Improvements in the Preparation or Treatment of Beer, and of an Extract of Malt to be used therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Mar., 1893-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Preparation or Treatment of Beer, and of an
Extract of Malt to be used therefor.
A communication by JACOB UHLMANN, of Fuerth, Bavaria, in the Empire of
Germany, Merchant.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester both in the County of Lancaster and 323 High Holborn, in the
County of Middlesex Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention is founded on the latest observations in the art of brewing, and
has for its object to utilise the results of the same as regards the improvement
of beer.
According to these observations, highly kiln dried, and more particularly
coloured malt (the so called caramel or amber malt) contains a substance which
is able to impart to the beer a particularly good flavour, retention of froth, and
even increased keeping property. This substance, which called maltodextrin
or isomaltose, is formed by the action of diastase, that is to say, by the action
of that ferment by means of which insoluble starch flour is converted into
soluble products. This substance is formed even during the kiln drying process,
but preferably during the process of roasting previously moistened malt, and it
may be described as the bearer of the so called "roasting aroma."
If the saccharified malt, containing the maltodextrin or isomaltose, be, how-
ever, exposed to a strong action of the diastase or to an excess of diastase,
such as takes place in the mashing process as usually performed, the malto-
dextrin or isomaltose is converted into another substance, namely,
"maltose."
This latter, however, easily ceases to ferment, and only possesses the herein-
before described valuable properties of the maltodextrin (or isomaltose) to a
considerably smaller extent.
It is evident, from this explanation, that the good qualities which are inherent
in the saccharified coloured malt, in consequence of the large amount of malto-
dextrin or isomaltose which it contains, are either not at all utilised or only to a
slight extent, if this malt be used in the usual manner, that is to say, if it be
mixed with the malt used for beer brewing and mashed with this latter in the usual
manner. The process forming the object of this application is, therefore, intended
to enable saccharified colouring malt to be used so that the maltodextrin
(isomaltose) contained in this malt is not lost or converted into maltose, but
remains contained in its entirety in the beer.
In order to attain this object, the process, according to this invention, is
carried out by producing, from the saccharified colouring malt, by a particular
method, an unhopped and unfermented extract which contains in large quantities
the pure maltodextrin or isomaltose. This extract is removed from the deleterious
action of the diastase, namely, its conversion into maltose, by only being added
to the beer or to the finished wort produced in the usual manner, and, in fact, in
the case of the latter, in the hopping vessel where diastase is no longer present.
The good properties of maltodextrin (isomaltose) thus come into action, in other
words, the beer is, by this substance, not only improved in flavour and frothiness,
but also in keeping properties, as the maltodextrin or isomaltose does not casily
cease fermenting. Further, the malt employed for producing the extract is utilised
in such a way that it shares fully in the yield in proportion to the amount added.

page_text: The following is the method of producing the extract rich in maltodextrin or
isomaltose employed in the process hereinbefore described :-
The saccharinated roasted malt (caramel or amber malt) employed as raw
material is mashed in a peculiar manner with a small addition of ordinary malt, and
maintained then at a given temperature which is most favourable to the formation
of maltodextrin (isomaltose), but does not allow of a strong diastase action, until no
unconverted starch flour exists, that is to say, until complete saccharification has
taken place. The temperature is generally about 49 to 52 degrees Réaumur, and
it is of essential importance for the formation of the extract that this temperature
be not essentially exceeded, as takes place and must take place in the usual brewing
process (when the mashing takes place at about 62 degrees Réaumur) but that the
mashing takes place also at this temperature.
The unhopped and unfermented wort produced in this manner may, as before
stated, be directly added to the beer or the beer wort in the hopping vessel, or, in
order to allow of its being conveniently transported, it may be suitably condensed
and used in this condition.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. A process for improving beer by means of saccharified colouring malt
characterised by the addition of an extract of such malt which is rich in malto-
dextrin or isomaltose to the finished beer, or to the beer wort produced in the
usual manner, only in the hopping vat, and thereby removing such extract from the
converting action of the diastase.
2. A process for making the malt extract, rich in maltodextrin (isomaltose)
specified in Claim 1, consisting in mashing the saccharified colouring malt
employed, at a temperature of about 10 degrees below the usual mashing
temperature, which is the one most favourable to the formation of malto-
dextrin (isomaltose) and concentrating the wort thus produced to the requisite
consistency.
Dated this 6th day of March 1893.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.