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Beer – is a definition possible ?

Axel G. Kristiansen, MSc. and Master Brewer

Director Scandinavian School of Brewing

The Scandinavian School of Brewing

Is owned by the four Nordic

brewers associations

Office in Copenhagen

Garden view of SSB - Winter time

Agenda:

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1) Different Beer definitions now applied

2) Beer History – some considerations

3) Beer definition versus quality

4) Great number of beer definitions - > more beer variance

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1) Different Beer definitions now applied

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Beer Definition currently used at Scandinavian School of Brewing:

Beer: A fermented beverage. Made by the extraction and partial conversion, through malting and mashing, of cereal starch (most often barley) into fermentable sugars. Hops are usually added. Fermentation is performed primarily with yeast(s), with part of the resulting carbon dioxide retained in the beverage. The beverage can be served unfiltered or filtered. Sugars in any form (unmalted adjuncts) may be added to the beverage at any stage of production.

Definately not an exact definition !

What is the historic understanding of beer?

Fermentation: a biochemical process involving yeast cells that under oxygen-free conditions metabolize sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide and energy.

Brewing: a broad term covering the transformation of starch into fermentable sugars

Malting: a process applied to cereal grains, in which the grains are made to germinate thereby developing enzymes that enable transformation of starch into sugars

Cereal grains: Barley, Wheat, Rye, Oats and Sorghum.

Beer is a fermented beverage brewed on malted cereal grains…

Beyond the basics…

Factor 2: Hops

Hops are used in almost every beer – but there’s several hundred varieties - each with different characteristics

Factor 3: Adjuncts

Many beers are brewed with alternative sources of fermentable sugars in addition to the used malts. This gives great potential for variance in the beer.

Factor 4: Spices & Herbs

Increasingly being used in the craft brewing and gives beer a whole new dimension of variety

Is there more to it?

Factor 1: Yeast

The single most important factor is the choice of a yeast strain and how to work with it…

Factor 5: Geography

Geography is a catch-all term for location-bound aspects. This may be anything from local water to local cultural traditions. All have importance to the beer

Factor 6: Brewing methodology

How the brewer chose to work with the ingredients is of course a very important factor in the outcome of the final beer.

…and when there’s obvious similarities in how certain beers are made, one may categorize them as a beer style…

Yes, beer is a complex product of several factors…

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2) Beer History – some considerations

Definition of Beer - legally

No common European definition

Customs Union definition would be restrictive

EU Member State definitions:

• either non-existent; or

• for trade purposes; or

• for excise purposes; but

• not for quality purposes

The German Reinheitsgebot

• Compositional requirements dating back to year 1516: We wish to emphasize that in future in all cities, markets and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail

• Top-fermented beer

• Barley malt, other cereal malts (except rice, maize and sorghum), sugar (cane sugar, beet sugar, invert sugar, starch sugar), colours derived from these sugars, hops, yeast, water

• Federal law, some German States impose more restrictive rules

• Exceptions permitted for export and specialty beer

Imports of beer into Germany

Until 1987, all beers imported into Germany had to conform with the Reinheitsgebot

Mutual Recognition: A Court ruling obliges Germany to permit importation of any beer produced in the EU which conforms with national legislation

Application of the Reinheitsgebot was ruled to be an unacceptable restriction on free trade within the Single Market1

1Judgment of the Court of 12 March (198761984J0178). Commission of the European Communities v Federal Republic of Germany. Failure of a State to fulfill its obligations Purity requirement for beer. Case 178/84. Eur. Court Rep., 1987, p. 01227.

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3) Beer definition versus quality

Beer Quality

Trueness to type; aroma, taste and appearance with no defects

Determined by ingredient quality and the interaction with process parameters

Flexibility to adjust the proportions of ingredient to produce a consistent final product

No link between the definition of beer and its quality

Brewing Ingredients

Brewing water (“liquor”)

Malted cereals

Unmalted cereals

Sugar syrups

Hops and hop products

Spices, fruit, honey, herbs

Yeast

Malted Cereals

Barley, wheat (oats and rye)

Source of starch and the enzymes to convert starch to fermentable sugars

(Fermentable sugars converted to alcohol in yeast fermentation)

Source of color and flavor (e.g. crystal, chocolate, roast malt)

Adjuncts

Cereal materials used to supplement malt:

• Solid, unmalted cereals

• Liquid, sugar syrups

To provide specific characteristics to the beer:

• Wheat for foam stability

• Roasted barley for color and flavor

To avoid problems that may occur with malt:

• Sugar syrups to avoid undesirable flavors (e.g. diacetyl)

• Sugar syrups reduce potential for haze formation in beer

• Non-barley cereals to create low gluten or gluten-free beers

Limits on Addition of Sugar?

• No established legal limits on health grounds

• Reduce the levels of potential contaminants (e.g.

• mycotoxins)

• Economic expedient – used to increase fermentability

• Final: Beer is generally low in sugars

• “Lite” beers, 6g/100ml

• Stouts, 25g/100ml

• Orange juice, 8.3g/100ml

Hops

• Iso-alpha acids from hops provide bitterness

• Improve the microbiological stability of the beer

• Aromatic components have a marked effect on aroma and taste (e.g. floral, citrus, spicy notes)

• Hops polyphenols interact with proteins from the malt during boiling and are precipitated – important for beer clarity

Yeast

• Converts fermentable sugars into alcohol

• Strongly influences flavor profile of beer

• Influences the speed of fermentation

• Produces carbon dioxide (giving “sparkle” to the beer)

• Brand flavor characteristics highly strain dependent

Other Raw Materials

Mainly botanicals:

• Fruits (e.g. cherries, raspberries, orange)

• Honey

• Spices (e.g. cinnamon)

• Herbs (e.g. rosemary)

• Berries (e.g. juniper)

Impart special flavours

Facilitate product innovation

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4) Great number of beer definitions - > more beer variance

Consumer Protection: EU Process

WTO recognizes the Codex Alimentarius Commission as the custodian of consumer protection worldwide

EU27 are all members of Codex, as is the EU itself

Codex General Standard for Food Additives (GSFA, Codex STAN 192-195) provides a list of approved additives and the conditions under which they can be used

Additive listing is dependent on an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) data being approved by the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)

Codex also defines the purity of food additives

Conclusion

Definitions of beer in the EU are for trading and excise purposes only, not for quality reasons

Definitions do not determine quality or safety

Beer quality and safety are affected by both raw materials and method of production

Individual beer styles require defined proportions of raw materials

However, there is a need for freedom to allow raw material proportions to ensure a consistent end product

Defining compositional parameters such as minimum malt content, maximum sugar content and specific yeast strain do not guarantee beer quality or safety

Conclusions - furthermore

The Reinheitsgebot from year 1526 is a collection of compositional standards

Exemptions are allowed in relation to the proportion of malt for beers which are to be exported and for special beers

• (i.e. this requirement is not related to the safety of the beer for consumers)

Beers produced in other EU Member States can be sold as beer in Germany even if they do not comply with the German Reinheitsgebot

Final thoughts

1. Brewers take pride in the wide range of products that comprise the “beer family”

2. Consumers value a beer for every occasion

3. Legislation should encourage product diversity and innovation

4. Consumer choice stimulates an interest in the sector as a whole to the benefit of consumers, government revenue and the brewing value chain

Any Questions ?

Thank you for your attention

‘’Our task is not to describe the problems – but to deliver the solution’’ One of several SSB mottoes...

BACK-UP SLIDES

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Additives Permitted for Beer in the EU

Fewer additives are allowed for use in beer in the EU than are approved by Codex.

Directive 95/2/EC lists beer as a food which may only contain specified additives

These are codified and listed in Commission Regulation (EU) 1129/2011

Consumer Protection: EU Position

EU rules on additives defined in Regulation (EC) 1333/2008

In addition to ensuring high standards of safety, food additives in the EU must also provide benefits for consumers and fulfill one or more of the following technological functions: • To preserve nutritional quality

• To provide necessary ingredients for consumers with special dietary needs

• To enhance keeping quality or stability of food or improve organoleptic qualities

• To aid manufacture, processing, preparation, treatment, packing, transport or storage of food, providing they do not mislead consumers

Commission Regulation (EU) 1129/2011

Acids: Lactic and citric

Antioxidants: Ascorbic acid, sodium ascorbate

Colouring: caramel (E150, class i, ii, iii, iv).

Preservative: sulphur dioxide and salts, sorbates and benzoates (only permitted for “Beer in kegs containing more than 0.5 % added fermentable sugar and/or fruit juices or concentrates) benzoic acid and salts (only permitted for “alcohol-free beer in keg”)

Stabilisers: Propane-1,2-diol alginate, acacia gum

Packaging and propellant gases: E938 Argon, E939 Helium, E941 Nitrogen, E942 Nitrous oxide, E948 Oxygen (all at quantum satis)

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Legislation by country

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Thanks to

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