GB879470A - Process for the production of wort - Google Patents

Abstract

879,470. Producing wort. LABATT Ltd., JOHN. Feb. 24, 1958 [July 11, 1957], No. 5945/58. Class 14 (2). In a process for the continuous production of brewer's wort, ground malt is continuously metered through a line 1 into a mixing vessel 3, and adjuncts, e.g. carbohydrate, if desired, fed in through a line 2, to form a slurry with dilute wort supplied via a line 12a from a subsequent wash-vessel 6, and the slurry is then passed upwardly through a mash tower 4, having a plurality of individually temperature-controlled zones or compartments, before overflowing on to a vibrating screen separator 5, spent solids being further extracted in at least two washing and separating stages comprising washing vessels 6, 8 and separators 7, 9; dilute wort from separator 9 is pumped through a line 12b to the vessel 6, and temperature-controlled water is supplied through a line 10 to the vessel 8 in amount proportional to the amounts of materials supplied to the vessel 3. The liquid from the separator 5 is pumped through a line 12 and apportioned between a sedimentation tank 13 and a centrifugal separator 28, clarified wort taken from the top of tank 13 being passed to a surge tank 14, equipped with a stirrer, and thence to a heater 17 into which line steam is injected through a line 16 to raise the temperature to 230‹ to 300‹ F. Hops may be added either to the vessel 14, or after heating; alternatively they may be injected into the wort together with the line steam. The wort is then passed through a pipe-line holder 18 and a flash-cooling tank 19 to a separator 20 to remove spent hops &c. and finally through a surge tank 21, a cooler 22, a further tank 24, and if desired through a diatomaceous earth filter 25 and a tank 26 before being passed to fermentation vessels. Fine solids from the bottom of the tank 13 are pumped to the separator 28 and may be returned to the mid-point of the tank whilst the remaining solids are extracted in a tank 29 having a water feed 30 and deposited in a tank 31 from which the solids are disposed of whilst the clear effluent is passed to vessel 8 via line 10a. Separators used are preferable, rotary impulse vibrated screens having at least 90 but. less than 200 meshes per inch and the volumes of the mesh slurry vessels and compartments of the tower 4 are the same. The feed of the liquid fraction containing fine solids to vessel 13 is maintained at a volumetric rate which does not exceed the product of the crosssectional area of the zone and the solids settling rate.