Elevating the Art of Craft Beer through Precision Measurement Techniques

The craft beer industry has witnessed a remarkable rise in popularity, with discerning consumers seeking distinctive flavor profiles and superior quality. Craft breweries must prioritize consistency and excellence throughout the brewing process to satisfy these discerning palates. Integrating advanced measurement solutions for critical parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen, gaseous oxygen, and turbidity is paramount to attaining optimal outcomes and preserving the intended taste characteristics of craft beers.

The Role of pH in Crafting Exceptional Beers:

The acidity or alkalinity of the brewing environment, quantified by pH, exerts a profound influence on the activity of enzymes, the well-being of yeast, and the ultimate flavor profile of the beer. Precise pH monitoring is indispensable for maintaining batch-to-batch uniformity. Cutting-edge pH meters with features like automatic temperature compensation and calibration functionality empower brewers to track and fine-tune pH levels closely throughout the brewing cycle. By diligently regulating pH within the ideal range, brewers can ward off undesirable flavors, guarantee efficient fermentation, and create beers that exemplify their intended taste attributes.

Dissolved Oxygen: A Critical Factor in Beer Quality:

The dissolved oxygen concentration (DO) in beer is a pivotal consideration, as it can significantly impact flavor stability and longevity. Excessive DO levels can trigger oxidation reactions, imparting stale or cardboard-like off-flavors to the beer. Cutting-edge DO meters employing optical sensing technology deliver precise and dependable measurements, empowering brewers to monitor and regulate vigilantly DO concentrations across the brewing and packaging stages. By minimizing the beer's exposure to DO, craft breweries can safeguard the freshness and integrity of their products.

Mitigating the Impact of Gaseous Oxygen:

Beyond dissolved oxygen, gaseous oxygen in the brewing environment warrants meticulous attention. Gaseous oxygen can infiltrate the beer during transfer processes, bottling, or canning, potentially leading to oxidative deterioration and compromised flavor. Advanced gaseous oxygen analyzers equip brewers to identify and quantify oxygen levels in the headspace of packaged beer. By diligently monitoring and controlling gaseous oxygen, craft breweries can effectively prevent oxidation and preserve the intended flavor characteristics of their beers.

Ensuring Beer Clarity through Turbidity Control:

Its turbidity or clarity greatly influences the visual allure and overall perception of craft beer. High-precision turbidity meters offer reliable and consistent measurements, enabling brewers to closely monitor the clarity of their beers at different junctures in the brewing process. By expertly manipulating turbidity levels, craft breweries can guarantee a consistent visual presentation and cater to consumer expectations, whether the desired outcome is a crystal-clear or intentionally hazy beer.

In conclusion, adopting state-of-the-art measurement solutions for pH, dissolved oxygen, gaseous oxygen, and turbidity is crucial for craft breweries aiming to elevate the quality and consistency of their offerings. Precise and reliable measurements arm brewers with the insights needed to make well-informed decisions, streamline their processes, and consistently deliver exceptional craft beers to their patrons. By strategically investing in cutting-edge measurement technologies, craft breweries can optimize their operations, minimize product inconsistencies, and cement their reputation as producers of top-tier, flavor-forward beers that stand out in the fiercely competitive craft beer landscape.

Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.
312 Park Avenue Unit 145
Clarendon Hills, IL 60514-0145
Phone: 630-321-9646
https://alliancets.com

Preserve CO₂ When Purging Beer Tanks With the Mettler Toledo InTap Portable Dissolved Oxygen Analyzer

A craft brewer uses CO₂ to purge oxygen from the headspace in bright beer tanks to reduce dissolved oxygen levels in final products. They used a time-based method to determine when to determine purge completion, but this is an imprecise method that can overuse expensive CO₂. METTLER TOLEDO provided the InTap portable oxygen analyzer to the craft brewer. InTap measures dissolved oxygen levels down to 2 ppb using a highly precise optical sensor, making it suitable for a wide range of brewery applications ranging from purging to monitoring filling lines.

This video discusses how a craft brewer reduced CO2 use with a convenient, portable oxygen meter.

It addresses critical issues concerning beer production, such as: 

• Complete tank purge determination.
• Why use a portable meter to measure dissolved oxygen? 
• How to Increase Your Product Quality Confidence

For more information about METTLER TOLEDO Process Analytics products in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Wisconsin call Alliance Technical Sales at 630-321-9646 or visit their website at https://alliancets.com.

Brewers, Make Oxygen More Your Friend, and Less Your Enemy. Check Out the Mettler Toledo InTap™ Portable Optical DO analyzer

InTap™ DO Analyzer 

Brewers have a complicated relationship with oxygen. 

At times oxygen is your friend. It's needed for barley germination. It's needed to synthesize fatty acids and sterols in yeast. And it improves colloidal stability. 

Oxygen is also one of the the brewers worst enemies. It has a significant effect on color. It lowers the  rate of wort separation. It can cause undesirable flavors. And is causes haze and makes finished beer stale.

By the way, we're talking about the dissolved oxygen (DO) in solution here. Not the external oxygen the water, wort, or beer tank headspace.

Fortunately Mettler Toledo provides instrumentation to assist brewers in they management of oxygen. Their InTap™ DO analyzer with optical technology, is both a portable measurement tool and a convenient calibration instrument. It facilitates measurement and calibration procedures in both process and laboratory settings, and reduces the risk of operator error.

The InTap™ portable oDO analyzer is a portable measurement device for dissolved oxygen

measurement and for calibration and data logging of optical dissolved oxygen ISM® sensors

(InPro® 6970i) installed in the process. The InTap™ and the sensors communicate via Bluetooth.

Measurement point tracking in the InTap™ portable dissolved oxygen meter allows operators to easily connect stored measurement data to different locations in production, making it easy to maintain records point-by-point for traceability and documentation purposes.

Reliable optical dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor technology is also available in the InTap™ portable meter for spot check and reference measurements. With Blue- tooth communication, hassle-free calibration of in-line DO sensors is done quickly and easily.

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DOWNLOAD A COMPREHENSIVE IN-LINE PROCESS ANALYTICS BROCHURE FOR PRODUCING QUALITY BEER HERE

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For more information, contact Alliance Technical Sales. They can be reached by calling 630-321-9646 or by visiting their web site at https://alliancets.com.

Inline Dissolved Oxygen Sensor Designed for Breweries

InPro6970i for brewing

Oxygen in beer bottles or cans is bad. It affects the flavor and shortens shelf life, so breweries do their best to prevent oxygen getting into beer  at the filling line.  The Mettler Toledo Process Analytics InPro6970i is an inline dissolved oxygen sensor designed specifically for the needs of the brewery industry. It can measure oxygen in beer at levels of only a few parts per billion.

The sensor is inserted in the pipe at the start of the filling line, and provides real-time measurements on the oxygen content of the beer.  If the oxygen level is too high, the flow of beer is stopped to prevent the out of specification product continuing down the line.

Unlike most dissolved oxygen sensors available, the InPro6970i uses a clever optical technique for measuring oxygen. At the tip of the sensor there's a layer of molecules that absorb and emit light. These molecules are sensitive to oxygen which alters how the molecules behave. The greater the quantity of oxygen, the greater the changes in their behavior. The sensor very accurately measures these changes and sends the signal to the transmitter.  This technique is extremely fast and accurate at measuring changes in beer oxygen level, which is why it is favored by breweries. But that is not the only requirement breweries demand.  Sensors must be rugged, easy to use, and simple to maintain.The InPro6970i scores highly in all these areas. The sensor's stainless steel body is extremely robust, the unit is easily and quickly installed, and the only maintenance required is the periodic exchange of the oxygen sensitive element, the OptoCap. Intelligent Sensor Management, or ISM, is a feature of the InPro6970i that offers significant benefits to breweries. The sensor can be calibrated in a convenient location such as a lab. Upon connection to the transmitter, the system is ready to measure in only a few seconds, so measurement point down time is very short. The dynamic lifetime indicator uses sophisticated algorithms to calculate the remaining life of the sensor, breweries therefore have confidence that the sensor won't fail unexpectedly.

Contact Alliance Technical Sales for more information. Call 630-321-9646 or visit https://alliancets.com.

Analytical Measurement Solutions for Optimization of Your Brewing Process

Stages of brewing and areas for process measurement.

The beer market is currently experiencing an intense globalization process, reflected in escalating competitive and cost pressures. In addition to this, there is growing diversification into new, innovative beverages that demand maximum production flexibility. The time to market is becoming ever shorter, and product quality has to be guaranteed at a consistently high level, accompanied by an increase in productivity.

In-line Measurements in the Brew House

Proper process control plays a vital role in determining the flavor, foam stability, and color of the finished beer. The relative measurement sensors are exposed to high temperatures, and solid particles and turbidity constituents, and must be capable of surviving multiple CIP cycles.

Turbidity Sensor

Measurements in the Fermentation and Storage Cellars

At standard fermentation temperatures, propagation of microorganisms is detrimental to the beer. In order to prevent this from occurring, hygienic plant design and use of materials resistant to CIP solutions are important criteria, as they are for in-line sensors.

DO and CO2 Sensors

Measurements in CIP Systems

The economic use of fresh water, as well as the multiple use of cleaning solutions, present a further basis for achieving overall cost reduction in line with the strive for greater efficiency of the brewing process. Here also, in-line systems are of help in monitoring and optimizing the relative sub-processes.

Measurements in Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Fouling of sensors in wastewater leads to uncertainty about the measurement results and can even result in measurement system failure. METTLER TOLEDO provides efficient and practical solutions in the wastewater treatment areas as well.

You can download the full "Analytical Measurement Solutions for Optimization of Your Brewing Process" brochure here, or view it in the embedded document below.

Analytical Measurement Solutions for Optimization of Your Brewing Process from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

Optical Sensor for Dissolved Oxygen Monitoring in Breweries

Dissolved oxygen measurements are an essential part of the brewing process. Keeping oxygen out of beer is a key production goal of brewers on any scale, since oxygen noticeably diminishes the taste of beer.

The measurement levels for oxygen are very low, so a sensor with high accuracy and response is needed. Hygienic construction and the ability to accommodate CIP operations is also a plus. Any features that reduce maintenance time budget enhance the value of the instrument.

The video, provided by Mettler Toledo, provides useful insight into how their optical DO sensor can benefit a brewing operation.

More detail, as well as application assistance, is available from product specialists. Combining your process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise will deliver effective solutions.

Video on Bubble Noise in Dissolved Oxygen Signals

Modern Brewery

Process engineers and operators continually seek faster and more accurate means of measuring variables within the process. Greater currency and accuracy of information can lead to better control and decision making, with a positive impact on efficiency and safety.

Measurement of specific dissolved gases within a liquid plays an important part in many processes in the biopharmaceutical, food, and beverage industries. Mettler Toledo, through their Ingold brand, has developed a solution to a common problem associated with measuring dissolved oxygen. Provided below is a video which illustrates how bubbles can impact the sensor reading, plus Mettler Toledo's solution to the problem. There is also an application note provided below the video which further explains the problem and solution.

Share your process measurement and control challenges with product specialists. Combine your process experience with their product application expertise to devise the best solutions.

Eliminating Bubble Noise in Dissolved Oxygen Measurements from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.