maturation & pasteurization
MEANTIME DOES mature its beer
Maturation is at the core of the Meantime philosophy. It is what gives:
ALL Meantime beers undergo a minimum of 28 days maturation.MEANTIME DOES NOT use pasteurization
Pasteurization Versus Sterile Filtration
Pretty much all packaged beers that are not bottle or cask conditioned are pasteurised.
Beers can either be pasteurized before packaging - flash pasteurization - or afterwards. In flash pasteurization the liquid moves in a controlled flow whilst subjected to temperatures of 71.5°C to 74°C. Pasteurization will accelerate oxidation of the beer resulting in the off-flavours associated with the action of oxygen on beer.
In sterile filtration the beer is not heated and therefore there is no risk of damaging the flavour of the beer. Instead the beer is passed through filter membranes, that trap any stray yeast cells, mold spores, or bacteria that may be present.
At Meantime we employ two banks of filters; one at 0.6ì (ì=micron or one millionth of a meter and one at 0.45ì, which is smaller than any microbe.
Maturation is at the core of the Meantime philosophy. It is what gives:
- Meantime its point of difference from other brewers.
- Maturation turns raw ‘green’ beer into a final finished product.
- The secondary fermentation that takes place during maturation naturally carbonates the beer, meaning the condition in Meantime beer is achieved by method champenoise.
- Lager is the German word for ‘store’. It means maturation.
- Maturation costs money and ties up capital. Cutting maturation increases profits and capacity, but cutting maturation also reduces the quality of the finished product. As a result most modern commercial lagers hardly undergo any maturation at all.
ALL Meantime beers undergo a minimum of 28 days maturation.MEANTIME DOES NOT use pasteurization
- Pasteurization is heat treatment of finished foodstuffs to reduce the number of microbes present to a level where the product cannot spoil within its shelf-life.
- Pasteurization is cooking. Cooking something it makes it taste cooked.
- Meantime believe that having gone to extra lengths in order to improve the flavour of beer by maturation it is pointless to waste that extra effort by pasteurization.
Meantime Means Maturation
Pasteurization Versus Sterile Filtration
Pretty much all packaged beers that are not bottle or cask conditioned are pasteurised.
Beers can either be pasteurized before packaging - flash pasteurization - or afterwards. In flash pasteurization the liquid moves in a controlled flow whilst subjected to temperatures of 71.5°C to 74°C. Pasteurization will accelerate oxidation of the beer resulting in the off-flavours associated with the action of oxygen on beer.
In sterile filtration the beer is not heated and therefore there is no risk of damaging the flavour of the beer. Instead the beer is passed through filter membranes, that trap any stray yeast cells, mold spores, or bacteria that may be present.
At Meantime we employ two banks of filters; one at 0.6ì (ì=micron or one millionth of a meter and one at 0.45ì, which is smaller than any microbe.
