Tech Challenge
Stability Testing of Beer
Mike Robrew recently received a customer complaint about the inconsistent taste of the beer he produces. A customer purchased the beer, put it in the trunk of his car on a hot summer day, then forgot about it. A week later, the customer remembered the beer and immediately brought it inside and refrigerated it for a couple days. The customer said some of the beer tasted normal but other bottles from the same case tasted extremely old and bitter.
Mr. Robrew would like us to help him choose items to perform age and temperature studies on his bottled beer. He is familiar with larger brewing companies doing these tests so they can put “best by” dates on their labels. Yet, he is not sure what additional item(s) he needs.
What should we suggest for long-term age studies at different temperatures?
A: Heat tapes to wrap around the beer bottle, used in conjunction with a temperature sensor and controller. For example, the Fibrox® Insulated Heating Tapes (03105-20), Digi-Sense® Benchtop Temperature Limit Controller (36225-77), and Oakton® Type K General-Purpose Thermocouple (08516-55).
B: A flexible heating mantle and temperature controller such as the Glas-Col® Flexible Funnel Heating Mantles (36227-82) and Digi-Sense Benchtop Temperature Limit Controller (36225-77).
C: A large water bath like the PolyScience® 75-Liter Refrigerated Bath (12115-10).
D: A Temperature and Humidity Chamber (52401-93).
Answers:
A: Heat tapes to wrap around the beer bottle, used in conjunction with a temperature sensor and controller. For example, the Fibrox® Insulated Heating Tapes (03105-20), Digi-Sense® Benchtop Temperature Limit Controller (36225-77), and Oakton® Type K General-Purpose Thermocouple (08516-55).
Incorrect. The temperature of the tapes will not be controlled based on the contents of the bottle since the bottles will remain closed and sealed during testing. Furthermore, if Mike would like to complete colder temperature studies the heat tapes will not offer cooling.
B: A flexible heating mantle and temperature controller such as the Glas-Col® Flexible Funnel Heating Mantles (36227-82) and Digi-Sense® Benchtop Temperature Limit Controller (36225-77).
Incorrect. Like with the heat tapes, the mantles will not offer the ability to cool or test any cold temperatures. Furthermore, each bottle of beer would need its own mantle and controller which would not be ideal to ensure uniform testing.
C: A large water bath like the PolyScience® 75-Liter Refrigerated Bath (12115-10).
Correct. This bath can handle many bottles at the same time, offers uniform testing, and can run continuously across a range of freezing-to-boiling conditions. This bath offers volume, temperature range, and uniformity and is often used by food companies for shelf life testing of various bottled and canned items.
D: A Temperature and Humidity Chamber (52401-93).
Incorrect. Although this is an option, it is a more expensive solution. The customer does not need to test humidity conditions as that would not affect the contents of the bottles.
