Patent ID: 8545908

Claim:
A method of producing a yeast fermented beverage, the method comprising the following consecutive continuous processing steps: a. introducing wort comprising carbohydrates and having a gravity in the range of 12 to 35°P into a series of one or more propagation vessels and combining the wort with a recirculated stream of yeast-containing residue to obtain a wet yeast concentration greater than 70 g/l, in which the one or more propagation vessels comprises yeast propagated under aerobic conditions while suspended, and in which the temperature of the liquid within the one or more propagation vessels is maintained within the range of 6-18° C.; b. transferring the yeast-containing wort from the propagation vessel into a series of one or more fermentation vessels and suspending the yeast under anaerobic conditions and metabolizing the carbohydrates present in the wort in the one or more fermentation vessels, in which the temperature of the fermenting wort within the one or more fermentation vessels is maintained in the range of 8-18° C.; c. optionally recirculating a part of the yeast-containing fermented wort from the one or more fermentation vessels to the one or more propagation vessels; d. transferring at least a part of the yeast-containing fermented wort from the series of one or more fermentation vessels to one or more separators to remove the yeast-containing residue; e. recirculating part of the yeast-containing residue to the series of one or more propagation vessels, the yeast-containing residue comprising at least 150 g/l of wet yeast; and f. feeding the remainder of the fermented wort to subsequent processing steps; wherein the wet yeast content of the wort in the series of one or more fermentation vessels is maintained at 100 g/l or more, wherein pressurised oxygen-containing gas is continuously introduced into the propagation vessel, into the wort comprising carbohydrates or into the recirculated stream of yeast-containing residue, so as to introduce at least 8 ppm of oxygen, calculated on the wort comprising carbohydrates, and wherein 60-98% of the yeast present in the fermented wort is recirculated to the one or more propagation vessels.