Finishing and Stability Session
Kenneth A Berg, PQ Corporation
ABSTRACT: Sometimes, chill haze is harder to prevent in higher malt beer with silica gel alone, which removes mostly just haze-active proteins. Consequently, some brewers find they need to remove haze-active tannoids in addition to haze-active proteins. Treatments with PVPP or with BRITESORB TR are very effective adsorbents of haze-active tannoids. Haze-active protein and tannoid removal are often performed via successive treatments. A dual treatment using a single formulation made by combining agents from the two classes would offer the benefits of reduced labor, inventory, and handling. To determine the feasibility of combining BRITESORB TR with silica gels, a combination with hydrogel was incubated for a month at three different typical storage temperatures. The effect of storage of the combination was determined by treating beer and quantitatively measuring colloidal stability. The incubated combination was compared with components incubated separately but combined at the point of treatment.
Ken Berg received a B.A. degree in biology (biochemistry concentration) from Cornell University in and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry from Brandeis University in 1981. After a post-doctoral appointment at North Carolina State University, Ken designed protein purifications for Lee Scientific in St. Louis, MO. For the last 26 years he has aided PQ Corporation by inventing new silica-based adsorbents for the food industry, supported PQ’s silica gel plants, and contributed to the beer industry both as vendor technical support and as a member of MBAA and ASBC. Ken lives near Philadelphia, PA, with his music teacher wife Shelley.
