Presenter: Johannes Preiss, Kaspar Schulz, Bamberg, Germany
Coauthors: Jörg Binkert, Johannes Lauer, and Dietram Haertl,
Kaspar Schulz, Bamberg, Germany
Until the middle of the last century the malthouse was an
integral part of many breweries. Thus, brewers were able to
control all technical and technological operations. Nevertheless,
at least in Germany, the professional title is still “brewer and
maltster.” As a result of this capability brewers could directly
affect the characteristics and quality of their malts, which led
to an unlimited variety of types and flavors. Currently, the
trend toward individualization of beers is experiencing a strong
revival, but at the moment, brewers are depending on the raw
materials offered by the markets, with all that implies. The
history of the 336 year old company Kaspar Schulz contains
chapters where malting technology played a big role. Already at
the beginning of the last century machinery for malthouses was
produced in Bamberg. This technology should be recovered
and adapted to the current needs of brewers and maltsters. For
this purpose a compact malting plant was developed by Kaspar
Schulz. The system includes the needed ventilation technology
and fits into an area of just 20 m2 for an output of 2 tons/week.
The largest drum is designed for a maximum output of 25 tons/
week. The process steps steeping, germination, and kiln-drying
are automatically operated in a drum system and a consigned
steep. Careful conveying and gentle agitation are realized by
the slow rotation of the drum in combination with an integrated
screw conveyor. Modern manufacturing technologies guarantee
an optimized hygienic design of the plant. Besides compact
construction, the modularity of the system offers many
advantages. Thus, the system can be easily expanded, e.g., by
a further drum for germination and kiln-drying. This additional
drum may use the existing steep, the burner and glass tube heat
exchanger of the ventilation system, as well as the handling
and processing equipment for grain and malt. All process steps
are fully automated and customizable. It’s possible to produce
all common types of malt. In combination with the handling
and processing equipment for grain and malt, the brewer can
independently create his own product from corn stalk to the
glass. The prototype of this system was successfully tested at
the beginning of this year at Kaspar Schulz in Bamberg. The
results of this research project, as well as the easy use of this
system, will be presented in this work.
Johannes Preiss’ career in brewing began in Weihenstephan,
Germany, where he studied at the Technische Universität
München. Johannes graduated with a degree in brewing and
beverage technology. He started working in 2008 at Krones AG,
Germany, as a project manager in the Research & Development
Department. The main focus of his work was brewhouse and
cleaning technology, as well as energy optimization. His main
topics were lautering technology and integration of solar heat
into breweries. As a result of his work, Johannes published
several patents and scientific papers. Since the end of 2012 he
has been working as the technical director for Kaspar Schulz,
Bamberg, Germany. Besides his profession, Johannes is a
talented musician. In 2009 he received the cultural award from
the City of Nuremberg, Germany.
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