Beer Yeast

Key steps in brewing brewing beer include milling of the malted barley; mashing in a mash mixer, then separating wort from spent grain in a lauter tun where starches are converted to sugars; boiling in a brew kettle where hops is added; cooling in a heat exchanger, fermentation of wort into green beer, conditioning in a brite tank followed by filtration and packaging. Yeast is added to the cooled wort during the fermentation phase. While smaller craft brewers may add dry yeast directly into the fermentation vessel, industrial beer makers purchase fresh, active yeast solutions delivered when the beer is ready for fermentation.

Hygienic positive displacement pumps are ideal for transferring beer yeast due to their ability to handle viscous and shear-sensitive fluids with precision and care. These pumps are specifically designed to maintain the quality and integrity of substances like beer yeast, which can easily be damaged or affected by high shear forces typical of other pump types. By using a slow, gentle pumping action, positive displacement pumps minimize shear, aeration and foaming, which is crucial for preserving the yeast’s viability and the beer’s taste profile. Additionally, their easy-to-clean design meets stringent sanitary standards, ensuring that the brewing process remains contamination-free while maintaining the perfect environment for yeast to thrive. This combination of gentle handling and hygienic design makes them the preferred choice for brewers looking to optimize their production process while maintaining the highest quality product.

Applications

• Transfer
• Metering

Viking in the Process

Because preventing microbial contamination and contamination from wild yeast is critical to beer making, Viking hygienic pumps may be used throughout the process, from transferring wort to finished beer. Dosing of fresh, active yeast solution into the fermentation tanks is a unique application requiring gentle handling to prevent damage to shear-sensitive, growing yeast. Viking hygienic pumps are used to ensure prevention of external contaminants from reaching the fermenter, while ensuring a healthy population of active yeast is available to ferment the beer.