The wet milling malt steep water can be used as raw material on brewing. However, some breweries discard this water containing a certain amount of extract. Based on this fact, the aim of this work was to evaluate possible gain in mashing efficiency as well as changes in beer characteristics. Pilsen beer was produced with and without malt steep water. The brewing raw materials were malt, hop, maltose syrup, distilled water and malt steep water. The wort was produced through infusion process, separated from spent grain through conventional filtration and then boiled for 60 minutes. After being cooled and clarified, it was inoculated with lager yeast (1,3g/l, dry matter basis). Fermentation temperature was 10°C and the fermentative process was finished at 90% of the limit attenuation. The beer was bottled and then lagered at 0°C for 14 days. The results showed that mashing efficiency increase by malt steep water utilisation was statistically not significant. The use of steep water did not change chemical and sensorial characteristics of the beer; but there was a light increase in beer colour (7,1 x 8,0 EBC). The author concluded that malt steep water produced on industrial scale presents major extract concentration when compared to malt steep water produced on laboratory scale. In this way, the author suggested that industrial breweries which use wet milling should also use the malt steep water. Thus, there is the possibility of gain in mashing efficiency without changes in beer characteristics.
beer; brewing; mashing; efficiency; malt steep water; waste water
