Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02221921 1997-11-21
(a) TITLE OF THE INVENTION
Al~oholic aqueous bevera~e ~n~l ~ method for its pro~uctioll
(b) TECHNICAL FIELD TO WHICH THE INVENTION RELATES
This invention relates to an alcoholic aqueous beverage
containing hemp components and a method for its
production.
(c) BACKGROUND ART
A number of alcoholic beverages containing additives is
known and described in the relevant patent publications.
Thus, DE 15 17 804 describes a brewing additive produced
from any cereal, including rye, by first soaking the
grains in water and subsequent thermal treatment in a
boiler at temperatures in the range from 93~ to 105~C. In
this process, the starch is gelatinized, the enzymes are
destroyed and the volatile flavors evaporated. The
additive can be stored and used for brewing beer after
drying and optional conditioning.
From DE-A-14 42 279, a production method for a beer is
known in which the raw materials used are concentrates.
Caffeine-containing coffee may be among the ingredients
used in this process. The coffee is added to modify the
taste of the beer.
EP 0 252 063 describes a beverage containing carbonic
acid and caffeine. This beverage consists of a beer based
on hop and malt to which a quantity of 65 to 150 mg/l of
caffeine is added.
The beverages that represent the state of the art have
tastes that satisfy only a part of the consumers.
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(d) DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore the problem of this invention to provide
a beverage that has a fruity flavor and taste.
This problem is solved by an alcoholic aqueous beverage
characterized in that it contains ingredients of hemp
plants, especially of flowers, flower parts, pellets,
flower extracts and/or flower distillates.
A preferred embodiment of the beverage according to the
invention contains ingredients of hemp flowers and/or
hemp flower parts and/or pellets in quantities ranging
from 0.05 to 10 per cent by weight, or components of hemp
flower extracts or distillates in quantities ranging from
0.005 to 5 per cent by weight.
Cannabinoids from the Felina, Fedora and/or Futura
strains are particularly preferred. Moreover, hemp plants
with a c 0.3~ tetrahydrocannabinol content are
particularly preferred.
Anothe- preferred embodiment of the alcoholic aqueous
beverage according to the invention is characterized in
that it contains 3 to 20 per cent by weight of an extract
obtained from cereal malt or crude fruit or by adding
sugar, 0.03 to 0.7 per cent by weight of hop and 0.0002
to 0.005 per cent by weight of yeast.
Another object of this invention is a method of producing
an alcoholic aqueous beverage by conventional mashing of
the malt, lautering, boiling, cooling, fermenting, and
storing that is characterized in that hemp plants,
especially flowers and/or flower parts and/or products
produced thereof may be added at any point in time during
boiling, fermenting, or storage.
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In a particularly preferred embodiment of the method
according to the invention, the hemp flowers and/or
flower parts and/or products thereof added are from the
Felina, Fedora and/or Futura strains. Another preferred
additive are hemp plants with a tetrahydrocannabinol
content below 0.3~.
Another preferred embodiment of the method according to
the invention is characterized in that ingredients of
hemp flowers and/or hemp flower parts and/or pellets are
added in quantities ranging from 0.05 to 10 per cent by
weight, or ingredients of hemp flower extracts or
distillates in quantities ranging from 0.005 to 5 per
cent by weight.
The pellets, extracts and distillates are produced from
the hemp flowers or hemp flower parts using methods that
are known to an expert skilled in the art. The beverage
of the invention has a fruity flavor and taste in nuances
ranging from grapefruit to mango and passion fruit.
Before the beverage is filled in bottles, cans, barrels,
containers or other material handling units, the
specified quantities of hemp flowers and/or hemp flower
parts may be added.
Before filling, any yeast cells and proteins can be
removed from the beverage using the known filtering
methods and, optionally, common filtration accelerators
and/or stabilizers, and/or the beverage can be preserved
subsequently using the flash pasteurization process which
is known to an expert skilled in the art.
(e) ONE MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
The invention shall now be explained in more detail using
the examples below.
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Example 1
125 g of Felina hemp flowers per hectoliter are added to
a conventionally brewed beer during boiling, and the
beverage thus obtained is filled in a suitable container.
Example 2
4000 g of Fedora hemp flower extract per hectoliter are
added to a fermentation product produced in the generally
known way of a beer containing 4.9 volume ~ of alcohol
using cereal malt, hop and yeast, and the beverage
produced in this way is filled in suitable containers.
Example 3
A barley-based beer is brewed in the conventional way
with a 9~ original wort content. After the fermentation
process, 7860 g per hectoliter of Futura hemp flower
parts containing 0.00003~ tetrahydrocannabinol are added
to the beverage in the storage tank, then the beverage is
filtered and bottled. The sleepiness some people feel
after drinking beer is at least partly compensated by the
stimulating effect of the fruity flavor and taste of the
hemp flower parts.
Example 4
Method of producing the alcoholic aqueous beverage.
The cereal malt is crushed using a malt mill and
intermixed with water in a suitable vessel. The malt-to-
water ratio may vary in the range from 1 : 2 to 1 : 8
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depending on the alcohol content the finished beverage
shall have. The total mash is heated over several
temperature steps up to a maximum temperature of 80~C in
an infusion or decoction process as is typically applied
at breweries. Depending on the quality of the malt used
and the desired properties of the beverage, this process
may take between 60 and 220 minutes.
The solids contained in the malt (called husks or grains)
are separated from the dissolved constituents of the
extract that were liquefied during mashing using either a
lauter tun equipped with a strainer bottom or a mash
filter. As a rule, the extract retained in the grains is
washed out after the first filtration cycle using hot
water with a maximum temperature of 80~C. This process,
however, is optional.
The wort obtained from lautering is boiled with hop at a
boiling temperature between 96~C and 150~C and a boiling
time ranging from 60 seconds to 180 minutes depending on
the method applied.
Hemp flower parts or products thereof may be added in the
quantities specified according to the invention either
separately or in combination at any point in time during
this process.
After finishing the boiling process, the break (trub) is
removed from the liquid which is now called wort using an
appropriate vessel (e. g. a whirlpool separator) or
apparatus (e. g. a centrifuge).
Subsequently, the wort is cooled down to the desired
pitching temperature using a heat exchanger or coolship.
The pitching temperature is between 4~C and 26~C
depending on the type of yeast and yeast culture used.
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Hemp flower parts or products thereof may be added in the
quantities specified according to the invention either
separately or in combination at any point in time during
this process.
The primary fermentation process is carried out using a
bottom- or top-fermenting beer or brewer~s yeast and/or a
wine yeast. The wort is ventilated before, during, or
after adding the yeast. The desired oxygen content of the
wort is in the range from 8 mg/l to 12 mg/l.
The wort is fermented in appropriate open or closed
vessels or containers that are equipped with a
refrigeration system (direct or room cooling) to control
the fermenting temperature. The fermenting temperature
varies between 4~C and 26~C depending on the type of
yeast and yeast culture used. The primary fermentation
process takes between 2 and 14 days, again depending on
type of yeast and yeast culture used and on the extract
content of the wort.
Hemp flower parts or products thereof may be added in the
quantities specified according to the invention either
separately or in combination at any point in time during
this process.
Secondary fermentation or storage is a ripening process
in which the residual extract is slowly or calmly
fermented at temperatures in the range from 2~C to 12~C
within 7 to 120 days. Carbonic acid produced in the
fermentation process accumulates in the beverage
depending on the counterpressure set during storage in
special closed storage tanks that are exposed either to
direct or to room cooling and equipped with a plug
apparatus.
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Hemp flower parts or products thereof may be added in the
quantities specified according to the invention either
separately or in combination at any point in time during
this process.
The beverage can be filtered and optionally pasteurized
before filling. It is filled in suitable containers
either directly from the storage tank or after filtering
and pasteurizing. The beverage is collected in a buffer
tank after filtration. Hemp flower parts or products
thereof may be added in the quantities specified
according to the invention either separately or in
combination during this process as well.
Subsequently, the beverage is filled in bottles, cans,
barrels, containers or other material handling units.
Example 5
Method of producing an alcoholic aqueous beverage (all
quantities specified referring to 100 liters).
Raw materials
a) 7 kg Pilsen malt, 7 kg Munich malt, 2 kg light cara-
malt, 2 kg wheat malt
b) 52 1 softened water (primary flush)
c) 110 g Hallertauer Perle flavouring hop
d) 300 g Felina 34 farmed hemp flowers
Milling
the total amount of malt, also called the grist, is
crushed in a roller mill.
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Mashing
the grist is now intermixed with water that has been pre-
heated to 52~C (primary flush). Subsequently, the batch
is heated to 62 - 64 ~C (lst temperature rest, duration:
S 30 min). Then the batch is heated up again to 72 - 74 ~C
(2nd temperature rest, so-called saccharification rest,
duration: 30 min)
When the mash has reached iodine normality (no more
starch is present), it is heated to 76 - 78 ~C for mash
discharge (pumping the mash from the mash tub into the
lauter tun).
Lautering
after mash discharge the mash is lautered (for settling
the solid and undissolved constituents of the mash which
then form a filter bed on the strainer tray of the lauter
tun). After the settling is removed and pumped back, the
original wort is drained off (20 to 24 liters, extract
content: 18 to 22 wt %, duration: 30 to 35 min). Now the
grains settling is causticized in three succeeding
spargings (using softened water at a temperature of
76 ~C) that are composed as follows:
1st sparging: 30 liters, duration: 35 to 45 min, extract
content: 12 to 18 wt ~;
2nd sparging: 25 liters, duration: 25 to 35 min, extract
content: 6 to 12 wt ~
3rd sparging: 25 liters, duration: 25 to 35 min, extract
content; 1.5 to 6 wt ~
Lautering is finished after the grains settling has been
dried by extracting (15 to 20 liters, duration: 25 to 35
min, extract content: 0.5 - 1.5 wt ~) so that it can now
be removed (removal of the grains settling from the
laughter tun); at the same time the wort obtained is
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heated to boiling in the wort copper. The yield resulting
from the quantities used is 115 to 120 liters (full wort
copper volume) at an extract content of 10.5 to 11.5 wt
~.
Boiling
As soon as boiling begins, hop is added (setting of the
basic bitter flavor). Hemp is added after half of the
90 minutes of boiling time is over.
Sepaxating
The wort is now rotated (whirlpool effect) for the trub
(coagulated protein + hop tannins) to settle in the
center of the wort boiler. This trub is subsequently
separated. The actual separating process is carried out
by draining off the wort via a cooling system. The cooled
wort is directly passed into the fermentation vessel.
Pitching
The wort is sufficiently ventilated in the cooling
process. 0.5 liter of syrupy yeast is added under uniform
stirring. Fermentation starts after 12 to 24 hours.
Fermentation
Top fermentation at 18 to 22 ~C, which takes 6 to 8 days
as a rule. The new beer has reached its storing maturity
at an aerometer reading of 3.5 to 4.0 wt ~, i.e. 1.0 to
1.5 wt ~ above the final degree of fermentation, and it
can now be filled in the storage tanks.
storaqe
The new beer is now stored in closed tanks at a
temperature of 0 to 2~C for a period of 3 to 4 weeks.
After this time, it is refilled in retailing containers
from which it is served without any further filtering.
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