Precise temperature control is critical in almost every step of the brewing process. To ensure you optimize temperatures throughout your facility, trust in the industry standard food-safe heat transfer fluid, DOWFROST™. Maintain a consistent product easily and precisely with the propylene glycol fluids from Dow. Besides, nobody wants a warm beer.
DOWFROST™ is available in a wide range of concentrations to allow for easy top-offs and fills of any system or chiller loop.
The process of crafting beer has been around for hundreds of years. Today, there are roughly 9,500 breweries in the United States alone. These breweries consist of intricate equipment laid out to make the fermentation process as consistent and efficient as possible while ensuring the quality of the crafted beer.
Controlling the fermentation process is crucial to efficiently and consistently crafting desirably tasting beer, ales, or lagers. The inability to maintain constant temperatures could result in a bad-tasting beverage due to inactive yeast or excess yeast activity.
Therefore, to achieve consistent temperature control for a great-tasting beverage, put your trust in DOWFROST™. This inhibited propylene glycol from Dow is the industry-standard thermal fluid. It is a food-safe heat transfer fluid that can be easily maintained consistently. DOWFROST™ inhibited propylene glycol is an excellent choice for any brewery facility to have a brewing process that runs smoothly. Besides, beer should be cold and refreshing.
What is the Fermentation Process?
Fermentation is the metabolic process, classified as an anaerobic process, in which an organism can convert carbohydrates into chemical energy without the need for oxygen. Conversely, the need for oxygen to perform a similar process, like cellular respiration, is called an aerobic process. Anaerobic processes, such as fermentation, produce not only energy but also products such as methanol, ethanol, carbon dioxide, and butyric acid.
There are organisms that can carry out the fermentation process, such as fungi (typically yeast), animals, and certain bacteria. A simple overview of the fermentation process is that sucrose (sugar molecule) is broken down into two ethanol and two carbon dioxide molecules, as shown below.
C6H12O6 (Glucose) → 2C2H5OH (Ethanol) + 2CO2
During this process, specifically for brewing systems, CO2 is siphoned out of the tank while ensuring no oxygen enters the system. When a predetermined specific gravity is met, the CO2 release valve is capped, and the tank is cooled. This gives the beer its carbonation and allows the yeast to settle. When this is done, the beer is pumped out and filtered, and the yeast is then reused.
Why is Temperature Control Important for Fermentation?
Temperature plays a pivotal role in the quality of beer. Temperature control during fermentation and yeast management is important to any brewery process. If too much cooling occurs during fermentation, the yeast will go dormant and not ferment. The lack of fermentation can affect the flavor of the alcoholic beverage. However, if there is too much heat, the yeast will be stressed, thus creating unwanted byproducts or killing the yeast due to its cell walls becoming toxic.
The secondary fermentation that takes place is an exothermic reaction. This can easily cause the contents of the fermentation vessel to climb 10°F–15°F above the surrounding temperature. Depending on the desired flavor of the beer, monitoring and controlling the temperature is important throughout the process. DOWFROST™ inhibited propylene glycol fluids are a perfect, food-safe solution that allows for precise temperature control and fits right in with any chiller loop, pump, or system so beer comes out tasting fresh and savory.
Does Beer “Go Bad” When Stored at Higher Temps?
This may seem like a myth or an old wives’ tale, but there are scientific reasons behind the notion that beer goes bad at higher temperatures. Oxidation is one of the largest contributing factors to why beer may have a soured or stale taste. Oxygen in the container or vessel will eventually oxidize, thus creating a chemical byproduct synonymous with sour or wet-paper-like aromas.
Temperature is important in the oxidation reaction. For every 10°F in the brewery vessel, the oxidation rate will double1. Therefore, controlling the temperature of brewery equipment and chillers is vital to minimize the rate at which oxidation occurs. During long-term storage, it is important to monitor ambient temperatures to maintain the desired freshness and flavor for your brew. For optimal temperature control, propylene glycol from Dow should be your go-to for your brewing systems.
