Nowadays, the process of applying high maltose syrup to beer production is becoming more and more mature. The auxiliary materials used in beer production directly affect the quality and cost of beer. Beer auxiliary materials include: starchy auxiliary materials such as rice and barley, and sugar auxiliary materials such as invert sugar and syrup. Appropriate use of auxiliary materials in beer production can adjust the carbon-nitrogen ratio of wort, so as to reduce the color of beer and simplify the process. It can also improve the production capacity of beer, reduce production costs, and reduce the pollution of waste liquid and residue to the environment.

Syrup can be divided into the following three types according to the different roles it plays in the high-concentration beer brewing process.

1. High Maltose Syrup.

High maltose syrup mainly adopts the enzymatic method to refine the starch of corn, wheat, and rice through liquid saccharification, filtration, separation and other processes to produce maltose-based maltose syrup. Its components are mainly maltose powder and maltotriose, which can be used as a carbon source in traditional beer fermentation production, completely replacing rice or partially replacing wort, so as to reduce costs and increase production capacity. This kind of syrup is mainly used in light and refreshing light-coloured beer.

2. Whole Nutrition Syrup.

The whole nutritional syrup is mainly made of barley, malt and corn starch, etc., and then undergoes liquid saccharification and other processes. For example, complex syrup with α-N, which is based on the preparation of high maltose syrup, uses modern biotechnology to make a new type of syrup that can partially replace wort and enhance the flavor of beer. The syrup is characterized by strong specificity, comprehensive nutrition, almost the same composition as wort, and contains unique aroma precursor substances of wort.

3. Maltooligosaccharide or isomaltooligosaccharide syrup.

This type of oligosaccharide syrup is mainly made by adding hydrolytic enzymes during the saccharification stage. Its yield is higher than that of high maltose syrup, and malt oligosaccharides are mainly used in the dilution of late beer brewing and the production of low-alcohol beer to reduce the degree of fermentation of beer.

The role of beer syrup in high concentration brewing.

1. Improve the colloidal stability of beer.

In the process of beer production, when the nitrogen-containing substances in the malt are excessive, the high-molecular nitrogen-containing substances will eventually cause the finished wine to be cloudy, and even affect the shelf life of the beer. At this time, if maltose syrup is added in a certain proportion, the level of nitrogenous substances in the final wort can be diluted. This is because maltose syrup almost completely removes protein during the production process, does not bring nitrogen-containing substances to wort, and can also reduce the overall content of high-molecular nitrogen-containing substances, and finally achieve the purpose of improving the stability of beer colloids.

2. Enhance the light taste and flavor stability of beer.

Beers with a longer shelf life made with malt syrup have a lighter mouthfeel than beers made with whole wort or rice. The extensive use of maltose syrup in beer brewing requires repeated testing of the process and flexible adjustment of fermentation parameters to prevent the excessive addition of maltose syrup from causing insufficient total amino acid content in the fermentation broth, affecting the normal metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, thus producing the enrichment of higher alcohols, diacetyl and other by-products in the late fermentation period. These secondary metabolites will seriously affect the flavor and taste of beer. The beer produced by high-concentration brewing with malt syrup as an auxiliary material has better flavor stability.

3. Reduce the color of beer.

Polyphenols are one of the main sources of beer color, and malt syrup itself does not contain polyphenols, so using malt syrup to partially replace wort can reduce the content of polyphenols in the fermentation broth. There is an important decolorization process in the production process of malt syrup, which makes the malt syrup appear almost transparent or slightly yellow liquid, and further reduces the color of beer when malt syrup is used in production.

4. Adjust the fermentation degree of beer production.

When the degree of fermentation is high during the saccharification period of beer brewing, the addition of maltose syrup can be increased or decreased to effectively and quickly adjust the degree of fermentation of the fermentation broth. Different beer manufacturers can also communicate with sugar factories in a targeted manner according to their own yeast characteristics, and customize malt syrup that is more suitable for the fluctuation range of beer fermentation degree of their own factory.

5. Reduce production costs and increase production capacity.

Since the beer syrup replaces part of malt and other auxiliary materials, the amount of malt can be greatly reduced, and because the syrup is directly added to the boiling pot, the boiling process is reduced, and the requirements for nitrogen-containing substances can also be appropriately relaxed. As a result, the equipment efficiency is effectively improved, and the production cost of beer is reduced.