Control wort boiling, clarification and cooling in brewing
Overview
This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to control wort boiling, clarification and cooling in brewing. This standard details the skills and understanding needed when applying heat to bring about a change in the condition of a product, when removing heat to achieve the required change in the condition of the product or to preserve the product state and/or quality. It also details the skills and knowledge to competently prepare for, start up and complete hopped wort transfer to the fermentation vessel in brewing. It details the skills required to start up, run and shut down equipment, as well as being able to take the appropriate action should operating problems occur. It is also about working to product specifications and production schedules. Complying with and understanding health and safety, food safety and organisational requirements are essential features of this standard. This standard also covers understanding the principles of the wort boiling process in brewing including sterilisation, stabilisation of enzyme action, evaporation, coagulation and precipitation of protein (trub formation) and beer haze precursors, flavour development other than hop bitterness and colour formation, and how the control of different factors can affect the wort. It covers what happens during the boiling process, the characteristics of hops, hop bitterness formation and values, the use of other raw materials, process aid additions and the operating principles of wort kettles (coppers). It details the understanding of the principles of wort clarification and cooling in brewing. It covers the impact of trub and spent hops on beer quality and their removal, wort clarification devices, the methods and effects of wort cooling and how wort coolers work. This standard is for you if you require a broad knowledge and understanding of the wort boiling, clarification and cooling process and related activity in brewing.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
Prepare for wort boiling, clarification and cooling
prepare for wort boiling, clarification and cooling in accordance
with the legal or regulatory requirements, the organisational health
and safety, hygiene and environmental standards and instructions
check product specifications at the right time
set up equipment according to specification
check that material for wort boiling, clarification and cooling is
available and fit for use
check that services meet requirements
start up the plant and check that it is running to specification
take action in response to operating problems
maintain communication in accordance with organisational
procedures
Carry out wort boiling, clarification and cooling
carry out wort boiling, clarification and cooling in accordance with
the legal or regulatory requirements, the organisational health and
safety, hygiene and environmental standards and instructions
use equipment and check that it is supplied with materials and
services
achieve the required output to the correct specification
check the product is transferred to the next stage in the
manufacturing operation
take action in response to operating problems within the limits of
your responsibility
maintain communication in accordance with organisational
procedures
Finish wort boiling, clarification and cooling
finish wort boiling, clarification and cooling in accordance with the
legal or regulatory requirements, the organisational health and
safety, hygiene and environmental standards and instructions
time shut down in accordance with relevant specifications
set up wort transfer equipment according to specification,
including ensuring that the fermentation vessel to be used is
empty and clean
make sure that hopped wort is ready to be transferred to the
fermentation vessel
transfer hopped wort in accordance with the legal or regulatory
requirements, the organisational health and safety, the hygiene
and environmental standards and the standard operating
procedures
use transfer equipment in accordance with organisational policies
and procedures and make sure that it is supplied with specified
materials and services
achieve the required output to the correct specification
follow procedures to shut down equipment
deal with items that can be re-cycled or reworked
dispose of waste in accordance with organisational requirements
make equipment ready for future use after completion of the
process
maintain communication in accordance with organisational
procedures
complete all necessary documentation
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
the organisational health and safety, hygiene, environmental and
quality standards and instructions
the personal protective equipment required
the work area tools and equipment needed
why it is important to check the cleanliness of work area, tools and
equipment
the purpose and importance of the process
what materials to use and in what quantity
how to obtain and interpret the relevant process or ingredient
specification
what action to take when the process specification is not met
how to carry out the necessary pre start checks and why it is
important to do so
- how to follow the start up procedures for the process and why it is
important to do so
- common sources of contamination during processing, how to
avoid these and what might happen if this is not done
how to operate, regulate and shut down the relevant equipment
how to follow the relevant process control procedures and why it
is important to do so
different ways to carry out the process
how to carry out the process in an efficient manner and why it is
important to do so
how to make equipment ready for future use
the purposes of boiling
what factors affect the effectiveness of wort boiling
hot side aeration and the downstream effects
what the purposes of adding liquid adjunct to the wort kettle are
the purpose and function of copper fining
what the nature and origins of hops and hop preparations are
the principles of isomerisation and how hops or hop preparations
yield bitterness during wort boiling
- how alternative or supplementary additions of hop bitterness are
made at later stages in the process
- how bitterness value of beer is expressed and what typical values
are
what the bitterness potential of hops are
how required hop rate/hop throw/hop addition is calculated to
achieve a given bitterness
what the principles of hop utilisation are
what other raw materials are used in wort boiling and their
function
the operating principles of wort kettles (coppers)
the potential of trub constituents, spent hops and other materials
in boiled wort to impact adversely on beer quality
- how beer quality is affected by trub constituents, spent hops and
other materials
the methods available for the removal of trub and/or spent hops
how wort clarification devices operate and carry out their function
the purpose of wort cooling
the effect of cooling on wort constituents
methods available for cooling wort
how wort coolers operate and carry out their function
how to deal with waste materials in accordance with
organisational requirements
- the need for records to be completed within agreed timescales
and to an agreed standard
- what should be communicated, to whom and why it should be
done
- the limits of your authority and the consequences of exceeding
them