​​Improving Yield of Extract in Mash and Lauter Tun: A Full Method Review

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MBAA TQ https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-56-3-0722-01 | VIEW ARTICLE
 
Zack Burkeen (1), Eric Casey (2), Barbara Stone (3), Marisa Y. Bernal (4), Doug Dorda (5), Mike Cheatley (6), Camilo E. Camacho Acosta (7), Marcio Buffolo (8), Miles Crocker (9), and Fred Scheer (10). 1. Bell's Brewing, Kalamazoo, MI, U.S.A. 2. Real Ale Brewing, Blanco, TX, U.S.A. 3. John I. Haas Inc., Yakima, WA, U.S.A. 4. Flix Brewhouse, Chandler, AZ, U.S.A. 5. Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A. 6. Amsterdam Brewing, Toronto, ON, Canada. 7. Cervecera de Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR, U.S.A. 8. Shades Brewing, South Salt Lake, UT, U.S.A. 9. Molson Coors Brewing Company, Toronto, ON, Canada. 10. Master Brewers Association of the Americas (course director) and ICC Process and Packaging Technology, Nolensville, TN, U.S.A. (ICC-nw.net).
 
Abstract
During each Brewing and Malting Science course, students are given a challenge that encompasses the entire range of the program. They are broken into teams and given a case study that in many cases comes from real-life experiences of the people associated with the class setup. The students work hard to produce in-depth case studies, which they present at the end of the class. The authors of this case study were given the following scenario: Upper management has assigned you to identify yield improvements with the existing mash and lauter tun as they relate to your brewing process. Describe each step in the process and the contribution to improving the yield. To achieve the goal, the team identified three areas related to production that can be improved upon: (1) brewhouse procedures; (2) maintenance, regular instrument calibration, and preventative maintenance; and (3) communication and training. The team identified Darcy's law and viscosity manipulation as the most likely path for gaining greater extraction yield.