High Gravity Brewing by Continuous Process Using Immobilised Yeast: Effect of Wort Original Gravity on Fermentation Performance

Abstract

The present work evaluated the influence of all‐malt wort original gravity on fermentative parameters and flavour‐active compound formation during primary fermentation of high gravity brewing by a continuous process using a lager yeast immobilised on a natural carrier obtained from brewer's spent grain (the main brewery by‐product). The all‐malt worts with original gravity (OG) ranging from 13.4 to 18.5°Plato were prepared by diluting a very‐high‐gravity wort (20°Plato) with sterile brewery water. The continuous assay was carried out in a bubble column bioreactor with a total working volume of 5.2 litres, at 15°C, using a constant gas flow rate of 250 mL/min (200 mL/min of CO₂ and 50 mL/min of air) and a dilution rate of 0.04 h⁻¹ (residence time of 25 h). The results indicated that as the wort OG was increased, the ethanol concentration of the outflowing beer increased. On the other hand, the continuous fermentation of the most concentrated worts (16.6 and 18.5°Plato) resulted in beers with unbalanced flavour profiles due to excessive ethyl acetate formation. The immobilised cell concentration appeared to be nearly independent from increasing wort OG.