Beer pasteurization

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Indian
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Beer pasteurization

Post by Indian »

Is beer pasteurization beyond the interest / abilities of home brewers and many micro breweries? If so whay / why not? I do not want to get into the merits of flavor and sensory evaluation. I just want to know what experiences many of you may have on this topic.
brewer13210
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Post by brewer13210 »

It's not beyond the abilities of a home brewer, but chances are you'll do more harm than good.

A beer needs pasteurization for either flavor stability or to kill off any pathogens. For a microbrewer shipping beer long distances, pasteurization may be a viable option to make sure the beer isn't going bad on the shelf in some far flung place.

For a home brewer, good sanitation should prevent any bugs from getting in the beer. One problem home bottling has is that there are normally high headspace air/O2. In an unfiltered beer, the yeast will tend to eat up some of the oxygen. If you pasteurize the beer, you kill the yeast and instantly oxidize the beer.

Todd
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pasteurize / oxidize bad .......shelf life good

Post by Indian »

So to pasteurize the beer, you kill the yeast and instantly oxidize the beer and most likely kill the flavor but gain shelf life. So I guess many do not bother to filter for the above as well?
brewer13210
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Post by brewer13210 »

You can purchase homebrew sized filters, but it's usually just one more chance to beat-up the beer. Usually a couple of weeks in the secondary is enough to produce a clear beer.

For microbrewers, just about all bottled beer is except for styles that are expected to be hazy, such as hefeweizen, are filtered. The general public expects bottled beer to be clear without sedement.

Todd
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