bioteching beer

[norseamd]

Let’s raise a glass of – what, exactly?

Commercial beer in Romania and other developing countries is increasingly produced with the aid of little-known biotechnology — industrial enzymes that make beer faster and also allow brewers to use untraditional, lower-cost cereals such as corn or unmalted barley.

These enzymes are used discreetly, without the knowledge of the consumer and unregulated by Romanian authorities. It’s not clear how many beers exploit this biotechnology due to weak labeling and reporting laws, and the refusal of commercial beer producers to acknowledge using industrial enzymes.

But interviews with former brewery employees and documents obtained from industry insiders suggest that all major multinational beer producers operating in Romania – Heineken Romania, Ursus Breweries, Bergenbier and Tuborg Romania – use these enzymes to brew their beers. Anecdotal evidence suggests the practice is not limited to Romania and may be widespread in Eastern Europe.

For example, lager beers typically brew at colder temperatures at which yeast acts more slowly, thus giving the beer its distinct taste. Traditional methods take from 12 to 48 days to brew. Enzymes help make it possible to brew a lager beer in as little as a few days.

In another example, traditional beers use malted (partially germinated) barley, which develops natural sugars. Industrial enzymes allow brewers to substitute almost any unmalted and typically cheaper grain, including corn, rice or sorghum.

The upshot is that beer drinkers have no way of knowing that their Eastern European beer with a fancy European label may have been brewed very differently from its counterpart in another country.

https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/4943-romania-bioteching-poor-beer-for-poor-countries

 

[elitejp]

Does it taste ok?

 

[norseamd]

Does it taste ok?

Probably the same as most American macrobrews, meaning no. And I doubt American macrobreweries are not bioteching beer.

The real problem is not that biotech is actually bad, but that it doesnt make up for bad ingredients.

 

[elitejp]

I brew my own. At least im learning how to.
I got a pale ale and a honey amber down pretty well.

 

[Denly]

I brew my own. At least im learning how to.
I got a pale ale and a honey amber down pretty well.

Always wanted to try, any website with a good 101 you can suggest?

 

[Chocu1a]

Always wanted to try, any website with a good 101 you can suggest?

Homebrewtalk.com

And for ingredients/kits- NorthernBrewer.com & AustinHomeBrew.com

 

[sao123]

Stick to microbrews. problem solved.

 

[Uppsala9496]

Homebrewtalk.com

And for ingredients/kits- NorthernBrewer.com & AustinHomeBrew.com

Big fan of http://www.homebrewing.org/
Out of MI so quick cheap shipping for me in IL. Their Great Lakes Pale Ale extract kit is really good.
Oh and the Two Hearted clone they have is spot on. Did a blind taste test with my neighbors last weekend and no one could tell the difference. Mine was a little darker since I don't filter to industrial specs. That was the only discernible difference.