Lesson 6 - Process Aids and Additions
This lesson discusses the function of process aids and how they improve colloidal stability. It also explores filter aids, post-fermentation additions, and the use of deaerated water as tools to enable a brewer to meet their final pack beer quality specifications.
Other flavours
A vast number of flavours can be added to beer. These may be simply dosed in through the vessel door, through an additions port in the beer line, or via an additive dosing system. We will explore this system in the next section of this lesson.
Some brewers may argue that all flavours should be ‘brewed in’ and that flavours added at the maturation or filtration stage of the brewing process are un-authentic or artificial. The advantage of late flavour addition is that the vigorous release of carbon dioxide during fermentation can remove volatile aroma compounds. Or these compounds may undergo an element of biotransformation (yeast metabolises the addition and either depletes the flavour or produces a different flavour profile). By adding the flavours post-fermentation, the brewer has far greater control of the final flavour and aroma in the packaged product.
With the ever-expanding array of beer style variants coming to market, flavours can add an interesting dimension to a beer’s sensory profile. Here are some examples of commonly used flavours:
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Wheat beer - fruit and spice
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Stout – coffee, chocolate (cacao nibs), lactose
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Imperial Stout – dark fruits, such as plums and raisins amplify dark fruit notes
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Lambics – cherries, strawberries, or raspberries are added to give the beer a pleasant and full fruity sweetness that offsets the sour base, before a pleasing and refreshing tart finish.
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India Pale Ale – to complement a very hoppy IPA, brewers may add a diverse number of citrus and tropical flavours, such as blood orange, mango, or grapefruit.