Tag: ifttt

Anheuser-Busch InBev purchases Czech ‘Budweiser’ rival

A-B InBev has purchased Budjovicky Mestansky Pivovar (BMP), the smaller of two breweries from the Czech town of Ceska Budejovice. Both have long claimed that they — and not A-B InBev — own the right to sell a beer called Budweiser on world markets. No purchase price was disclosed, and the only assets A-B InBev bought was BMP’s Budweiser trademarks – its parent company transferred the actual brewery and employees to a different firm prior to the sale. Still, the deal could have big ramifications.

Forced Wort and Forced Ferment tests

The “forced wort” test basically tells you whether your wort is stable and free from contamination. You take a sample from the run-in to your fermentor, before you pitch any yeast. You need a properly sterile flask for this – merely sanitised probably won’t do the job (although I haven’t tried) and could well give false positives – and you need to take the sample in as sanitary a fashion as possible. Then you simply put the flask somewhere safe and warm (on a shaker if you’ve got one – I haven’t) and check it every day for haze, bubbles, or off smells or tastes, for the next few days to see if anything grows in it. Ideally, it should still be clear and stable at least 7 days later. Don’t put it on a stir plate, as constant stirring will make the remaining proteins go cloudy (I know, I’ve done it).

Quality Control

It is important that a brewer regularly check the fermentability of the wort produced. A very simple and effective method is a forced fermentation test. This test can be performed by any brewer with or without a lab. The forced fermentation test consists of aseptically pulling a wort sample (post heat-exchanger) into a sterile sample container and inoculating with a very high yeast cell count (Dried yeast works fine). Agitate the container often. Check the gravity after 36-48 hours to determine terminal gravity. This test will give you a good idea of where your fermentation should finish. If your main fermentation does not reach the same level as your forced ferment, you know you have a problem in the fermenter (pitch rate, temperature, oxygenation). If both your main fermentation and the forced ferment finish out of spec (too high or too low), you know that you have a problem on the brewing side (mash temperature, times, crush, ingredients).

Refractometers

With careful use, a 0–30 Brix refractometer is precise to within 0.2–0.3 Brix. As such, it is less precise than a good hydrometer. However, it can provide a quick measurement of gravity to within about one “gravity point” at times when cooling the wort for a hydrometer sample would take too much time.