a 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ICS 67.160.10                            DMS 50:201 6  
       Second edition 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD  
 
 
 
 
 
Beer – Specification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
__________________ 
 Published by 
MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS BOARD   
  ICS 67.160.10             DMS 50:2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Beer – Specification 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Obtainable from the 
Malawi Bureau of Standards 
Moirs Road 
P O Box 946 
BLANTYRE 
 
                                                                               Tel:  +265 1 870 488 
                                                                              Fax:  +265 1 870 756 
                                                                          E-mail:  mbs@mbsmw.org  
                                                                      Web-site:  www.mbsmw.org 
 
Price based on 4 pages 
 
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 iTABLE OF CONTENTS 
  
Contents                                                                                                                                                     page  
Foreword…………………………………………………………………..………………………………………… …… i  
Technical committee…………………………………………………………………………………… ……………….. i  
Notice……………………………..…………………………………………………………………………………… .... i  
Scope……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..  1 
Normative references………………………………………………………………………………… ………………… 1  
Terms and definitions..………………………………………………………………………… ………………………. 1  
Classification of beer..……………………………………………………………………… ………………………….. 2  
Essential composition and quality factors………………………… …………………………………………………..2 
Food additives………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………....3  
Contaminants……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……. 4  
Hygiene………………..…………………………………………………………………………………..... ..................4  
Packaging and labelling……………………..……………………………………………… …………………………. 4  
Sampling and methods of test…………………………………………………………… ………………………….....4  
 
FOREWORD 
 
This Malawi standard is a second edition of MS 50:1 988, Beer – Specification . The revision of this standard 
has been done to incorporate contemporary informati on prevalent now due to technological and 
environmental changes. This Malawi standard has bee n prepared by MBS/TC 11,  the Technical Committee 
on Beverages,  to provide requirements for beer.  
 
In preparing this Malawi standard reference was mad e to the following standard: 
 
East African Standard, EAS 63:2014, Beer – Specification.  
 
Acknowledgement is made for the use of the above in formation. 
 
 
TECHNICAL COMMITTEE 
 
This Malawi standard was prepared by MBS/TC 11, the  Technical Committee on Beverages , and the 
following companies, organizations and institutions  were represented: 
 
Blantyre Hotels Limited; 
 
Blantyre Water Board; 
 
Carlsberg (Malawi) Limited; 
 
Chibuku Products Limited; 
 
Consumers Association of Malawi; 
 
Dairibord Malawi Limited; 
 
Linga Fine Foods and Winery; 
 
Malawi Bureau of Standards; 
 
Mkombezi Wine Cooperatives; 
 
Peoples Trading Centre; and 
 
The Malawi Polytechnic (University of Malawi). 
 
 
NOTICE 
 
This standard shall be reviewed every five years, o r earlier whenever it is necessary, in order to kee p abreast 
of progress. Comments are welcome and shall be cons idered when the standard is being reviewed.1 
  DMS 50:2016 
DRAFT MALAWI STANDARD 
 
Beer  – Specification 
 
 
1 SCOPE 
 
This draft Malawi standard specifies the requiremen ts and methods of sampling and test for beer.  
 
 
2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES 
 
The following standards contain provisions, which t hrough reference in this text, constitute provision s of this 
Malawi standard. All standards are subject to revis ion and, since any reference to a standard is deeme d to 
be a reference to the latest edition of that standa rd, parties to agreements based on this standard ar e 
encouraged to take steps to ensure the use of the m ost recent edition of the standard indicated below.  
Information on current valid national and internati onal standards can be obtained from the Malawi Bure au of 
Standards. 
 
MS 19:  Labelling of prepacked foods – General standard;  
 
MS 21:  Food and food processing units – Code of hygienic conditions; 
 
MS 107: Alcoholic beverages  ̶  Methods of test; 
 
MS 214:  Drinking water – Specification; 
 
MS 237: Food additives – General standard.  
 
MS 302: Contaminants and toxins in foods – General standard ; 
 
ISO 4832: Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs – Ho rizontal method for the enumeration of 
coliforms – Colony-count technique;  
 
ISO 4833-1: Microbiology of the food chain – Horizontal method for the enumeration of micro-organisms – 
Part 1: Colony-count at 30 °C – Pour plate techniqu e; and  
 
ISO 16050: Foodstuffs – Determination of aflatoxin B1, and the  total content of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1 and G2 
in cereals, nuts and derived products – High-perfor mance liquid chromatographic method.  
 
 
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS 
 
For the purposes of this draft standard, the follow ing terms and definitions shall apply; 
 
3.1 
adjuncts 
any source of fermentable sugar from an agricultura l origin other than malted barley 
 
NOTE: These materials are usually but not exclusively add ed in the brew house during the process of brewing.  
 
3.2 
alcohol 
as ethyl alcohol (C 2H5OH)  
 
3.3 
beer 
a beverage prepared by fermentation of sugars deriv ed mainly from malted and/or unmalted cereal grains  
and/or approved adjuncts 
  
2 
 3.4 
brewing 
process of converting malt and/or unmalted cereal g rains and adjuncts into beer 
 
3.5 
extraneous matter 
includes inorganic matter such as sand, glass, meta l, gravel, dirt, pebbles, stones, lumps of earth, c lay and 
mud and organic matter such as chaff, straw, weed s eeds and grains of crops, insects or insects fragme nts, 
rodent hairs or any other foreign matter. Extraneou s matter does not include substances produced by 
interaction of normal beer ingredients as a result of natural ageing process such as polyphenols-prote in 
interactions 
 
3.6 
malt 
cereal grain (often barley), which has been steeped , allowed to germinate and then dried or kilned to halt 
further germination 
 
3.7 
potable water 
water complying with the requirements of MS 214 
 
3.8 
unmalted cereal grains 
cereal grains that have not undergone the processes  in 3.6  
 
 
4 CLASSIFICATION OF BEER 
 
Beer shall be classified into one of the following classes: 
 
4.1 Non-alcohol beer, containing less than 0.5 % ethyl alcohol by volume;  
 
4.2 Low alcoholic beer, 0.5 % – 2.4 % ethyl alcohol by volume; 
 
4.3  Mild beer,  containing 2.5 % – 4.0 % alcohol by volume;  
 
4.4 Medium beer, containing 4.1 % – 5.5 % alcohol by volume; and  
 
4.5 Strong beer, containing more than 5.5 % alcohol by volume.  
 
 
5 ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS 
 
5.1 Ingredients 
 
5.1.1 The following ingredients complying with the releva nt Malawi standards, shall be used for the 
production of beer: 
 
a) malted and/or unmalted grains; 
 
b) hops and/or products derived from hops; and 
 
c) potable water. 
 
5.1.2  The following optional ingredients complying with the relevant Malawi standards, may be used for 
the production of beer: 
 
a) barley and or any other cereal grain;  
 
b) Adjuncts; and  
 
c) Food additives.   
3 
 5.2 General requirements 
 
Beer shall be free from: 
 
5.2.1 Any substances injurious to health;  
 
5.2.2 Any extraneous matter;  
 
5.2.3 Artificial sweetening agents; 
 
5.2.4 Any artificial colorants except for those colouring  agents prepared from sugar, barley, malt or any 
cereal grains; and 
 
5.2.5 Any added alcohol.  
 
5.3 Bright lager beer shall have maximum haze of 2.5 EB C units. 
 
5.4 Specific quality requirements 
 
Beer shall comply with the specific quality require ments specified in Table 1. 
 
Table 1 ─ Quality requirements for beer  
 
S/N  Characteristic  Requirement  Test method  
1 Ethyl alcohol content, %, v/v 
 
Non-alcoholic beer 
 
Low alcohol/light beer 
 
Mild beer 
 
Medium beer 
 
Strong beer  
 
Less than 0.5 
 
0.5 – 2.4 
 
2.5 – 4.0 
 
4.1 – 5.5 
 
more than 5.5 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
MS 107 
2 pH 3.5 – 4.75 
3 Carbon dioxide, %, v/v 
 
Bottled/ canned beer 
 
Kegged beer  
 
2.4 – 7.0 
 
1.0 – 2.5 
 
5.5 Microbiological limits 
 
Beer shall comply with limits for micro-organisms s pecified in Table 2. 
 
Table 2 ─ Microbiological limits for beer 
 
1 2 3 4 
S/N  Organism  Limit  Test method  
1 Coliforms, cfu/ml 0 ISO 4832 
2 Total plate count, cfu/ml, max.  100 ISO 4833-1 
 
 
6 FOOD ADDITIVES 
 
Food additives may be used in the preparation of be er in accordance with MS 237.  
 
 
 
  
4 
 7 CONTAMINANTS 
 
7.1 Heavy metals 
 
The products covered by this standard shall comply with the maximum levels of heavy metals and toxic 
substances prescribed in MS 302. 
 
7.2 Pesticide residues 
 
All the raw materials used in the production of bee r shall comply with the maximum residue limits for 
pesticides as established by the Codex Alimentarius  Commission. 
  
7.3 Aflatoxin limits 
 
Total aflatoxin shall not exceed 10 μg/l and aflatoxin B1 shall not exceed 5 μg/l when tested with ISO 16050. 
 
 
8 HYGIENE 
 
The product covered by the provisions of this draft  standard shall be prepared and handled in accordan ce 
with the requirements set out in MS 21.   
 
 
9 PACKAGING AND LABELLING 
 
9.1 Packaging requirements 
 
Beer shall be packaged in suitable food grade conta iners. Beer shall be packaged for bulk delivery and  
storage in containers that shall prevent contaminat ion of the product and preserve its safety and qual ity. 
 
9.2 Labelling requirements 
 
In addition to the requirements of MS 19, the follo wing specific provisions shall apply: 
 
a) name, physical location and address of manufactu rer; 
 
b) ethyl alcohol content, % by volume; 
 
c) class of beer; 
 
d) best before date; 
 
e) the net contents shall be declared by volume in millilitres or litres; 
 
f) list of ingredients in descending order of propo rtion by mass; 
 
g) date of manufacture; 
 
h) batch identification number/code; 
 
i) country of origin; and 
 
j) statutory warnings. 
 
 
10 SAMPLING AND METHODS OF TEST 
 
10.1  The products covered by the provisions of this dra ft standard shall be sampled as prescribed in  
MS 107.  
 
10.2  The product shall be tested using appropriate stan dard methods declared in this draft standard.  
 
ICS 67.160.10             DMS 50:2016  
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE MALAWI BUREAU OF STANDARDS              CERTIFI CATION MARK SCHEME 
The Malawi Bureau of Standards is the 
standardizing body in Malawi under the aegis 
of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.  
Set up in 1972 by the Malawi Bureau of 
Standards Act (Cap: 51:02), the Bureau is a 
parastatal body whose activities aim at 
formulating and promoting the general 
adoption of standards relating to structures, 
commodities, materials, practices, operations 
and from time to time revise, alter and amend 
the same to incorporate advanced technology. To bring the advantages of standardization 
within the reach of the common consumer, the 
Bureau operates a Certification Mark Scheme. 
Under this scheme, manufacturers who 
produce goods that conform to national 
standards are granted permits to use the 
Bureau’s “Mark of Quality” depicted below on 
their products.  This Mark gives confidence to 
the consumer of the commodity’s reliability.