Although ingredients such as barley or hops have received the most attention, the colorless gas helps to enhance the flavor and maintain the foam until the acidity is changed.
When beer lovers are asked to name the ingredients used to make their favorite products, yeast, beer, hops and even water may cause the most frequent reactions. However, as many in the industry have recently discovered through shortages, carbon dioxide plays an equally important role in creating the appearance, flavor and taste that consumers expect to find in beer.
Chuck Skypeck, Technical Brewing Project Manager of the Beer Association, said: “Without beer, beer would not be a pleasant, pleasant drink.” “It is indeed an ingredient, perhaps Unknown.”
Carbon dioxide is similar to adding salt to an item during baking or cooking, because it helps enhance other flavors commonly found in beer. After being injected into the beer, the colorless gas can also maintain the iconic foam head on the beer, and can help the brewer to change the pH of the beverage to produce the right flavor-a lower pH will produce a more acidic character. There are other advantages, because the extra carbon dioxide will produce a crisper taste and give off an aroma before the beer is consumed.
Since 1986, Harpoon Brewery, a craft factory engaged in beer production in Boston, has absorbed up to 1,000 tons of liquid carbon dioxide each year, equivalent to about 16 to 20 tons per week.
Al Marzi, Harpoon’s chief winemaker, said: “This is a huge annual cost.” He estimates that the winemaker spends more than “six figures” on carbon dioxide each year. “It’s not as expensive as glass, canned food or malt, but its value is high.”
Most of the carbon dioxide used by beer companies does not flow into the beer itself, but is processed. When the beer is removed from the storage tank, it is fermented into another package, and then the storage tank, production line and other equipment are cleaned with carbon dioxide to eliminate oxygen that could cause the beer to become obsolete. For the same reason, cans and bottles are also filled with carbon dioxide.
“Without it, beer is not a delicious, pleasant drink. It is a real ingredient, perhaps not discovered yet.”
Harpoon and other beer brewers naturally produce their own carbon dioxide during the beer manufacturing process. When yeast and the fermentable sugar in malt are combined, the sweetness of maltose is converted into alcohol, heat and gas. However, most of the carbon dioxide will eventually be discharged from the tank because it has a large amount of volatile aromas, sulfur compounds and aromatic odors, which will have a negative impact on beer. As a result, the carbon dioxide must be transported to facilities that store carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide is a popular ingredient in the food and beverage industry. In addition to beer, natural gas is also mixed into hard liquor, soda water, carbonated water and other beverages. Reed’s is a manufacturer of ginger food and beverages and Virgil’s draft beer, and all of its drinkable products use carbon dioxide. CEO Norman Snyder said that if the company no longer receives carbon dioxide, it will have to change the formulation of some of its products. Snyder said that although it has not yet reached that point, Reed was worried about the arrival of carbon dioxide supplies at some point this summer.
Snyder said: “If something happens and says to stop using carbon dioxide or it is banned, I think ginger beer will have more flexibility.” “We have to choose some sodas that can be reformulated, but I don’t think some of them are feasible.”
Bill Baker, vice president of business development for American industrial, medical and specialty gas supplier Airgas, estimates that about two-thirds of pure carbon dioxide is sold in liquid form or dry ice for food processing and packaging. And transportation goods and beverages are carbonated.
Baker said in an email: “Over time, the demand for carbon dioxide has been stable but moderately increasing.” “Since most of the carbon dioxide is consumed through food and beverages, the growth rate is often affected by demographics. Great influence.”
Carbon dioxide is popular in beer, soda, meat and other products, but it is a by-product of ethanol, petroleum, fertilizer, and ammonia production. There are even pipelines and natural wells that can recover natural gas. CO2 is transported and stored in the form of cryogenic liquids, which requires special equipment, including trailers and trams. Baker said that longer transportation distances increase costs.
Large breweries and a small number of small breweries use technology to capture carbon dioxide. For example, the transportation cost of natural gas in Alaska is high, or the scale of large breweries allows them to recover enough carbon dioxide, but most manufacturers must purchase it. Reliance on other industries can sometimes cause problems.
Earlier this year, ethanol production dropped sharply due to the coronavirus reducing the number of consumers driving. The reduction in mileage reduces the demand for ethanol, which is mixed into most gasoline sold across the country. Skypeck said that ethanol alone accounts for 40% of the carbon dioxide used in the United States, which means that corn-based fuel production has fallen by about 50% from a year ago, and the total supply of natural gas has fallen by nearly 20%.
Since then, carbon dioxide production has improved, but industry insiders say that supply is still tight. The recent hurricanes and western fires in the southeastern United States have exacerbated the challenges in parts of the United States. These fires have either made the transportation of carbon dioxide more difficult or reduced refineries that produce natural gas.
Skypeck said: “This overall shortage has changed my thinking about this.” “In the last course, I just didn’t consider it as an ingredient, but without it, it would not be beer. I really changed Thoughts on beer ingredients, including carbon dioxide.”
Marzi agreed, noting that Harpoon and other CO2 users are paying more attention to the efficiency of their use of natural gas. “Except for testing it to make sure it’s pure, we don’t pay attention to it. You just want it to be there, so it doesn’t become a problem until it disappears suddenly.’Wait a minute, what do you mean I confiscated the goods today?
If beer manufacturers cannot obtain carbon dioxide, the number of alternatives that can be used is limited. For example, nitrogen can clean the oxygen in pipes and equipment, but its use in beer itself is restricted. Nitrogen can make the beer feel as creamy as milk and is suitable for Guinness and other beers, but for most IPA or crispy Pilseners, the taste may not be appropriate.
Skypeck said: “As far as beer is concerned, there is no good alternative to carbon dioxide.” “There are other options, but you get different results.”
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Post time: Dec-31-2020