Application of Mash Filter Press in Beer Production

Wort preparation is a key section of beer production. Generally, the malt is properly crushed, then gelatinized and saccharified; the saccharified mash is filtered, the wort is boiled with hops, and then clarified and cooled for yeast fermentation and processing beer. In the beer saccharification workshop, the insoluble wheat grains in the saccharification mash are removed by filtration to make wort, which is called wort filtration. Wort filtration must not only achieve a high saccharification extract yield, but also ensure various physical and chemical index requirements of the wort, and the filtration time must be short.

The main methods of wort filtration include the filter tank method, rapid percolation tank method, and filter press method. At present, my country’s beer industry is in a rapidly rising development period, and the market competition is very fierce. Breweries have taken various measures to increase production and increase the proportion of auxiliary materials to reduce costs and improve the taste of beer. The filter press method can solve this contradiction very well, and the use of mash filter press is very effective.

Why Use a Mash Filter Press?

Most breweries currently use the Lauter tank method. The saccharified mash enters the filter tank and is left to stand. The spent grains settle on the sieve plate to form a filter cake. The filtrate relies on its own gravity to filter out the wort through the filter cake. Although the structure and working methods of the filter tank are constantly improved, it is difficult to fundamentally solve the following shortcomings:

The filtration speed is slow, and the number of batches processed per day is small;
There are strict restrictions on the proportion of fine powder auxiliary materials such as rice, wheat sprouts, and corn starch;
The contact area between the saccharified mash and the air is large and absorbs more oxygen, which affects the taste of the beer.

Operation Process of Filter Press

Feeding. Pump the mash into the filter press.
Press filter cycle. The mash is pressure-filtered at a low flow rate and then flows back to the saccharification kettle to form a good filter cake layer. Once the filter layer is formed, clear wort can be filtered out.
First wort filtration.
Flush the mash pot and pipelines.
Wash the mess. A three-stage grain washing process is adopted, and different flow rates are used at different stages of grain washing to increase the yield.
Artesian emptying. The wort in the buffer tank and filter press flows automatically into the boiling pot.
Compressed air purge. One minute of purging can reduce the moisture content of wheat grains to about 73%.
Drain the residual liquid.
Open the filter presses and unload the grains.
Close the filter press and prepare for the next filtration.

Benefits of Using Mash Filter

Filtration speed is fast. The filter plate of the filter press is made of reinforced polypropylene, with a large filtration area and fast speed, which greatly improves production efficiency.
The high degree of automation. The wort filter press adopts fully automated computer operation, automatically washing and removing the spent grains. Compared with the traditional filter tank, the labor intensity is greatly reduced.
A fully automatic mash filter press is used to process the wort. The entire operation process is run in a sealed condition, avoiding contact with air and ensuring beer quality.
Using a wort filter press machine, the addition of rice, corn, starch and other auxiliary materials, and even syrup has no obvious impact on the filtration speed and time, overcoming the disadvantages of the filter tank.
After the wheat grains are pressed and filtered, the dry matter content can reach about 27%, which is about 70% less than the moisture content of the distiller grains in the traditional filter tank.

Precautions for Mash Filter Press

Clean the filter cloth promptly with CIP.

The filter cloth is very important to the performance of the filter press. The long-term use of the filter cloth will affect the clarity, filtration time, yield, etc., of the wort. Therefore, CIP cleaning should be done once a week to dissolve the residual sugar on the filter cloth and other impurities.

When the input amount changes, the operating data should be reset in time.

The filter press operates fully automatically and automatically calculates the amount of water added, filtration time, etc. When the input amount changes, the operating data should be reset.

Be Safe

After washing the grains, during the discharge process, after starting the mobile device, the filter plates will automatically open one by one to discharge the grains and remove their grains. At this time, pay attention to safety to avoid injury.

Conclusion

In short, using a mash filter to process wort can not only overcome the shortcomings of traditional filter tanks but also meet various physical and chemical indicators of wort filtration and has achieved good economic and social benefits in terms of improving production efficiency and product quality. In view of the current situation that breweries generally use high auxiliary material addition ratios and high-concentration fermentation, the use of mash filter presses will definitely bring high-quality products to the beer industry and create greater profit margins.

Application of Mash Filter Press in Beer Production