OnTap Magazine

26 | Summer 2024 | ontapmag.co.za THE FERMENTATION METHOD Low-alcohol beer can be made industrially by de-alcoholising a standard beer. However, in this article we will be going into the fermentation method only. If you take a look at the sugar composition of a typical wort, you’ll find approximately 15% glucose (single unit sugar), maybe 60% maltose (two unit sugar) 10% maltotriose (3 units) and 15% dextrins which are more complex sugars. Some yeasts and blends have the potential to consume a lot of the sugar content and sometimes even break down complex sugars into smaller parts that the yeast can manage (that is the role of the diastaticus yeast; and also the role of the enzyme, for instance in the Fermentis All-In-1™ products). Other yeasts don’t have this ability and some are even limited to only the simplest sugars – the glucose for example. To create aproduct that couldonly ferment a very small part of the sugars contained in the wort, you need to select amaltose-negative strain, such as SafBrew™ LA-01 (a Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. chevalieri yeast strain) developed by Fermentis. THE VERY FIRST DRY YEAST FOR LOW- AND NO-ALCOHOL BEERS The first dry yeast of its kind, SafBrew™ LA-01 was launched in 2018. It was specifically launched to address the low- and no- alcohol trend. This strain is unable to assimilate maltose and maltotriose, meaning it will only ferment the simplest sugars in the wort. By creating a fairly clear wort with not too much sugar, it is easy to produce very pleasant low alcohol craft beers, with a subtle aroma profile especially in combination with the right malt and hop bills, and possibly also with some other microorganism like bacteria to enhance flavour profile and drinkability. SafBrew™ LA- 01 is however POF+, meaning it can produce some minor phenolic or spicy notes. EXPERIMENTAL BREWERY AT THE FERMENTIS CAMPUS Since Fermentis launched an experimental brewery at The Fermentis Campus, they have carried out a study to investigate the impact of yeast on no-alcohol beer flavour profiles. The Fermentis team explains here the results and outlines the brewing process, yeast strains utilized, and the sensory attributes of the resulting no-alcohol beer variants. The aim is to uncover the specific contributions of yeast to the taste and aroma of these beers. The initial step involved creating a 20 hL base wort, split into two portions: one enriched with Magnum hops (16.2% AA), and the other subjected to kettle souring using SafSour LB 1™ at a rate of 10g/hL for 36 hours at 37°C. After souring, the second portion was further bittered with Magnum hops. This resulted in a regular wort and a sour wort, each comprising 10 hL. Both wort types were divided into 5 hL fermenters, undergoing two distinct protocols: • SafBrew™ LA-01 Fermentation: One set of worts was allowed to ferment using SafBrew™ LA-01 yeast strain. • Dry Hopped Fermentation: The other set of worts underwent dry hopping with respectively 200g/hL (for the NAB Hoppy) and 400g/ hL (for the NAB Hoppy Sour) of Citra hops in conjunction with SafBrew™ LA-01 yeast. Through this controlled approach, we produced four distinct no- A DV E RTO R I A L LOW AND NO ALCOHOL BEER: TIPS ON BREWING LOW ALCOHOL OR NO ALCOHOL BEER HAS BEEN A GROWING TREND OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND WE EXPECT THIS TO CONTINUE IN THE FUTURE. WITH MORE AND MORE CONSUMERS INTERESTED IN HEALTH ISSUES AND WELLBEING, THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE IN DEMAND, ESPECIALLY IN TODAY'S VERY DIVERSE BEER LANDSCAPE. INDUSTRIALS HAVE BEEN MAKING LOW ALCOHOL BEERS FOR MUCH LONGER, BUT NOW CRAFT BREWERIES AND EVEN HOMEBREWERS ARE INTERESTED IN MAKING LOW AND NO ALCOHOL BEER. BELOWWE SHARE SOME TIPS AND PRODUCTS TO HELP YOU MAKE YOUR OWN!