Beer is an alcoholic beverage made from barley, water and hops to which yeast is added to enable the fermentation process. The brewing process follows several steps, which basically include the preparation of malt, the production of wort and fermentation. During the process steps, several chemical, physical, and biochemical changes take place which ultimately affect the quality of the beer produced.
During the production, quality analyses are carried out to ensure that the final product is of adequate quality. The addition of different input raw materials and careful monitoring and optimisation of process parameters can influence various characteristics of the beer in the final stage.
The rheological properties of the beer head, taste, colour, colloidal stability, and viscosity of the beer base influence the quality of the beer. Determination of rheological properties of the beer during the production process is therefore crucial, as it provides information on the level of quality that the beer will achieve.
In addition to the theoretical basis, a study showing how the rheological properties of intermediate products in beer production can be determined is added and described.
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