Reducing Beer Maturation Time and Retaining Quality Maturex-L (101)

[Indian]

Does anyone care to share there experience with the use of Maturex - L? I cite the following from the MBAA TQ vol. 39, no. 3, 2002, pp. 149-155 by:


Wolfgang Hannemann. Novozymes Switzerland AG, CH-4243, Dittingen, Switzerland.

Reducing Beer Maturation Time and Retaining Quality
"The addition of the enzyme alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase to pitched wort is a simple and effective technology to limit the amount of diacetyl formed during fermentation and to reduce maturation time to a minimum. alpha-Acetolactate decarboxylase transforms alpha-acetolactate directly to acetoin without the formation of diacetyl as an intermediate".

Thanks in advance!

[Larry Horwitz]

Saw some at the trade show in Austin. Grabbed a sample. Yeah...it works, but do you really want to add industrial (fungal) enzymes to your beer? That doesn't fit with our business model.

[gitchegumee]

Give it a try!

Surely the yeast we all use is an industrial fungal product, no? If a brewer would like to achieve lower levels of diacetyl, then why not give this a try?

[ausbrewer1]

Additions of enyzmes can save you alot of money by taking short cuts in the process so to speak, but does it represent best practice in brewing and is it acceptable by the consumer? We dont use it and have no intention of using it in the near future.

Other methods off the top of my head for reducing diacetyl content are:

Krausening
A high temperature Diacetyl rest
Using immobilized yeast cells

[Moonlight]

This product seems fascinating. I wonder, though, if one speeds up aging time by taking diacetyl out of the picture, will the beer really be as mature and tasty as if it was aged as long as normal?

[gitchegumee]

I'm with you, Moonlight. For me, diacetyl is a secondary concern with most of my beers. There are so many reactions going on with time that I don't think it would be the same thing. Surely reduction of diacetyl is not the only reason to lager a beer!