Brewery Setup Blog

The separation of the cast wort has a phase referred to as the "coarse break," sometimes known as a boiled or hot break. This phase consists of relatively large particles, ranging in size from 30 to 80 micrometers. These particles are slightly denser than the wort itself and tend to settle down efficiently to form a compact mass when given enough time.

However, the coarse break needs to be removed from the wort for several reasons. Firstly, it doesn't contribute to the beer production process and can harm the quality of the final product. It interferes with wort clarification, coats the yeast, increases the amount of sediment rich in break material, leading to greater losses, and contains fatty acids from the malt, making beer filtration more challenging if not removed at the right time.

The coarse break content typically ranges from about 6000 to 8000 mg/l after casting-out but should ideally be reduced to 100 mg/l or completely removed. However, achieving complete removal can be challenging for many breweries. Inadequate coarse break removal can be attributed to factors such as

• improper designed lauter tuns, whirlpool tanks, or centrifuges

• cloudy mash separation due to issues like unsatisfactory grist composition, poor malt quality, or defective mash separation operations

• and hop additions with low or no polyphenols.

In such cases, the cooled wort's break content can soar to over 1000 mg/l, causing the problems mentioned above.

Traditionally, the coarse break was removed in a cool ship or settling tank. However, in modern brewing, whirlpool tanks are primarily used, and occasionally, centrifuges or filtration methods are employed.

Whirlpool tanks became popularity for break removal around 1960 and are considered the most elegant and cost-effective method for removing hot break material.

The way wort is pumped into the whirlpool is crucial. Care must be taken to ensure that the wort pump operates at an proper speed to prevent cavitation, which could affect the break due to shear forces. The wort inflow velocity should not exceed 3.5 m/s, and sometimes even lower velocities are enough to cause a vortex effect. Maximizing volume flow is essential.

The wort should rest in the whirlpool for 20 to 30 minutes. However, the whirlpool cannot significantly improve cloudy worts.

To maintain the quality of the beer and minimize color formation, it's essential to keep the thermal exposure of the wort after boiling as brief as possible. Modern wort boiling systems take measures to prevent the formation of free dimethyl sulfide (DMS) by reducing the temperature to below 85°C before the whirlpool rest, thus minimizing DMS content.

When the trub cone emerges from the wort it often begins to disintegrate. The reasons for this are that when the wort level falls, the wort in the broken cone either falls at the same rate as the wort outside the cone, in which case the cone remains intact, or flows out more slowly, in which case the projecting part of the trub cone is filled with wort like a sponge and presses the wort out of the cone, as a result of which the trub cone falls apart to a greater or lesser extent, or as soon as the trub cone emerges, it loses the buoyancy which stabilizes the cone. A reduced velocity at the end of wort drainage can be of some assistance here.

The careful management of coarse break removal in the brewing process is critical to ensuring the quality and consistency of the final beer product. Modern techniques like whirlpools have revolutionized this aspect of brewing, providing an elegant and cost-effective solution for removing hot break. As brewing industry continues to evolve and innovate, the art and science of break removal remain central to achieving the desired characteristics of beer, making it a fascinating and growing field within the world of brewing.