Agitators in the Mashing Process
Agitation is an essential operation in the mashing process during beer brewing, and different stages of the brewhouse require different agitator speeds. Each mixer in the brewhouse system should have at least two speed settings: a fast speed of 30–40 r/min and a slow speed of 10–15 r/min. The agitator’s line speed is generally designed to be 2.6–3.0 m/s to meet the process requirements at different stages of mashing.
During the mixing of malt and water, a relatively fast agitator speed is typically used. This ensures that the dry malt is fully incorporated with water, continuously dispersed and absorbed in the mash tun, and prevents the malt from settling at the bottom or forming clumps. In mash tuns with smaller batches, a slightly slower speed may be preferred, as higher speeds can sometimes cause the mash to be thrown against the walls of the vessel.
Usually in the process of protein rest, it is often not stirred, and this process is very similar to the general soaking method. Theoretically speaking, agitator process should be carried out during the protein resting process, because this is conducive to the dispersion and dissolution of materials, and is conducive to the dissociation and action of enzymes.
However, due to factors such as the material-water ratio of malt mash during protein resting, the stirring is not uniform. Moreover, in actual effect, the difference between whether stiring or not is not too big, so in consideration of energy saving, stirring may not be carried out.
Agitator equipped in brewery during gelatinization and liquefaction is very important, because the gelatinization process of materials has a change process such as suspension → colloidization → liquefaction → resuspension.
When the mash is thick, heat is transferred more evenly, so continuous stirring at a faster speed is required. After the mash reaches boiling, however, the boiling action itself provides auxiliary mixing, and the mash has already been liquefied, reducing its viscosity. At this stage, the agitator can operate at a slower speed.
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Hubert
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