System for aging beer

Abstract

An insulated beer fridge stores and ages corked craft beer in a vertical orientation for a period of several months to years without degrading the cork stopper used to seal the bottle. Cork shrinkage is prevented by controlling the humidity within the beer fridge container within a range of 50% to 70% relative humidity. An optimal beer aging temperature in the range of 10° C. (50° F.) to 15.6° C. (60° F.) is maintained by a refrigeration system. Relative humidity within the beer fridge containment is actively maintained by a humidity replenishment mechanism. A controller calculates the amount of water needed to bring the relative humidity to 50% to 70% at the beer fridge temperature. Beers are stored in the beer fridge on trays, which can be pulled for removal of aged beer and addition of new corked craft beer.

Description

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This system and method relates to a system for aging beer in order to enhance flavor and taste, which develop as a function of beer aging time.2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART[0002]There exist numerous prior art teachings related to storing and aging wine in dedicated wine storage compartments. Because wine bottles are generally stored in a horizontal orientation, this method is unsuitable for aging beer. Sediments and yeast tend to accumulate on the sides of a beer bottle over time. These substances can disperse throughout the liquid when the beer is poured, giving the beer an unpleasant taste and mouthfeel. Perhaps for this reason, there exist no disclosures pertinent to a system and method for successfully aging beer over a period of time in order to reliably develop enhanced taste and flavor. High end craft beers are generally corked using high quality cork harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber (the Cork Oak), which is endemic to...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012]The beer aging system of the present invention stores and ages craft beer bottles having a volume of 750 ml and smaller that are corked. Craft beers are often unpasteurized and produced in a manner that leaves varying degrees of sediment in the bottle. The sediment present within beer will settle during aging and should not be poured into the drinking glass when serving aged craft beer. This is accomplished by storing the beer in a vertical orientation to allow the sediment to precipitate to the bottom of the bottle. Proper aging occurs in a temperature and humidity controlled refrigerator maintaining temperature within the range of 10° C. (50° F.) to 15.6° C. (60° F.) and relative humidity within the refrigerator actively maintained in the range of 50 to 70 percent. The opening of the refrigerator has a close fitting front door having a darkened glass panel preventing the exposure of the beer contained within the bottles to direct or indirect sunlight or any form of light having energetic wavelengths beyond green. Optionally a red (approximately 650 nm wavelength) or green (approximately 510 nm wavelength) lamp is provided within the refrigerator that illuminates the contents within the refrigerator when the darkened glass door is opened enabling easy visualization for placement and / or removal of beer within the refrigerator.

[0017]A hinged glass door may be used to close the front opening to the beer fridge and may be opened or closed to access the trays that hold the beer bottles. In an alternate embodiment, the glass door may be a sliding glass door which may be opened and closed by sliding the individual sliding glass door panels. The hinged or sliding glass door is made of dark colored glass such as brown or green to prevent the stored beer from being exposed to ambient light or sunlight. The brown to green glass door absorbs all blue and ultraviolet radiation present in the room light or sunlight preventing exposure of beer stored in the beer fridge to become spoiled. A colored light with wavelength in the range of 510 nm to 650 nm may be provided within the beer fridge interior to view the vertically stored beer bottles.

[0018]The beer bottles are stored in a vertical orientation in parallel drawers or trays mounted on sliding rails. The drawers are pulled out one at a time after opening the hinged glass door or sliding glass doors, enabling addition of new beer bottles or removal of previously aged beer bottles. The drawer is pushed back and the glass door is shut. The trays slide freely forward while supported by bearings and the trays have lateral support preventing the beer bottles from tipping over. All the beer bottles are loaded in vertical orientation allowing sediment in the beer to settle to the bottom of the bottles.

[0020]1) a container having a sealed enclosure with a darkened glass front door in order to prevent exposure of the stored beer to blue or ultraviolet rays or sunlight, the exposure of which can degrade beer rapidly;

[0027]8) said beer fridge having an interior light which illuminates the interior of the beer fridge at a wavelength in the range of 510 to 650 nanometers when the front door is opened; whereby said beer fridge has the optimal beer aging temperature, and the amount of relative humidity maintained within the beer fridge preventing the shrinkage of the cork thus preventing leakage of air and spoilage of beer.

Problems solved by technology

Because wine bottles are generally stored in a horizontal orientation, this method is unsuitable for aging beer.

These substances can disperse throughout the liquid when the beer is poured, giving the beer an unpleasant taste and mouthfeel.

However, the cork is subject to shrinkage via dehydration when the environmental humidity is reduced; this results in a poor seal, which may cause oxidation or contamination of the beer.

Accordingly, aging of beer for long periods of time requires the prevention of cork shrinkage in order to maintain a proper seal at the bottle top; and such a process is not addressed by prior art disclosures.

Any leakage of wine at the cork during aging is noticeable as a rim residue, and its presence decreases the value of an aged wine.

Therefore, the cork is subjected to shrinkage resulting in loss of a proper seal at the bottle top.

For this purpose, prior to packaging, yeast and beer wort are again added to the beer, and the yeast in the beer present in a package is destroyed within 24 hours of packaging.

This patent disclosure does not provide aging of beer to enhance its flavor and taste.

The primary problem with this arrangement is the inability to fill the bottle with wine beyond the tip of the bottleneck.

The patent does not disclose an arrangement for aging beer.

This combined brewing system does not disclose aging of previously brewed and bottled beer in order to develop enhanced flavors and taste.

The fermentation container is not a previously fermented bottled beer and is not designed to age a bottled beer to develop and enhance flavors and taste.

The humidity in the refrigerator is not controlled thus allowing corked beers to be potentially damaged due to cork shrinkage and ingress of air.

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