The present invention relates to a method and production system for dealcoholization of beverages such as beers and wines.

The invention provides a process of producing a non-alcoholic beer comprising the steps of: fermenting the wort with live yeast to produce a fermented wort; subjecting the fermented wort to one or more further process steps to produce a non-alcoholic beer; and introducing the non-alcoholic beer in a sealed container; wherein either the fermentation produces a non-alcoholic fermented wort or wherein the fermentation produces an alcoholic fermented wort and alcohol is subsequently removed to produce a non-alcoholic fermented wort or a non-alcoholic beer; and wherein the heated wort, the non-alcoholic fermented wort and/or the non-alcoholic beer is contacted with a hydrophobic silicate-based molecular sieve.

Flavour substances contributing to undesirable flavour notes in non-alcoholic beer can be removed effectively during production by contacting wort before or after fermentation with a hydrophobic silicate-based molecular sieve, provided the wort contains virtually no alcohol.

The invention provides a process of producing a non-alcoholic beer comprising the steps of: fermenting the wort with live yeast to produce a fermented wort; subjecting the fermented wort to one or more further process steps to produce a non-alcoholic beer; and introducing the non-alcoholic beer in a sealed container; wherein either the fermentation produces a non-alcoholic fermented wort or wherein the fermentation produces an alcoholic fermented wort and alcohol is subsequently removed to produce a non-alcoholic fermented wort or a non-alcoholic beer; and wherein the heated wort, the non-alcoholic fermented wort and/or the non-alcoholic beer is contacted with a hydrophobic silicate-based molecular sieve.

Flavour substances contributing to undesirable flavour notes in non-alcoholic beer can be removed effectively during production by contacting wort before or after fermentation with a hydrophobic silicate-based molecular sieve, provided the wort contains virtually no alcohol.

A fermented beverage is described together with a method for its production from one or more component of a Cannabis plant. The beverage comprises carbohydrates derived from hydrolysis of cellulose and/or hemicellulose from Cannabis, as a fermentation substrate. The beverage may contain alcohol or may be non-alcoholic. Active phytocannabinoid compounds may be present, preferably in the non-alcoholic beverages. The method includes the steps of (a) obtaining a cellulose-rich pulp from the one or more components of the Cannabis plant, from which lignin and/or hemicellulose has been released (through any number of multiple prehydrolysis steps); (b) degrading the cellulose-rich pulp into carbohydrates (saccharification step) with enzymatic hydrolysis by one or more cellulose-degrading and/or hemicellulose-degrading enzymes, and/or with acid hydrolysis to form carbohydrates; (c) preparing a wort from the carbohydrates with (or if desired without) sufficient yeast nutritional requirements and flavoring from portions of the Cannabis plant; and (d) fermenting the wort to form the fermented beverage. (e) Optionally performing steps to finish the beer including but not limited to aging, alcohol removal, formulation and flavoring by addition of phytocannabinoids and/or terpenes, xylooligimers, and/or Cannabis extracts and/or Cannabis oils with or without accelerants (to accelerate the onset of the bioactive effect) and/or deccelerants (to shorten the duration of the bioactive effect) as desired. The optional removal of alcohol may be conducted by reverse osmosis or other process. Phytocannabinoids or flavorings may be introduced as desired.

A fermented beverage is described together with a method for its production from one or more component of a Cannabis plant. The beverage comprises carbohydrates derived from hydrolysis of cellulose and/or hemicellulose from Cannabis, as a fermentation substrate. The beverage may contain alcohol or may be non-alcoholic. Active phytocannabinoid compounds may be present, preferably in the non-alcoholic beverages. The method includes the steps of (a) obtaining a cellulose-rich pulp from the one or more components of the Cannabis plant, from which lignin and/or hemicellulose has been released (through any number of multiple prehydrolysis steps); (b) degrading the cellulose-rich pulp into carbohydrates (saccharification step) with enzymatic hydrolysis by one or more cellulose-degrading and/or hemicellulose-degrading enzymes, and/or with acid hydrolysis to form carbohydrates; (c) preparing a wort from the carbohydrates with (or if desired without) sufficient yeast nutritional requirements and flavoring from portions of the Cannabis plant; and (d) fermenting the wort to form the fermented beverage. (e) Optionally performing steps to finish the beer including but not limited to aging, alcohol removal, formulation and flavoring by addition of phytocannabinoids and/or terpenes, xylooligimers, and/or Cannabis extracts and/or Cannabis oils with or without accelerants (to accelerate the onset of the bioactive effect) and/or deccelerants (to shorten the duration of the bioactive effect) as desired. The optional removal of alcohol may be conducted by reverse osmosis or other process. Phytocannabinoids or flavorings may be introduced as desired.

A method for reducing beverage loss during loading of beverage into an ethanol concentration system having a set of reverse osmosis pressure vessels, each pressure vessel having a feed inlet, a retentate outlet, and a permeate outlet. The method includes feeding deaerated water into the feed inlet of a first pressure vessel, feeding the beverage into the feed inlet of the first pressure vessel, monitoring an alcohol percentage at the retentate outlet of a second pressure vessel, the second pressure vessel coupled directly or indirectly to the first pressure vessel, and coupling a retentate from the retentate outlet of the second pressure vessel to a feed tank coupled to the feed inlet of the first pressure vessel when the alcohol percentage is within a first target range of 0.5 to 18% alcohol-by-volume (ABV).

Improved compositions of reversible monoamine oxidase inhibitors are obtained by improved methods of alcohol removal from distillates of fermented agave extracts.

An apparatus used to ferment a liquid during kombucha manufacture includes a bonnet. The bonnet is configured to cover an opening of a container. The container defines a volume to hold the liquid. The container has a lip that defines the opening. The bonnet further includes a filter. The filter is permeable to a gas and has a pore size. The bonnet includes an elastic member. The elastic member is coupled to the filter. The elastic member is elastically engageable with the lip such that when the bonnet is attached to the container the bonnet covers the opening and the elastic member is removably sealable to the lip. When the bonnet is engaged with the lip, a gas can pass through the filter and particles larger than the pore size are kept out of the liquid by the filter during fermentation of the liquid, thereby preventing contamination of the liquid.

An apparatus used to ferment a liquid during kombucha manufacture includes a bonnet. The bonnet is configured to cover an opening of a container. The container defines a volume to hold the liquid. The container has a lip that defines the opening. The bonnet further includes a filter. The filter is permeable to a gas and has a pore size. The bonnet includes an elastic member. The elastic member is coupled to the filter. The elastic member is elastically engageable with the lip such that when the bonnet is attached to the container the bonnet covers the opening and the elastic member is removably sealable to the lip. When the bonnet is engaged with the lip, a gas can pass through the filter and particles larger than the pore size are kept out of the liquid by the filter during fermentation of the liquid, thereby preventing contamination of the liquid.

Provided herein are methods of making a hard seltzer beverage, wherein a base beverage is filtered using one or more filtration stages. In various embodiments, hard seltzer beverages that are produced using the methods provided herein may be substantially colorless; may have a substantially neutral taste; and/or may have a reduced carbohydrate content. In some embodiments, the methods provided herein enable the production of hard seltzer beverages having one or more of these advantages without significantly reducing the alcohol content of the beverage.