0ºGL) e de sapoti (5,0ºGL) em relação à cerveja sem frutas (4,6ºGL). Também foi observado um aumento do teor de compostos fenólicos totais das cervejas de atemoia (111,29 mg/100 mL) e de sapoti (77,61 mg/100 mL) em relação à cerveja sem frutas (64,00 mg/100 mL). Outro resultado observado foi o aumento da atividade antioxidante das cervejas de atemoia e sapoti em relação à cerveja sem frutas. A utilização das polpas de atemoia e sapoti mostraram-se tecnologicamente viáveis na produção das cervejas artesanais. As cervejas com frutas valorizam o uso de frutas tropicais e despertam a atenção dos consumidores de cervejas artesanais.

Alternative production of craft lager beers using artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) as a hops substitute

Abstract Beer is a fermented beverage made from barley malt and hops under the action of a suitable yeast. The main function of hops in the brewing process is to provide bitterness, characteristic flavours and aromas to the beverage. However, hops only began to be added to the formulation of this beverage starting in the ninth century. Therefore, the use of other bitter plants as a substitute for hops may be a viable alternative. This study aimed at evaluating the use of artichoke as a total substitute for hops in American lager craft beer production. The substitution of hops with up to 2 g⋅L-1 artichoke resulted in a beer with a quality similar to that of the American lager beer traditionally found in the market. So, artichoke was confirmed to be a viable alternative for hops, having satisfactory physicochemical characteristics and good sensorial acceptance.