http://www.phillymag.com/business/2016/01/29/penn-beer-y-prize/
Read this the other day. Curious to see how the process affects yeast metabolism and if more unwanted byproducts are produced. Also wonder if it affects flocculation and hence cleanup of those byproducts.
Like much research, this may apply mostly to lagers because that’s where the money is. But I doubt it’s reinheitsgebot kosher.
Throw in some of this for a little cleanup:
http://www.dupont.com/industries/food-and-beverage/press-releases/danisco-alphalase-advance-4000.html
I wonder if the microfluid part would give the same result as just stirring/pumping the fermenting wort around on a regular (non-micro) scale.
I was thinking this as well, but I’m also wondering what their pitching rate is as well. I’m thinking that the yeast must be in a stationary phase in the bioreactor and are just feeding on the wort at whatever rate it is being fed to them.
Extrapolating a bit, I wonder if you could replicate this by having some sort of setup where you have your yeast slurry in a small keg or water filter chamber and slowly circulate wort through it by jumping it from one keg to another.
Very cool tech from the sounds of it. I’d love to get into the nuts and bolts of it. I’m also wondering if it only works for certain gravity ranges, beer styles, etc., or if it is something that will work for any fermentation.
$10 says the beer is sh!t.
There’s no way to know without trying it. Am I skeptical? Sure…but I’ve been wrong enough times that I’ll wait and see.
Wake me up when beer is done 100x faster. :
I also wouldn’t be surprised if we never see such a thing within the craft beer or homebrew industries. If this works, it’ll be patented and kept for the big boys.
Many universities get their funding by developing these types of technologies, patenting them, and licensing them. Does this mean the “little guys” may not be able to afford the license? Sure, but then technological break throughs from universities will stagnate if it was given away.
I guess I’m more interested in 9 times better not 9 times faster.
No doubt.
+1K
You guys already have all the tools to make your beer 9 times better. There needs not be some revelation.
Good for them. I’m not terribly interested in it myself, but it’s still cool they’ve made such a contribution at a young age that can earn them some cash. I’m saying this of course because I currently have 4 beers on tap with a spare keg ready to go, another keg conditioning and a Pilsner sitting in a 32° carboy.
Once you’re stocked up it isn’t too hard to stay that way.
I hope it creates a breakthrough - but I think the Germans have worked the process to a pretty much nth degree…and I bet their new process is not producing “It”.