Method of Producing Beer or a Beer-Like Beverage and a Beer Concentrate

Abstract

A method of producing beer comprises the steps of producing or supplying a beer intermediate, wherein the beer intermediate is manufactured through a brewing process, storing the beer intermediate in a container, transporting the container containing the beer intermediate to a processing station where the beer intermediate is discharged from the container for further processing and mixing CO with the discharged beer intermediate. Before the step of storing the beer intermediate at least one of alcohol, malt syrup, wheat syrup, hop and sugar is added to the beer intermediate such that the stored beer intermediate forms a beer concentrate, wherein removal of water from the beer intermediate after the brewing process is omitted. Water is mixed with the discharged beer concentrate so as to obtain ready-to-consume beer or a ready-to-consume beer-like beverage. The produced or supplied beer intermediate has a CO2 concentration which is lower than 3 g/kg.

Claims

1. A method of producing beer or a beer-like beverage, comprising steps of: producing or supplying a beer intermediate, wherein the beer intermediate is manufactured through a brewing process, storing the beer intermediate in a container, transporting the container containing the beer intermediate to a processing station where the beer intermediate is discharged from the container for further processing, mixing CO.sub.2 with the discharged beer intermediate, characterized in that before the step of storing the beer intermediate at least one of alcohol, malt syrup, wheat syrup, hops and sugar is added to the beer intermediate such that the stored beer intermediate forms a beer concentrate, removal of water from the beer intermediate after the brewing process is omitted, and water is mixed with the discharged beer concentrate so as to obtain ready-to-consume beer or a ready-to-consume beer-like beverage, and wherein the produced or supplied beer intermediate has a CO.sub.2 concentration which is lower than 3 g/kg.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein CO.sub.2 and water are mixed with the beer concentrate at the same time by mixing carbonated water with the beer concentrate.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beer intermediate contains alcohol.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the step of mixing one of the alcohol, the malt syrup, the wheat syrup, the hops and the sugar, and the beer intermediate contains no alcohol or an alcohol amount lower than 5 vol %.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein alcohol is mixed with the discharged beer concentrate.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sugar comprises glucose.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing station comprises a tapping cock, where CO.sub.2 and water are mixed with the discharged beer concentrate.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the water is mixed with the discharged beer concentrate at a ratio between 1:3 and 1:25.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein after a fermentation step during the brewing process and before adding the at least one of the alcohol, the malt syrup, the wheat syrup, the hops and the sugar to the beer intermediate, one or more of diatomaceous earth, kieselguhr, and glass powder, is mixed with the beer intermediate, after which the resulting beer intermediate is filtered.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the beer intermediate is manufactured through a traditional brewing process in which a ready-to-consume beer is produced by a process including a step of fermentation.

11. A beer concentrate manufactured by producing or supplying a beer intermediate having a CO.sub.2 concentration which is lower than 3 g/kg, and adding at least one of alcohol, malt syrup, wheat syrup, hops and sugar to the beer intermediate so as to form the beer concentrate, wherein the beer intermediate is manufactured through a brewing process, in which removal of water from the beer intermediate after the brewing process is omitted.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the produced or supplied beer intermediate has a CO.sub.2 concentration which is lower than 2 g/kg.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the produced or supplied beer intermediate has a CO.sub.2 concentration which is lower than 1 g/kg.

14. The method according to claim 6, wherein the sugar comprises between 25 and 100% glucose.

15. The method according to claim 4, wherein the sugar comprises glucose.

16. The method according to claim 4, wherein the processing station comprises a tapping cock, where CO.sub.2 and water are mixed with the discharged beer concentrate.

17. The method according to claim 4, wherein the water is mixed with the discharged beer concentrate at a ratio between 1:3 and 1:25.

18. The method according to claim 4, wherein after a fermentation step during the brewing process and before adding the at least one of the alcohol, the malt syrup, the wheat syrup, the hops and the sugar to the beer intermediate, one or more of diatomaceous earth, kieselguhr, and glass powder, is mixed with the beer intermediate, after which the resulting beer intermediate is filtered.

19. The beer concentrate according to claim 11, wherein the produced or supplied beer intermediate has a CO.sub.2 concentration which is lower than 2 g/kg.

20. The beer concentrate according to claim 11, wherein the produced or supplied beer intermediate has a CO.sub.2 concentration which is lower than 2 g/kg.

Description

[0020] The invention will hereafter be elucidated with embodiments of the invention by way of example.

[0021] In a first embodiment a beer is brewed in a traditional manner. Carbon dioxide that arises during the brewing process will escape by applying no counter-pressure in the course of the post-fermentation process of beer. Subsequently, carbon dioxide is removed by a degassing facility, resulting in a beer intermediate which has a CO.sub.2 concentration which is lower than 1 g/kg. Then, alcohol, malt syrup, wheat syrup, hop and sugar, flavouring substances, preservatives and foam inhibitors are added. The amounts of these additives depend on the mixing ratio with water which is added later on and the desired taste. The amount of added water may be more or less fixed when using a post-mix dispenser to mix the beer concentrate with carbonated water. For example, the mixing ratio may be 1:3 to 1:25.

[0022] The beer concentrate is stored in a bag-in-box and transported to a processing station in the form of a post-mix dispenser. At the post-mix dispenser the beer concentrate is discharged from the bag-in-box to a mixing unit where the beer concentrate is mixed with carbonated water. After mixing the resulting ready-to-consume beer or beer-like beverage flows to a tapping cock where it is introduced into a glass.

[0023] In another embodiment a beer concentrate is produced as described above, but it is then stored in a small cup, comparable to a coffee cup for a coffee machine. The cup is transported to a consumer who opens the cup and pours the beer concentrate into a bottle of carbonated water, such as traditional sparkling water. Subsequently, ready-to-consume beer or beer-like beverage can be served from the bottle.

[0024] In still another embodiment the above-mentioned cup is transported to a consumer who puts the cup in a machine where the cup is opened and the beer concentrate is poured into a glass together with carbonated water.

[0025] The applicant has shown that a ready-to-consume beer or beer-like beverage can be produced by adding the following substances to a de-carbonated beer intermediate: 0-800 g sugar, 0-40 g hop extract and 0-800 g malt syrup per 1 beer intermediate. The resulting beer concentrate is mixed with water by the following ratios: 1 l beer concentrate and 3 l water to 1 l beer concentrate and 24 l water.

[0026] It is noted that numerous additives can be added to the beer concentrate before storing it, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, flavouring substances, foam inhibitors and the like.

[0027] The intermediate beer may have an alcohol concentration varying from 0 to 16 vol % before adding the above-mentioned substances so as to produce the beer concentrate. For example, when starting with an alcohol concentration of about 9 vol %, the beer concentrate may have an alcohol concentration of 0.5-5%, depending on the mixing ratio with water which is added later on. The alcohol concentration of the resulting beverage will be lower than 5 vol % in this case. It is also possible to start with a relatively high alcohol concentration of about 16 vol %, for example, and adding alcohol to form the beer concentrate such that the beer concentrate has an alcohol concentration of 40 %. After mixing the beer concentrate with carbonated water the resulting beverage may have an alcohol concentration of 6%, for example.

[0028] In order to increase the alcohol concentration of the beer concentrate it is also possible to brew a beer intermediate in a traditional manner, which has an alcohol percentage of 8 vol %, for example, and adding an alcoholic sugar water that is produced in a known manner from a mixture of sugar water and a high alcohol tolerant yeast. Such a yeast can ferment up to a relatively high alcohol percentage of 20%, for example. The mixing ratio of the beer intermediate and the alcoholic sugar water may be such that the resulting liquid has an alcohol concentration of 15%, for example. In a next step alcohol can be added to this mixture in order to form the beer concentrate, which may have an alcohol percentage of 22%, for example.

[0029] The invention is not limited to the embodiments as described hereinbefore, which may be varied in different manners within the scope of the claims and their technical equivalents.