QHA-Review_August_Digital

A CRAFTY BUNCH
LITTLE HELPERS
BREWING A BATCH OF BEER IS A TIME-CONSUMING ORDEAL, WHICH IS WHY SCIENTISTS HAVE RECENTLY SPED UP
AND SIMPLIFIED THE PROCESS THROUGH THE USE OF BEER-MAKING MINI-ROBOTS, ALSO KNOWN AS BEERBOTS.
While craft brewers have always innovated new ways
to enhance the flavours and production of beer, there
was never anything that could be done about its
lengthy fermentation process – until now.
All brewers know in the first step of making beer,
sugars are extracted from grains such as malted barley
to create a watery solution called wort. After this,
the fermentation process begins, in which the yeast
converts these sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide
and new flavour compounds. This process can take
a minimum of four weeks or even months, which can
be a problem, because the longer the beer sits in the
fermentation process, the more chances there are for
bacteria and microorganisms to ruin the whole batch
and create sour and unwanted flavours.
Additionally, the yeast cells must be filtered out of the
beer once this process is complete, which is another
time-consuming task. These last two steps in the
production of beer is where the BeerBots come in
handy. Created by Prof. Martin Pumera and colleagues
at the University of Chemistry and Technology in
Prague, BeerBots are tiny, self-propelled, magnetic
packages of yeast (yeast containing magnetic beads)
that can make the fermentation phase of beer occur
faster and cut out the need for yeast filtration.
These brewers little helpers take the form of 2mmwide
beads that, when dropped into a flask of wort,
sink to the bottom and start fermenting sugars before
propelling up to the surface, releasing carbon dioxide
into the air and sinking back down again. This up and
down motion continues until all of the sugars in the
wort have been fermented, at which point the beads
can be collected and removed using a magnet.
In addition to being a faster and more simplified
method of brewing beer, it was also found that the
BeerBots could be reused in brewing batches multiple
times before being thrown out.
While the little bots may seem like a perfect solution for
the entire beer industry, in researching the technology,
Prof. Martin Pumera and her team discovered they
may be difficult to scale up to industrial use in their
present form, so for now it may end up being a more
useful asset for local craft beer producers.
Despite the technology only being in its beginning
stages, it is hopeful that a more commercialised and
accessible version of BeerBots could significantly
fasten and ease the process of creating tasty beer for
craft breweries worldwide.
QHA REVIEW | 55