For commercial beer brewers, overly hazy or cloudy beer can affect the appearance and marketability of your product. The most common cause of cloudy beer is protein haze or chill haze, the result of proteins in the beer from production, yeast, and the tub. Filtering beer eliminates the haze, providing an appealing appearance and improving production time, flavor, and shelf life. Using a sterile filter can sterilize the beer product, particularly for draft keg packaging.

Here we will discuss the primary applications for beer filtration systems to help you select the ideal system for your application.

Beer Recovery

Rising energy and raw material costs drive brewers to research efficient techniques for yielding additional extract without sacrificing beer quality. The excess yeast from the brewing process can be a primary source of extract recovery through cross-flow recovery technology. Combined with diafiltration, cross-flow technology can significantly boost yields. Breweries can add the extract to the beer to increase overall product yield by up to 5% with no alteration of the beer taste, saving the commercial brewery a significant amount of product waste.

Beer recovery provides the following benefits:

  • Permeate yeast content can be reduced to less than 5 cells per 100 ml
  • Standard, compact, and hygienic design
  • Easily retrofitted into existing brewing operations
  • Clean-in-place (CIP) design
  • Requires minimal operator involvement
  • Ceramic membranes are approved for brewing and are mechanically sturdy
  • Recovered extract is high quality and will not negatively impact beer flavor

Beer Stabilization

Beer stabilization can be a challenge for breweries that strive to improve shelf life while leaving the product virtually unaltered. Continuous beer stabilization (CBS) aids brewers in preserving beer composition while providing maximum colloidal beer stability. CBS provides continuous stabilization by using new technologies and stabilization materials with a proven record, such as polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP). CBS streamlines production by increasing throughput to volumes of 100 hl to 600 hl per hour and improving consistency. Integrating CBS into beer clarification systems is simple and can be adapted to the various stabilization needs of different beers. Batch mode operation is also possible with a CBS.

Beer stabilization systems provide the following benefits:

  • Lower upfront cost compared to flash pasteurization systems
  • Simplifies operations
  • Effective against cysts, spores, and other heat-resistant stages
  • Reduced product waste
  • Lowers energy costs
  • Improves head retention
  • Performance can be assessed with integrity testing
  • Beer flavor and characteristics are preserved throughout the entire shelf life

Beer Clarification

Brewers looking for an all-in-one clarification and filtration solution can rely on the combined crossflow membrane filtration and centrifugation of PROFi crossflow membrane systems. While beer matures and ferments, it creates coarse solids. Centrifugation separates and removes these coarse solids, leaving only fine solids that the membrane filter can remove. The resulting beer has a better taste and appearance.

These combined technologies minimize solid content during membrane filtration, reducing the buildup of the fouling layer on the surface of the membrane filter. Less fouling means brewers can eliminate the retentate tank, reduce cleaning and energy consumption, stabilize operation, extend process times, and reduce crossflow velocities required to mitigate the fouling layer. With fewer cleaning demands, brewers extend the lifespan of the membrane filter.

Final Filtration

Brewers strive to achieve the optimal microbial safety of their beer without altering the freshness and flavor of the beer. Final filtration removes particles, bacteria, and yeast that can negatively affect the quality and taste of the beer. Beer sterile filtration is an ideal solution to achieve optimal shelf life and quality.

Breweries rely on final filtration to meet growing consumer expectations while delivering a beer with maximum shelf life. Consumers are willing to pay for exceptional beer quality, and cold filtration delivers on breweries’ expectations for improved market growth. Final filtration provides a microbially safe beer with no alteration to the flavor or freshness of the beer at a similar or lower expense compared to thermal or pasteurizer treatments.

Partner With Membrane System Specialists for Your Commercial Beer Filtration Systems

Commercial beer filtration equipment is vital to the beer brewing industry. It can help breweries save money and reduce product waste while delivering a better product. Beer filtration applications include beer recovery, stabilization, clarification, and final filtration.

Membrane System Specialists, Inc. designs and engineers custom skid-build systems to meet your filtration needs. Our filtration systems offer CIP design, energy efficiency, and flexibility to perform in various applications. Contact us or request a quote today for more information.