Beer is the most popular alcoholic beverage in the world. Yet, behind each glass of beer there is an enormous amount of work invested. If the first image that comes to your mind is the lifting of heavy bags of malt or carrying kegs, guess again! Most of the work involved in brewing is carried out by "microworkers" - yeast and their enzymes! These special helpers are responsible for catalyzing the vast majority of the biochemical reactions occurring in all steps that gradually transform the sugary wort into beer. This book not only provides readers with an overview of the whole biochemical process involved in beer fermentation, but also reviews the latest findings in this delightful field, making it essential reading for both scientists and brewing enthusiasts

Autorentext
Associate Professor Tomá Brányik holds an MSc degree (1994) in Bioengineering and a PhD (1999) in Biotechnology from the Institute of Chemical Technology Prague (ICTP), Czech Republic. From 2000 to 2005 he held a position of post-doctoral fellow at Department of Bioengineering, University of Minho, Portugal. Presently he holds a position as associate professor at the Department of Biotechnology at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague. His research interests are in the area of fermentation engineering, cell physiology, alcohol-free beer production and use of non-traditional yeast in brewing. Dr. Eduardo Pires holds a PhD in chemical and biological engineering. The main topic of his research is continuous beer fermentation by flocculated yeast. The main problem affecting beers produced by over-populated yeast reactors is the excessive production of diacetyl during primary continuous fermentation. Dr. Pires' main task is currently to avoid the uncontrolled diacetyl formation under such conditions.

Inhalt
An overview of brewing process.- The Brewing Yeast.- By-products of beer fermentation.