Transforming No & Low Beers

Will transforming fermentable sugars into non-fermentable sugars transform No and Low alcohol beer in Italy and beyond?

As a British trained brewer and beer lover, I am passionate about tasty beers made with harmony & drinkability in mind. With many of my favourites being delicious examples with ABV levels at the lower end of the spectrum, especially in my beloved cask beer format.

Part of the attraction of beer is that it is so versatile in terms of flavours, colours, and strength with some referring to beer as “the beverage of moderation.” Some of the most popular premium beer brands have a modest ABV e.g. Guinness Draught 4.2% ABV, 4.1% ABV, Pilsner Urquell 4.4% Timothy Taylor Landlord 4.3% ABV (Personal selection bias may have snuck into the example here!). With growing consumer trends looking at health & wellbeing, delicious choices with moderation in mind will become increasingly important.

In recent times, No and Low (sometimes called NABLAB, No Alcohol Beer & Low Alcohol Beer) is outperforming the rest of the beer market significantly, despite the significant technical challenges. No and low beers also tend to be a profitable product addition when made successfully.

As recipes are developed to brew beers which are lower in ABV it becomes an increasing challenge to retain body, harmony, and balance in the beer.

Mr. Malt® No-Low Zyme is a Transglucosidase repacked into suitable sizes for smaller craft brewers and for trials. Brewing with a Transglocosidase offers an innovative solution to the creative brewer, with a simple addition at the start of mashing, maltose sugars which would typically form a large fraction of the sugar spectrum in brewers’ wort is transformed into non-fermentable sugars which limit fermentability whilst building back perceived body and harmony to the beer post fermentation. Let’s call it the enzymatic addition-sugar isomerization (EASI) approach.

Other secondary reactions catalysed by Transglucosidase produce longer chain non-fermentable sugars, this group of sugars is referred to as Isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMOs). Transglucosidase usage and theIMO’s produced result in flexible reduction in RDF with 40% being an achievable target for all malt beers whilst building back body. This could mean that recipes can be redeveloped with the use of Transglucosidase to achieve around half the usual ABV. This could be a valuable tool in developing delicious beer styles & formats with lower ABVs such as:

Table Beer ~ 2.8-3.8%ABV

Small Beer~1.3-2.8% ABV

No Alcohol (Italy) <1.2% ABV (OG between 3-8 Plato). With the EASI method 3-6 Plato OG is more realistic even with dilution.

No Alcohol (Most of the EU) <0.5% ABV (Achieving satisfactory beers using the EASI approach alone may be extremely challenging)

With simple sugars still being present in the wort, a smaller but complete fermentation can still be achieved using popular brewing strains such as SafLager™ W-34/70, SafAle™ US-05 & SafAle™ S-04, individually or in combination. Reducing the likelihood of typical worty off flavours associated with no alcohol beer.

Wine and cider strains adapted to ferment simple sugars may also be interesting for the creative brewer looking to make novel beverages in the lower alcohol sector e.g. Table Grape Ale 2.8-3.8%. Clever yeast combinations may help create complexity and offset some of the lost contribution of alcohol at lower levels especially with contributions to body from IMOs.

As all fermentable sugars are utilised through fermentation, the resulting beer should also be more microbiologically stable than beers produced with specialist yeasts that cannot ferment maltose. Within the food industry, beer tends to be a low-risk product due to the many “hurdles” a microbe would have to overcome to survive and grow.

Example microbiological hurdles in beer:

• Nutrient depleted-The readily available carbon source (sugar) has already been utilised by yeast.
• Ethanol-A powerful inhibitor of microbial growth
• The wort boil as a key part of the process
• The low pH limits the types of organism that can spoil beer.
• Hops contain antimicrobial properties.
• Typically, beer is carbonated & final beer is extremely low in dissolved oxygen.
• Produced with hygienic equipment & processes.

With any no and low alcohol beers it is even more critical to control the other hurdles to ensure a safe product, especially through strict hygiene control. However, brewers of all shapes and sizes can achieve this with the correct focus and structure. Depending on the sophistication of the quality system within the brewery, external lab testing may be desirable to validate quality and stability. Developing internal testing e.g. Self-Beer checks may also prove valuable.

A special opportunity for Italian craft!

As part of the wider love of gastronomy, alcoholic beverages have a special place in Italian culture, sharing food and drinks with friends & family and having lively conversations. With increasing cultural pressure to moderate drinking, Italian craft brewers are well placed to help provide tasty options, but the technical challenge has been considerable, especially as Italy is one of the few countries with a definition of Craft Beer. This definition includes the restriction of pasteurisation and micro-filtration, a key element of some of the common approaches to low and no alcohol beers. Transforming sugars using Transglucosidase can transform this challenge into a special opportunity as pasteurisation and microfiltration may not be required with this novel approach.

Part of this opportunity is that with the EASI approach, resources can be focussed on recipe development & quality systems without investment in costly technology. For large independent & industrial breweries Transglucosidase can be combined with existing technologies to achieve No alcohol beer (<0.5% with efficiency and quality benefits). To achieve a <0.5% with EASI and dilution strategies alone, great beer may not be possible but as Italy sets a target of <1.2% ABV, it is a realistic target to craft a tasty beer by transforming maltose into IMOs.

A counterintuitive mashing regime to create low fermentability wort with Transglucosidase.

Typically, when trying to make low and no alcohol beers it is desirable to shift mashing conditions, mashing at high temperatures (~70-82⁰C) to promote a wort with limited fermentability by denaturing β-amylase whilst maintaining α-amylase activity. This minimises maltose production but still produces liquefaction and acceptable extract.

As Transglucosidase transforms maltose the primary wort sugar into non-fermentable IMO’s there is a dramatic impact on fermentability. Mashing conditions and raw materials impact maltose production but around 45-60% of the wort sugar spectrum is typically maltose. To maximise the impact of the EASI approach during mashing for the EASI approach, the mashing regime should be selected to promote β-amylase activity. This is counterintuitive for no and low production and more akin to “standard practice” for many beer styles.

Mash Regime tips for brewing with the EASI method.

• Well modified, flavourful malts & clever usage of specialities.
• Initially working with high dose rates for Transglucosidase to ensure maximum impact.
• 63-66⁰C target mash stand. A single infusion paired with well modified malt & low gelatinisation temperatures can work well.
• RDF target ~40% (ADF ~50%)
• 1 hour stand as a starting point to allow for maximum RDF% reduction.
• Monitor and adjust wort pH, typical post boil targets are 5.1-5.3. < pH 4.5 is advisable with lower alcohol beers.
• Empirical testing will be required to finalise mash, boil & final pH targets for each recipe. 20-60ppm alkalinity targets for the water profile may make this work easier.

Whether making table beer, small beer or non-alcoholic beer using the EASI approach, knowing & controlling the attenuation limit will be a key measurement. Appendix 1. includes an example of this simple test. Increasing the attenuation limit is a key goal of Transglucosidase to reduce alcohol production. A key difference to other modified mash methods is that the EASI approach produces IMOs.

IMOs are a group of sugars ranging from 2-10 degrees of polymerization, they are naturally occurring in some foods and exhibit a low glycaemic index and are considered pre-biotics. In the production of no and low alcohol beers they have great potential to contribute positively to beer balance and flavour in addition to limiting fermentability and reducing alcohol content.

The final push towards a transformative No-Alcohol beer

The EASI approach offers an alternative to the existing modified mash schedule with potential stability benefits. Simplification in brewhouse operations, a fermentation (although reduced), alcohol presence (although reduced) & reduced thermal load due to the lack of pasteurisation or thermal dealcoholisation are also likely to improve flavour and physical stability. The big challenge is that this product is very new! Trailblazing brewers are required to refine this novel approach and overcome challenges & uncertainty associated with anything novel. Technical skill & creativity are also required but as the sector is likely to be a growth area for many years, the work should be worth it!

To produce delicious no-alcohol beer with Transglucosidase at less than 1.2% will be a significant recipe development challenge. In addition to the attenuation limit control test, accurate alcohol measurement, stability and microbiological tests are required. Building a suitable quality and food safety system in the no alcohol area. Technology such as Easy Dens-Smart Ref & external lab support are likely to be crucial.

As no pathogens can grow in beer with an ABV >2.5%ABV, a sensible approach for a brewer with limited experience in low and no beers would be to develop beers and systems in the low-alcohol area first before working further into the no-alcoholic sector. Revised HACCP food safety plans, data & experience can be developed with these beers before deciding to go lower.

Reasons to be optimistic about production of <1.2% ABV No Alcohol beers with Transglucosidase and the EASI approach:

• IMO’s are non-fermentable meaning reduced fermentability with standard mashing conditions & a more “standard” fermentation utilising existing popular yeast cultures.
• Greater microbiological hurdles can remain in place including nutrient deficiency (sugars) and the potential to pack with live yeast, providing competitive flora, flavour, and physical stability advantages.
• The relatively generous 1.2% ABV limit in Italy, makes flavour, body, bitterness balance and stability challenges easier to overcome.
• Using existing technology & equipment makes it easier to modify recipe development, food safety and quality plans.
• Being able to “start low” e.g. Table beer and small beer and “go lower” e.g. <1.2% also help with this development.
• The EASI approach can be combined with other simple approaches such as dilution to achieve targets.

Inspiration for getting creative with ingredients and processing aids:

Water:

• As with all the water profile is the foundation on which the beer is built & a robust recipe development process will help to develop the best profile to match the rest of the recipe.
• Lower gravity recipes have altered buffering capacity; soft & balanced profiles may be a good starting point for recipe development.
• pH control and final targets are even more critical from a quality perspective. pH 5.1-5.3 post boil & less than 4.5 for the final beer is advisable.
• Acid trimming with food grade acids such as AMS, lactic, phosphoric, citric, and even ascorbic acid is possible to hit final targets. Ascorbic acid also provides antioxidant activity.
• “Benchtop” titration and scale up is the best way to ensure appropriate additions.
• Dilution water should be sterile, taint free, low oxygen, known ionic composition (typically low alkalinity). The temperature difference should also be considered.

Malts:

• Well modified, tasty malts with low gelatinization temperatures should match well with the enzymatic approach to low and no alcohol recipes.
• Highly Kilned malts such as Vienna, Pale 9, Munich, Aroma, Aromatic and Melanoidin may be useful in building back complexity and flavour into these recipes with a lower starting gravity.
• As with any other beer recipe small amounts of speciality malts can have a big impact on flavour, the impact is likely to be even greater here depending on dilution practices.

Hops:

• Balancing bitterness & sweetness is a key component of no and low alcohol beers, as the use of Transglucosidase contributes IMO’s which impart body and moderate/low sweetness, higher rates than other no and low beers may be possible.
• Dry hopping may produce hop creep and as attenuation limits are critical, other products and approaches including HyperBoost™ may be useful to contribute desirable aromas. https://darios44.sg-host.com/finding-your-flow/
• Reduced hop products such as Tetra may be useful to improve foam stability, microbiological stability and adjust perceived bitterness.

Yeast:

• One of the strengths of the EASI approach is that it is compatible with many yeast strains, as fermentation by products are a challenge in these beers this gives the brewer greater flexibility & operational advantages e.g. matching with strains already in use in the brewery.
• Depending on the style being brewed classics such as SafAle™ S-04, SafAleUS-05 and SafLager™ W-34-70 can be used. Flavourful strains such SafAle™ BE-256 or SafLager™ E-30 may prove useful in adding flavour and complexity.
• Strains which ferment simple sugars including maltotriose may be preferable for better stability as body challenges are tackled by the non-fermentable IMOs.
• Combining strains may be a useful approach in creating flavour complexity.
• Active dried yeast does not require oxygenation & exceptional microbiological quality with the Fermentis range is an advantage.

Others

• Finings such as Protafloc are likely to require lower dose rates due to reduced grain bills and proteins levels. Tablets are more forgiving that granules. The Kettle finings check will help the brewer optimise rates for the recipe.
• Antifoams such as Refoam or Calsil used in the boil may help preserve precious foam stabilising proteins to improve final foam stability in the glass. Adding the minimum amount to get the desired impact is advisable.
• Adding Sulphur Dioxide in a convenient form such as Metabs may be considered as a microbiological hurdle & as an antioxidant. Allergen controls, labelling & testing become a consideration if used.
• High maltose syrups (e.g. GL44DE & Maltwise M) may be incorporated into mashing to produce even more IMOs. Treating syrups separately with Transglucosidsase could also be explored.
• Other syrups with a high degree of polymerisation (e.g. Malwise L) to further modify the sugar spectrum in the brewhouse.

Useful resources in completing this article:

https://www.cibd.org.uk/resources

https://www.cibd.org.uk/learning-qualifications/short-courses/no-and-low-alcohol-beer-production

https://www.cibd.org.uk/learning-qualifications/short-courses/beer-recipe-development

Brewing Science and practice, D.E. Briggs, C.A. Boulton, P.A. Brookes & R. Stevens

Handbook of brewing F.G. Priest & G.G. Stewart

With thanks to IFF for internal material and support

Appendix 1. Example of Wort Attenuation Limit Test

• Fill a 750 ml sanitised flask with wort.
• “Overpitch” with the desired brewing yeast culture for the recipe (~8g compressed yeast/100ml of wort).
• Add a cotton stopper and shake vigorously.
• Store at room temperature (~20 ͦC) and allow to ferment, measuring the gravity intermittently.
• Keep shaking intermittently or use a stirrer to maximise mixing.
• When the gravity results remain stable (e.g. 24 hours) the attenuation limit has been reached.
• The results can be used to modify the mashing regime.

The stable gravity achieved is known as the attenuation limit.