Beer is one of the oldest recipes in the world, found in pottery jars that date back 7,000 years and documented on papyrus scrolls of ancient Egypt. With such a long history, it’s no wonder that the process of brewing beer has become such an art. It’s widely believed that beer morphed into that which we know today, a drink sourced not just from malted barley but bittering hops, in the middle ages. Yet beer recipes now stretch far beyond the confines of water, malt, hops and yeast, as consolidated in medieval times. Today’s brewer is limited only by the confines of their imagination. With the explosion of microbreweries and the craft scene encouraging variation in the market and inviting all manner of new flavours and ingredients into brewer’s recipes, we find ourselves in the midst of a brewing renaissance. Something which we at Murphys perceive to have greatest strength when grounded in brewing science; providing greater control and stability over the brewing process so that creativity can go unhindered. It is, therefore, our ambition to arm every brewer with the technical expertise and tools required to take their recipe from a five-barrel idea to industry leading brew! It is not, however, solely about the beer – its drinkers cannot be forgotten. It is apparent that today’s drinker uses all their senses, and although taste, smell and mouth-feel are unequivocally imperative, sight is a key player that shouldn’t be underestimated, whether that be the expectation of clarity to compete with international lagers or branding that puts your (foamy) head above the parapet (We’ll leave the marketing to you). It is therefore still increasingly apparent, whether rightly so or not, that cask conditioned beers are competing with and being compared to keg and small pack, and with the birth of craft need to stand up to the comparison ever more so. Plethora of processing aids and adjuncts The task at hand is not unmanageable. With such great developments in brewing science, the modern brewer now has a plethora of processing aids and adjuncts at their fingertips, and it is these that all roads lead to, providing you with the confidence that your beer will remain stable and bright, so you can focus all efforts on flavour and might. Haze and instability can originate from many areas of the brewing process. There are, however, two common causes we believe most brewers should address; the proteins from your malt and the levels of yeast cells, both of which can be fined out. To do so we recommend adding small and uniquely defined rates of kettle and isinglass finings to your brewing recipe. There are three principle objects of beer fining; bright beer, rapid speed of fining and tight and minimal cask bottoms. The emphasis that any particular brewer places on these objectives, will determine their assessment of the best type and optimum usage rate of finings. Top tip! This seasons malt looks likely to be higher in nitrogens than usual, at around 1.5-1.7%, so your use of copper/kettle and auxiliary finings will be paramount in 2018, the rate of which (if you’re already using) will need to be reoptimised when the first malts of the harvest arrive in breweries. Although your finings usage rate is something we recommend you regularly optimise, irrespective of changes in malt, to ensure the best results. 18 BREWING & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES BUSINESS The role of finings in your brewing process IN THE MIX Showcase 18_Layout 1 12/02/2018 11:29 Page 1