Process for making beer containing an unfermented beer product

The invention relates to a beer having an alcohol content of maximally 3.5% by volume. For obtaining a beer of this type having good flavor properties, the invention is characterized in that the beer is a mixture of beer obtained by conventional fermentation and unfermented wort product reconstituted with water.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to non-alcoholic, or low-alcohol beer, i.e. beer 
having an alcohol content of maximally 3.5% by volume. In the past, much 
attention has already been paid to the preparation of beer having a 
reduced alcohol content. A summary of a number of principles and methods 
of brewing such beers can be found in "The Low Alcohol Revolution", 
Brewers Guardian, March 1987, pp. 16-18. 
According to the publication in Brewers Guardian, there are basically three 
main groups of methods of obtaining beer having a low alcohol content: 
1. restriction of the alcohol production during brewing; 
2. removal of alcohol after fermentation, and 
3. mixing normal beer with other products. 
All these methods have the drawback that beers are obtained that lack the 
specific taste and aroma characteristics inherent in beer. Moreover, there 
are often off-flavours. A number of methods, and in particular those based 
on the removal of alcohol after fermentation, have the drawback that a 
substantial amount of the aroma is lost. The taste of the beer is so to 
say "empty". In a number of other methods, such as the application of a 
very short fermentation, or the mixing of normal beer with wort, there is 
the problem that the beer retains a typically wortlike flavour. U.S. Pat. 
No. 4,305,963 indicates for instance that, before fermentation, a wort 
has a greenish flavour. For that reason it is not used directly for the 
manufacture of beverages, with the exception of malt beverages on the 
basis of milk. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present application relates to a beer having an alcohol content of 
maximally 3.5%, characterized according to the present invention in that 
it is a mixture of beer obtained by means of a conventional fermentation 
and unfermented wort product reconstituted with water. 
The beer according to the present invention preferably consists of 
reconstituted wort product mixed with 5-90% by weight of beer obtained by 
conventional fermentation, and 0-5% by weight of other additives. 
It has surprisingly been found that a beer having a reduced alcohol content 
and composed as described above, has a good beer flavour, and on the other 
hand lacks the known, disadvantageous wort smell and taste. 
The beer according to the present invention may also contain added 
flavorants, foam stabilizers, coloring agents, carbon dioxide and/or pH 
adjusting agent. 
The unfermented, water-reconstituted wort product employed according to the 
present invention for obtaining beer having a reduced alcohol content can 
be obtained by diluting a wort concentrate with water, e.g. a wort 
concentrate having a dry matter content of 50-90% by weight. When the 
water content of the wort concentrate is too high, it is found that the 
beer according to the present invention still has a slightly wortlike 
taste. This may be compensated by the addition of a larger amount of beer 
obtained by conventional fermentation. 
Naturally, this is accompanied by an increase in alcohol content in the 
final product. Consequently, it is only preferred to use a wort 
concentrate or a diluted wort concentrate when a beer having an alcohol 
content of 1.5-3.5% by volume is aimed at. 
Another possibility of obtaining the reconstituted wort product is the 
dissolution of wort powder followed by the filtration of this product. The 
application of a wort powder results in a beer having comparatively the 
best taste, so that a comparatively small quantity of beer obtained by 
conventional fermentation will be sufficient. The use of wort powder is 
accordingly preferred when a beer having an alcohol content ranging 
between 0.1, more in particular 0.5 and 1.5% by volume, is aimed at. There 
are a number of possibilities of preparing wort powder. In general, the 
starting point is a wort concentrate that is processed in a manner similar 
to malt powder, to a product having a water content not exceeding about 5% 
by weight. This may be done by drying on a heated roller. The preferred 
method of obtaining wort powder, however, is spray-drying a wort 
concentrate. The resulting wort powder provides a beer, after 
reconstitution with water to the desired dry matter content and mixing 
with conventional beer, which has the optimal flavour properties. The beer 
has a very full flavour and lacks the emptiness of conventional 
low-alcohol beer, or the wortlike flavour inherent in certain other types 
of low-alcohol beers. 
The beer according to the present invention is made preferably by mixing 
reconstituted wort product having a dry matter content of 2.5 to 6% by 
weight with beer obtained by conventional fermentation. Likewise, the 
desired other additives can be admixed therewith, such as flavorants, 
coloring agents, foam stabilizers, pH adjusting agent and carbon dioxide. 
The resulting product can then be filtered and bottled, preceded or 
followed by pasteurization. 
The raw materials used for the beer according to the present invention are 
known per se products. Wort concentrate and wort powder are commercially 
available products and can be made in the manners described in the 
literature, e.g. by vacuum-evaporation or spray-drying. The beer obtained 
by conventional fermentation, likewise employed according to the present 
invention, is naturally also a known product. This beer has an alcohol 
content ranging from about 3.5% by volume to values of about 8% by volume. 
These beers can be classified in bottom-fermented, top-fermented and wheat 
beers. Examples are Munich beer, Dortmund beer, Pilsener beer, Lager, 
Marzen (also called Vienna or Spezial)beer, Bock, Doppelbock, Saisons, 
Trappist, Dusseldorfer Alt, Kolsch, brown beer, Ale (mild or bitter), 
stout (bitter, mild), Russian beer, Scotch ales, steam beer, Suddeutsches 
Weizen, Berliner Weisse, Geuze Lambik and Belgian white beer. Naturally, 
this is only an enumeration of some of the many types of beer to be used 
in the application of the invention. 
According to the present invention, it is also possible to use a beer 
having reduced alcohol content as the type of beer obtained by means of 
conventional fermentation. This applies especially to the types of beer 
for which special measures had to be taken for obtaining a low alcohol 
content, such as the removal of alcohol by distillation, reverse osmosis, 
pervaporation, supercritical extraction and the like, thereby obtaining a 
product which, depending upon the alcohol content of the beer obtained 
through conventional fermentation, is either entirely non-alcoholic, or 
has a particular low alcohol content. 
In this connection, it is observed that the term beer, as used herein and 
in the claims, as well as the terms beer of reduced alcohol content, 
low-alcohol beer or non-alcoholic beer, need not necessarily meet the 
definitions applying in the various countries. These terms are only used 
to designate a product having an alcohol content of maximally 3.5% by 
volume and consisting of the components that should be minimally contained 
therein according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
The present invention is illustrated in and by the following examples, 
which should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way. 
EXAMPLES I-III 
Three types of low-alcohol beer with 0.5, 2.0 and 3.5% by volume of 
alcohol, respectively, were prepared, starting from the components 
contained in the Tables. The respective components were admixed with each 
other, the liquid was filtered and carbonated. 
The wort powder employed had been obtained by concentrating and 
spray-drying a Pilsener wort having a higher bitterness and color than 
normal Pilsener wort. 
EXAMPLE I 
TABLE A 
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Wort powder (100% dry matter) 
3.6 kg 
Pilsener beer, neutral type 
(Ew = 4.0% by weight; alcohol = 5.0% 
10.0 l 
by volume 
Lactic acid solution (10% by weight) 
90.0 ml 
Water made up to 100 
1 
______________________________________ 
There was thus obtained a neutral Pilsener type of beer of good taste and 
having no off-flavour, with 0.5% by volume of alcohol. 
The analysis results of this beer were: 
______________________________________ 
real extract 4.0% by weight 
colour 7.0 EBC 
bitterness 20.0 EBE 
______________________________________ 
EXAMPLE II 
TABLE B 
______________________________________ 
Wort powder (100% dry matter) 
2.4 kg 
Pilsener beer, ester type 
(Ew = 4.0% by weight, alcohol = 5.0% 
40.0 l 
by volume 
Lactic acid solution (10% by weight) 
60.0 ml 
Water made up to 100 
l 
______________________________________ 
There was thus obtained an ester type Pilsener beer of good taste and 
having no off-flavours, 4.0% by weight real extract, 2.0% by volume of 
alcohol, 7.0 EBC and 20.0 EBE. 
EXAMPLE III 
TABLE C 
______________________________________ 
Wort powder (100% dry matter) 
1.2 kg 
Pilsener beer, hoppy type 
70.0 l 
(Ew = 4.0% by weight, 5.0% by volume of 
alcohol) 
Lactic acid solution (10% by weight) 
30.0 ml 
Water made up to 100 
l 
______________________________________ 
There was thus obtained a hoppy Pilsener beer with 3.5% by volume of 
alcohol, 4.0% by weight real extract, 7.0 EBC and 20.0 EBE. 
EXAMPLE IV 
TABLE D 
______________________________________ 
Wort powder (100% dry matter) 
2 kg 
Stout beer, neutral type 
56 l 
(Ew = 4.6% by weight, 4.5% by volume of 
alcohol 
Lactic acid solution (10% by weight) 
25 ml 
Water made up to 100 
l 
______________________________________ 
There was thus obtained a neutral stout type of beer of good taste without 
off-flavours and having 2.5% by volume of alcohol, 120 EBC and 40 EBE.