Preparation method of chocolate beer

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of chocolate beer. The preparation method comprises the following steps: S1, pretreating raw materials; s2, saccharifying and preparing wort; s3, wort boiling; s4, cooling and oxygenating; s5, performing fermentation; and S6, carrying out post-treatment and filling. The problems that existing chocolate beer is layered in flavor, prominent in burnt taste, poor in fermentation stability and easy to attenuate in wine quality can be solved, meanwhile, the white chocolate powder preparation technology is perfected, deep fusion of chocolate flavor and beer wine is achieved, the stability of the fermentation process is guaranteed, the wine clarity and flavor stability are improved, and the production cost is reduced. And the process is adaptive to existing craft beer production equipment, and large-scale and personalized brewing can be realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of beer brewing technology, specifically a method for preparing chocolate beer. Background Technology

[0002] Chocolate beer, as a craft beer category that combines chocolate flavor with beer body characteristics, has become a research and development hotspot in the beer brewing industry due to its unique complex flavor. The market demand for its flavor integration, mouthfeel, and quality stability continues to increase. Currently, the mainstream preparation method for existing chocolate-flavored beers on the market is to directly add commercially available chocolate powder, cocoa liquor, and other cocoa products to achieve flavor integration. This method is simple to operate but lacks process optimization for flavor integration. It generally suffers from low integration of chocolate flavor and beer body, and obvious flavor stratification is easily observed when drinking it. It cannot form a seamless taste experience and fails to meet consumers' demand for high-quality complex flavor beer. Some existing brewing processes attempt to cook cocoa products with wort to enhance flavor fusion. However, because the heat-sensitive nature of cocoa is not taken into account, a large amount of heat-sensitive flavor compounds in cocoa are lost during the high-temperature cooking process. This not only results in the loss of the natural flavor of chocolate, but also easily causes the cocoa to caramelize at high temperatures, producing a prominent burnt and bitter taste, which seriously affects the drinking taste of beer. At the same time, the cocoa butter contained in cocoa will combine with the foam proteins in beer during the high-temperature cooking process, destroying the formation and stable structure of beer foam, resulting in a decrease in the foam retention of the finished beer, which violates the core quality requirements of beer. Some brewing processes involve adding cocoa products during the later stages of fermentation. While this can preserve the chocolate flavor to some extent, it only achieves a simple adhesion of the chocolate flavor to the surface of the beer. It fails to allow the fat-soluble and water-soluble flavor compounds of chocolate to fully integrate into the beer, resulting in incomplete flavor fusion. Furthermore, traditional brewing processes do not consider both the effective release of chocolate's fat-soluble flavors and the stability of the microbial environment during beer fermentation. The various additives added to improve flavor or body condition can inhibit yeast fermentation, leading to abnormal fermentation, low beer yield, and other problems. It can also cause the finished beer to become cloudy, have sediment, and experience rapid flavor degradation during room temperature storage, thus hindering the large-scale production and market promotion of chocolate beer. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method for preparing chocolate beer, which solves the problems of flavor layering, prominent burnt taste, poor fermentation stability, and easy degradation of beer quality in existing chocolate beer. At the same time, it improves the white chocolate powder preparation process to achieve deep integration of chocolate flavor and beer body, ensures stable fermentation process, improves beer clarity and flavor stability, and the process is compatible with existing craft beer production equipment, enabling large-scale and personalized brewing.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A method for preparing chocolate beer includes the following steps: S1: Raw material pretreatment Adjust and strictly control the roasting time of the cocoa beans according to their maturity to prevent over-roasting and burnt flavor. Place the peeled cocoa beans in a constant temperature oven at 60-65℃ and roast them at a low temperature for 2-3 hours until they emit a rich caramel aroma. After cooling, grind them to 80-100 mesh to obtain cocoa bean powder. Place the cocoa bean powder in a vacuum drying oven at 40℃ for 1 hour to remove surface moisture and set aside. Mix barley malt, caramel malt, and cocoa malt in the specified ratio and grind them until the skin and meat are broken, ensuring that the integrity of the malt skin is ≥80%. Set aside. S2: Preparation of white chocolate powder Based on 100kg of finished product, the raw material ratio is as follows: cocoa butter 25~30kg, whole milk powder 35~40kg, white sugar 25~30kg, maltodextrin 3~5kg, edible vegetable fat powder 2~4kg, food-grade emulsifier (glyceryl monostearate + polyglycerol fatty acid ester, 1:1) 0.5~0.8kg, edible flavor (vanilla flavor) 0.05~0.1kg, anti-caking agent (silica) 0.1~0.2kg. All raw materials are food-grade.

[0005] Preparation steps: 1) Grind granulated sugar to 80-100 mesh, sieve to remove impurities, and set aside; place cocoa butter in a constant temperature melting tank, melt at 45-50℃ using a water bath, stir until there are no particles, keep warm and the temperature should not exceed 55℃ to prevent cocoa butter oxidation; 2) Place whole milk powder, maltodextrin, and vegetable fat powder in a dry mixing chamber, premix at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to remove raw material lumps; 3) Transfer the pretreated sugar powder and milk powder mixture to a high-speed emulsifying mixer, first stir at a low speed of 300-500 rpm, slowly add the melted cocoa butter while stirring, after adding the emulsifier, adjust to a high speed of 800-1000 rpm for 20-30 minutes until the system is uniform and free of oil particles, finally add vanilla flavoring, stir at low speed for 5-8 minutes. 4) Mix the paste thoroughly to obtain a white chocolate paste base; 5) Feed the paste base into a colloid mill and grind it 2-3 times, controlling the grinding gap to gradually reduce from 0.2mm to 0.05mm, so that the base particles are refined to 100-120 mesh; 6) Feed the ground base into a spray granulator, control the inlet air temperature to 120-130℃ and the outlet air temperature to 60-70℃, and control the granulation particle size to 80-100 mesh. After granulation, feed it into a fluidized bed dryer and dry it again at 50-55℃ until the moisture content of the finished product is ≤2.0%. Cool it to room temperature for later use; 7) Transfer the dried granules to a mixer, add the anti-caking agent silica, mix at low speed for 10-15 minutes, and then sieve it through a 100-mesh vibrating screen to remove coarse particles and lumps, so as to obtain the finished white chocolate powder; S3: Saccharification and Wort Preparation Based on 100L of finished beer, prepare the following main ingredients: 15-20kg barley malt, 5-6kg rye malt, 5-6kg wheat malt, and 2-2.5kg crystallized malt; and the following adjunct ingredients: 0.015kg Magnum hops, 0.03kg Cascade hops, 0.02kg Czech Saz hops, 0.04kg S-33 yeast, 0.3kg dark / white chocolate powder, and 105-110L Laoshan water. Add 80-100L of Laoshan water to the mashing pot, heat to 50-52℃, and add the pre-... After processing, the mixed malt is stirred evenly and kept at a warm temperature for 30-40 minutes for saccharification; the temperature is then increased to 63-65℃ and kept at a warm temperature for 60-70 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes during this period; the temperature is then increased to 78-80℃ and kept at a warm temperature for 10-15 minutes to inactivate enzymes; after saccharification, the mash is washed with hot water at 80-85℃, the wort is collected into a boiling kettle, and Laoshan water is added to make the wort volume 100-120L; the pH of the wort is adjusted to 5.2-5.4 using citric acid / sodium bicarbonate. S4: Wort boiling and flavor blending Heat the wort in the boiling pot to 98-100°C and boil for 30-40 minutes. Add roasted and dried cocoa powder and continue to simmer at 95-98°C for 20-25 minutes, avoiding vigorous boiling. Finally, add cocoa powder again and boil for 5-8 minutes before stopping heating. The total boiling time should be controlled at 60-70 minutes, and the final wort concentration should be controlled at 12-14°P. S5: Cooling and Oxygenation The boiled wort is rapidly cooled to 20-22°C using a plate heat exchanger. Sterile oxygen is then introduced into the cooled wort to control the dissolved oxygen content at 8-10 mg / L. S6: Fermentation Transfer the dissolved oxygen wort to a fermentation tank, inoculate it with pre-activated S-33 yeast, and stir well. Control the fermentation temperature at 20~22℃, with temperature fluctuations not exceeding ±1℃ throughout the process, and seal for fermentation for 5~7 days. When the wort sugar content drops to 4~5°P, continue fermentation at a constant temperature for 2~3 days until the sugar content stabilizes at 2~3°P and then stop fermentation. S7: Post-processing and filling After fermentation, the beer is cooled to 0-4℃ and kept warm for 7-10 days to clarify, and the lees are removed. The clarified beer is then filtered through a membrane with a pore size of 0.22μm for sterilization. After passing all tests, it is bottled and capped in a sterile environment to obtain the finished chocolate beer.

[0006] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: 1. The cocoa beans are roasted at a low temperature of 60~65℃. The roasting time is adjusted according to the degree of maturity to avoid burnt or bitter taste. The freshly ground cocoa bean powder is vacuum dried, which preserves the flavor to a higher degree and has less variation. The white chocolate powder is made with a self-developed process to ensure fine powder texture, stable flavor, and no particle problems when mixing. 2. By adding cocoa powder to the wort in stages and combining it with precise temperature control, the vigorous boiling is avoided during the gentle boiling stage to reduce the loss of flavor substances. This allows for the full release of both fat-soluble and water-soluble chocolate flavor substances, which are deeply integrated with the malt and hop aromas of the beer, resulting in a smooth and rich taste without flavor layering. 3. During the saccharification stage, the saccharification time at each temperature range is precisely controlled. Stirring is performed every 15 minutes to ensure uniform saccharification. The pH value of the wort is adjusted, the dissolved oxygen content and fermentation temperature are controlled, and the temperature fluctuation throughout the process does not exceed ±1℃. This adapts to the yeast metabolic environment and avoids the inhibitory effect of cocoa products on fermentation. The fermentation process is normal, and the alcohol yield is high. 4. The 0~4℃ low temperature clarification process promotes the precipitation of protein and cocoa butter complexes. Combined with 0.22μm membrane filtration for sterilization, it improves the clarity of the wine and removes impurities and unstable substances from the wine. The finished wine has no significant flavor decay, no turbidity or sedimentation, and a foaming time of ≥3min within a shelf life of 12 months at room temperature. 5. All steps are compatible with existing craft beer production equipment, without the need for additional large-scale equipment, enabling large-scale production. At the same time, the formula ratio can be adjusted by selecting dark / white chocolate powder according to needs, adapting to personalized brewing, and the process is highly operable. 6. All indicators of the finished chocolate beer meet the GB / T4927-2008 standard. The beer has a glossy appearance, fine foam that clings to the sides of the beer, and a rich chocolate flavor with a malty aroma. It has a slightly sweet but not cloying taste, moderate bitterness, and no off-flavors. Detailed Implementation

[0007] Example 1: Dark chocolate beer, produced in a standard production environment with moderately matured cocoa beans. It is suitable for industrialized craft brewing standard production lines, with a workshop temperature of 25℃ and relative humidity of 60%. The purchased cocoa beans are of moderate maturity, with a moisture content of 12%, and free from mold and pests. This is a typical scenario for the regular large-scale production of dark chocolate beer, and there is no need to adjust the core process parameters.

[0008] A method for preparing chocolate beer includes the following steps: S1: Raw material pretreatment Roast the peeled cocoa beans in a 62℃ constant temperature oven for 2.5 hours until they emit a rich caramel aroma. After cooling, grind them to 90 mesh to obtain cocoa bean powder. Place the cocoa bean powder in a vacuum drying oven at 40℃ for 1 hour to remove surface moisture and set aside. Mix barley malt, caramel malt, and cocoa malt in the specified proportions and grind them until the skin and meat are broken, ensuring that the integrity of the malt skin is ≥80%. Set aside. S2: Saccharification and Wort Preparation Add 90L of Laoshan water to the saccharification pot, heat to 51℃, add the pretreated mixed malt, stir well, and keep warm for saccharification for 35 minutes; continue to heat to 64℃ and keep warm for saccharification for 65 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes during this period; then heat to 79℃ and keep warm to inactivate enzymes for 12 minutes; after saccharification, wash the mash with 82℃ hot water, collect the wort into the boiling pot, add Laoshan water to make the wort volume 110L, and adjust the pH of the wort to 5.3 with citric acid; S3: Wort boiling and flavor blending Heat the wort in the boiling pot to 99°C and boil for 35 minutes; add the roasted cocoa powder and continue to simmer at 96°C for 22 minutes to avoid violent boiling; finally, add 0.3 kg of dark chocolate powder and boil for 6 minutes, then stop heating; the entire boiling process lasts for 66 minutes, controlling the final wort concentration to 13°P. S4: Cooling and Oxygenation The boiled wort was rapidly cooled to 21°C using a plate heat exchanger, and sterile oxygen was introduced into the cooled wort to control the dissolved oxygen content of the wort at 9 mg / L. S5: Fermentation Transfer the dissolved oxygen wort to a fermentation tank, add 0.04 kg of activated S-33 yeast, and stir well; control the fermentation temperature at 21℃, with temperature fluctuations not exceeding ±1℃ throughout the process, and seal for fermentation for 6 days; when the wort sugar content drops to 4.5°P, continue constant temperature fermentation for 2.5 days until the sugar content stabilizes at 2.5°P, and then stop fermentation. S6: Post-processing and filling After fermentation, the beer is cooled to 2°C and kept warm for 8 days to clarify, and the lees are removed. The clarified beer is then filtered through a membrane with a pore size of 0.22μm for sterilization. After all indicators are tested and found to be qualified, it is bottled and capped in a sterile environment to obtain the finished dark chocolate beer.

[0009] Example 2: White chocolate beer, produced in a low-temperature and humid environment using relatively young cocoa beans. This product is suitable for production environments in the cold and humid winter in southern China, with a workshop temperature of 18℃ and a relative humidity of 75%. The purchased cocoa beans are relatively young with a moisture content of 15%, which can easily lead to problems such as undercooked roasting and clumping of raw materials. The roasting, drying, and saccharification process parameters need to be adjusted accordingly.

[0010] A method for preparing chocolate beer includes the following steps: S1: Raw material pretreatment Peeled cocoa beans are roasted at a low temperature in a 60℃ constant temperature oven for 3 hours until they emit a rich caramel aroma. After cooling, they are ground to 80 mesh to obtain cocoa bean powder. The cocoa bean powder is then dried in a vacuum drying oven at 40℃ for 1.5 hours to remove excess moisture. 16 kg of barley malt, caramelized malt, and cocoa malt are mixed and pulverized until the skin and meat are broken and the malt skin is ≥80% intact. S2: Preparation of white chocolate powder Based on 100kg of finished product, take 28kg of cocoa butter, 38kg of whole milk powder, 27kg of granulated sugar, 4kg of maltodextrin, 3kg of edible vegetable fat powder, 0.6kg of food-grade emulsifier, 0.08kg of vanilla flavoring, and 0.15kg of silicon dioxide. Grind the granulated sugar to 90 mesh, sieve to remove impurities, and set aside. Place the cocoa butter in a constant temperature melting tank and melt it in a water bath at 48℃, stirring until there are no lumps, and keep it at 45℃. Place the whole milk powder, maltodextrin, and vegetable fat powder in a dry mixing chamber and premix at room temperature for 12 minutes to remove lumps. Transfer the sugar and milk powder mixture to a high-speed emulsifying mixer, stir at a low speed of 400r / min, and slowly add the melted cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is added while stirring; emulsifier is added and emulsified at 900 rpm for 25 minutes until the system is uniform and free of oil particles; vanilla extract is added and mixed at low speed for 6 minutes to obtain a white chocolate paste base; the base is fed into a colloid mill and ground twice, reducing the grinding gap from 0.2 mm to 0.05 mm, and refining the particles to 110 mesh; after grinding, the base is fed into a spray granulator with an inlet air temperature of 125℃ and an outlet air temperature of 65℃, and the granulation particle size is 90 mesh; after granulation, it is dried twice in a fluidized bed dryer at 52℃ until the moisture content is 1.8%, cooled, and then mixed with silica at low speed for 12 minutes, and sieved through a 100-mesh sieve to obtain the finished white chocolate powder; S3: Saccharification and Wort Preparation Add 80L of Laoshan water to the saccharification pot and heat it to 50°C at a rate of 1°C every 5 minutes. Add the mixed malt, stir well, and saccharify at this temperature for 40 minutes. Continue to heat to 63°C and saccharify at this temperature for 70 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes. Then heat to 78°C and inactivate the enzymes for 15 minutes. Wash the mash with 80°C hot water, collect the wort into the boiling pot, add Laoshan water to make a total of 105L, and adjust the pH to 5.2 with sodium bicarbonate. S4: Wort boiling and flavor blending Heat the wort to 98°C and boil for 40 minutes; add cocoa powder and simmer at 95°C for 25 minutes; finally add 0.3 kg of homemade white chocolate powder and boil for 5 minutes, then stop heating; the total boiling time is 70 minutes, and the final wort concentration is 12°P. S5: Cooling and Oxygenation The plate heat exchanger was cooled to 22°C, and sterile oxygen was introduced for an extended period of 5 minutes to control the dissolved oxygen level at 8 mg / L. S6: Fermentation 0.04 kg of activated S-33 yeast was introduced and fermented in a sealed container at 20°C for 7 days. After the sugar content dropped to 4°P, the fermentation continued at a constant temperature for 3 days until the sugar content reached 2°P. The temperature fluctuation throughout the process was ≤ ±1°C. S7: Post-processing and filling The beer is cooled to 0°C, kept warm and clarified for 7 days, and the lees are removed; it is then sterilized by 0.22μm membrane filtration and aseptically bottled to obtain the finished white chocolate beer.

[0011] Example 3: Dark chocolate beer, produced in a high-temperature, dry environment using slightly aged cocoa beans. Suitable for high-temperature and dry production environments in northern summers, with workshop temperatures of 32℃ and relative humidity of 40%, the purchased cocoa beans are relatively old with a moisture content of 8%, which can easily lead to problems such as scorching during roasting and excessive concentration of wort. It is necessary to reduce the roasting temperature, shorten the roasting time, and optimize the boiling and fermentation temperature control parameters.

[0012] A method for preparing chocolate beer includes the following steps: S1: Raw material pretreatment Roast the peeled cocoa beans in a constant temperature oven at 60℃ for 2 hours, then grind them to 100 mesh after cooling, and vacuum dry them at 40℃ for 40 minutes for later use. Mix and grind 19 kg of barley malt, roasted malt, and cocoa malt until the skin is broken and the meat is minced, with the malt skin integrity ≥80% for later use. S2: Saccharification and Wort Preparation Add 100L of Laoshan water to the saccharification pot, heat to 52℃, add mixed malt and keep warm for saccharification for 30 minutes; heat to 65℃ and keep warm for saccharification for 60 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes; heat to 80℃ to inactivate enzymes for 10 minutes; wash the dregs with 85℃ hot water, add Laoshan water to 120L, and adjust the pH to 5.4 with citric acid; S3: Wort boiling and flavor blending Boil the wort at 99°C for 30 minutes, add cocoa powder and simmer at 95°C for 20 minutes, then add 0.3 kg of dark chocolate powder and boil for 8 minutes. The total boiling time is 58 minutes, and the final wort concentration is 14°P. S4: Cooling and Oxygenation The plate heat exchanger is cooled to 20°C, and sterile oxygen is introduced to make the dissolved oxygen level 10mg / L. S5: Fermentation Inoculate 0.04 kg of activated S-33 yeast, seal and ferment at 20℃ for 5 days, and after the sugar content drops to 5°P, continue fermentation at a constant temperature for 2 days until the sugar content reaches 2°P. Increase the frequency of cooling water circulation, and keep the temperature fluctuation ≤ ±1℃ throughout the process. S6: Post-processing and filling The beer was cooled to 4°C, kept warm and clarified for 7 days, and the lees were removed. It was then sterilized by filtration through a 0.22μm membrane and aseptically bottled to obtain the finished dark chocolate beer.

[0013] Example 4: White chocolate beer, room temperature and ventilation environment + medium-ripe cocoa beans Suitable for standardized production workshops with normal temperature and ventilation, with a temperature of 24℃ and a relative humidity of 65%, and the purchased cocoa beans are of medium maturity with a moisture content of 10%. This is the mainstream scenario for the large-scale production of white chocolate beer. The process parameters can be slightly adjusted to adapt it. The homemade white chocolate powder is prepared using standard processes.

[0014] A method for preparing chocolate beer includes the following steps: S1: Raw material pretreatment Peeled cocoa beans are roasted at a low temperature in a 63℃ constant temperature oven for 2.2 hours until they emit a rich caramel aroma. After cooling, they are ground to 85 mesh to obtain cocoa bean powder. The cocoa bean powder is then dried in a vacuum drying oven at 40℃ for 1 hour to remove excess moisture. 17 kg of barley malt, caramelized malt, and cocoa malt are mixed and pulverized until the skin and meat are broken and the malt skin is intact (≥80%). S2: Preparation of white chocolate powder Based on 100kg of finished product, the ingredients are: 27kg cocoa butter, 37kg whole milk powder, 28kg granulated sugar, 3.5kg maltodextrin, 2.5kg edible vegetable fat powder, 0.7kg emulsifier, 0.07kg vanilla flavoring, and 0.12kg silicon dioxide. The granulated sugar is pulverized to 80 mesh and sieved. The cocoa butter is melted in a double boiler at 45℃ and kept at 50℃ for later use. The milk powder ingredients are premixed at room temperature for 10 minutes. The sugar and milk powder mixture is then fed into an emulsifier. Stir at 00 rpm at low speed, add cocoa butter and emulsify at 800 rpm for 30 minutes, add flavoring and stir at low speed for 5 minutes to obtain the base material; grind the base material three times in a colloid mill with a gap of 0.05 mm and a particle size of 120 mesh; granulate at 120°C inlet and 60°C outlet in a spray granulator to 80 mesh; dry twice at 55°C in a fluidized bed dryer to a moisture content of 1.5%, add silica and mix at low speed for 15 minutes, and sieve through 100 mesh to obtain white chocolate powder; S3: Saccharification and Wort Preparation Heat 85L of Laoshan water to 51℃, add mixed malt and keep warm for saccharification for 32 minutes; heat to 64℃ and keep warm for saccharification for 62 minutes, stirring once every 15 minutes; heat to 79℃ to inactivate enzymes for 13 minutes; wash the lees with 83℃ hot water, add Laoshan water to 110L, and adjust the pH to 5.3 with citric acid; S4: Wort boiling and flavor blending Heat the wort to 100°C and boil for 32 minutes; add cocoa powder and simmer at 97°C for 23 minutes; finally add 0.3 kg of homemade white chocolate powder and boil for 7 minutes, for a total boiling time of 62 minutes, resulting in a final wort concentration of 12.5°P. S5: Cooling and Oxygenation The plate heat exchanger was cooled to 21°C, and sterile oxygen was introduced to achieve a dissolved oxygen level of 9 mg / L. S6: Fermentation 0.04 kg of activated S-33 yeast was introduced and fermented in a sealed container at 21°C for 6 days. After the sugar content dropped to 4.2°P, the fermentation continued at a constant temperature for 2.2 days until the sugar content reached 2.3°P. The temperature fluctuation throughout the process was ≤ ±1°C. S7: Post-processing and filling The beer was cooled to 3°C, kept warm and clarified for 9 days, and the lees were removed. It was then sterilized by filtration through a 0.22μm membrane and aseptically bottled to obtain the finished white chocolate beer.

[0015] Comparative Example 1: Dark chocolate beer, produced in a small workshop style with the addition of chocolate powder later. Suitable for small workshops without precise temperature control or micro-boiling equipment, this method prioritizes ease of operation and reduced production difficulty, while neglecting flavor integration. It is the most common production method for dark chocolate beer in existing technologies.

[0016] A method for preparing chocolate beer, with the same raw material ratio as in Example 1; malt saccharification and wort boiling with the addition of only hops, without the addition of cocoa bean powder and dark chocolate powder, and cooling and oxygenation fermentation steps as in Example 1; after fermentation, 0.3 kg of dark chocolate powder is directly added to the beer during the clarification stage, stirred evenly, and then clarified, filtered, and bottled according to the process of Example 1; there is no low-temperature roasting of cocoa beans and no staged flavor blending steps of wort.

[0017] Comparative Example 2: White chocolate beer, without precise temperature control equipment + high-temperature one-time addition of cocoa raw materials Suitable for low-cost production lines without precise temperature control and micro-boiling control equipment, it adopts the existing high-temperature co-cooking process of wort, without considering the heat sensitivity of cocoa raw materials. It is a simple production scenario for white chocolate beer, which can easily lead to flavor loss and a prominent burnt taste.

[0018] A method for preparing chocolate beer, with the same raw material ratio as in Example 2; commercially available ordinary white chocolate powder is used, cocoa beans are roasted at 120°C for 30 minutes, and ground without vacuum drying; wort is boiled at 98~100°C for 30 minutes, and then cocoa bean powder and white chocolate powder are added at once, and the mixture is continuously and vigorously boiled for 30 minutes; the saccharification and cooling steps are the same as in Example 2, the fermentation stage does not have precise temperature control, and the temperature changes naturally with the workshop temperature, and there is no post-fermentation step; the post-processing and bottling are the same as in Example 2.

[0019] Comparative Example 3: Dark Chocolate Beer, Fermented Naturally with Temperature and Humidity + No Post-Fermentation Process It is suitable for production lines without constant temperature fermentation tanks, where the fermentation temperature fluctuates with the natural temperature and humidity of the workshop, i.e., 25~30℃. It does not set a post-fermentation step, which is a typical defect of the fermentation process in existing technologies, and does not take into account the impact of cocoa butter on the yeast metabolic environment.

[0020] A method for preparing chocolate beer, wherein the raw material ratio is the same as in Example 1; the raw material pretreatment, saccharification, and wort boiling steps are completely the same as in Example 1; the fermentation stage does not control the temperature, and fermentation is carried out naturally with the workshop environment, without a constant temperature post-fermentation step, and fermentation is stopped directly when the wort sugar content drops to 3°P; the post-processing and bottling steps are the same as in Example 1.

[0021] Experimental Example The experimental procedure is as follows: (a) Sample preparation Following the processes described in Examples 1-4 and Comparative Examples 1-3, 100L chocolate beer samples were prepared and labeled as S1 (Example 1), S2 (Example 2), S3 (Example 3), S4 (Example 4), D1 (Comparative Example 1), D2 (Comparative Example 2), and D3 (Comparative Example 3). (II) Detection Indicators and Methods 1. Sensory indicators Ten professional brewers and five senior brewing technicians and five chocolate artisans were invited to conduct a double-blind tasting. They scored the flavor integration (out of 10, 10 points for complete integration without layering, 1 point for severe layering and flavor fragmentation) and aroma and taste (out of 10, 10 points for rich and full-bodied flavor without off-flavors, 1 point for bland flavor with impurities) and took the average value. Bottle foam retention (s) and foam shape were tested according to GB / T4927-2008. 2. Core Physicochemical Indicators A third-party food testing agency was commissioned to test the original wort concentration (°P), alcohol content (%vol), total acid (ml / 100ml), and diacetyl (mg / L) in accordance with GB / T4927-2008. All testing equipment was uniformly calibrated. 3. Fermentation stability Record the yeast mortality rate (microscopic counting method) and alcohol yield (volume of finished wine / volume of wort × 100%) during fermentation. 4. Shelf life and quality All samples were stored at room temperature (25℃) for 12 months. The turbidity (NTU) of the wine was measured at 0 months and 12 months, and the sedimentation was observed with the naked eye. At 12 months, the flavor degradation was evaluated by a double-blind taster (10 points, 10 points for no flavor degradation and 1 point for complete flavor degradation). (III) Experimental conditions All samples were tested in the same environment and in the same batch. The wine tasters scored the samples in a double-blind manner to avoid subjective bias and ensure the objectivity and accuracy of the experimental results. The experimental results are shown in Table 1 below: Table 1 (iv) Experimental Conclusions 1. The process of this invention has strong adaptability and performs excellently in both dark and white chocolate beer. Examples 1-4 cover two types of chocolate beer, black and white, and are adapted to four different production environments: standard, low temperature and humidity, high temperature and dry, and room temperature and ventilation. All samples maintained excellent and stable sensory, physicochemical, fermentation, and shelf-life indicators. The flavor integration score was ≥9.2, and the foam retention met the GB / T4927-2008 superior standard (dark chocolate ≥300s, white chocolate ≥150s). The core physicochemical indicators were all up to standard, the yeast mortality rate was ≤3.5%, the beer yield was ≥87.2%, and there was no sedimentation and minimal flavor decay after 12 months of storage at room temperature. This proves that the process of this invention can be flexibly adjusted according to the production environment and the maturity of cocoa beans, and is suitable for the large-scale and personalized brewing of black and white chocolate beer. 2. The process of this invention has significant advantages over existing technologies and solves key technical pain points. Although Comparative Example 1 had similar physicochemical indicators and fermentation stability to the Example, its flavor integration score was only 5.1, and cocoa powder precipitation occurred within the shelf life. This verified the necessity of the low-temperature roasting of cocoa beans and the staged micro-boiling fusion process of wort in this invention to achieve deep integration of chocolate flavor and beer body. Comparative Example 2 had a foam retention of only 120 seconds, which did not meet the national standard requirements. It also had excessive diacetyl and a noticeable burnt taste. A large amount of flocculent precipitate was generated during the shelf life. This verified the key role of the low-temperature roasting, precise micro-boiling temperature control, and staged addition process of the present invention in preserving the heat-sensitive flavor of cocoa and maintaining the stability of beer foam and the quality of the beer. Comparative Example 3 showed a yeast mortality rate as high as 12.8%, an alcohol yield of only 72.5%, severe turbidity, and significant flavor degradation. This demonstrates the core significance of the present invention's precise temperature control and constant-temperature post-fermentation process in adapting to the yeast metabolic environment, ensuring fermentation stability, and improving the shelf life and quality of the finished product. 3. The homemade white chocolate powder process of this invention improves the quality of white chocolate beer. Examples 2 and 4 use the self-made white chocolate powder of this invention. The powder is fine and free of particles, and its integration with the beer body is significantly higher than that of commercially available white chocolate powder. The finished product has a rich and smooth taste without being cloyingly sweet, which proves the compatibility of the white chocolate powder preparation process of this invention with the beer brewing process.

Claims

1. A method for preparing chocolate beer, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1: Raw material pretreatment Adjust the roasting time according to the degree of maturity. Roast the peeled cocoa beans at 60-65℃ for 2-3 hours, grind them to 80-100 mesh, and then vacuum dry them at 40℃ for 1 hour to obtain cocoa bean powder. Mix and grind barley malt, roasted malt, and cocoa malt until the skin is broken and the meat is crushed, and the integrity of the malt skin is ≥80%. S2: Saccharification and Wort Preparation Heat 80-100L of water to 50-52℃, add mixed malt for 30-40 minutes, saccharify at 63-65℃ for 60-70 minutes, inactivate enzymes at 78-80℃ for 10-15 minutes, wash the lees at 80-85℃, add water to 100-120L, and adjust the pH to 5.2-5.

4. S3: Boil the wort Boil at 98~100℃ for 30~40 minutes, add cocoa bean powder and simmer at 95~98℃ for 20~25 minutes, then add dark / white chocolate powder and boil for 5~8 minutes, controlling the final concentration to 12~14°P; S4: Cooling and Oxygenation The plate heat exchanger is cooled to 20~22℃, and sterile oxygen is introduced to make the dissolved oxygen content 8~10mg / L; S5: Fermentation Inoculate with S-33 yeast, seal and ferment at 20~22℃ for 5~7 days, and after the sugar content reaches 4~5°P, continue fermentation at constant temperature for 2~3 days until it reaches 2~3°P; S6: Post-processing filling Clarify at 0~4℃ for 7~10 days, sterilize by filtration through a 0.22μm membrane, and then aseptically fill.

2. The method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S1, the cocoa beans are roasted in a constant temperature oven at low temperature, and then ground after cooling. The purpose of vacuum drying is to remove the surface moisture of the cocoa bean powder.

3. The method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S2, during the malt saccharification process, the mixture is stirred every 15 minutes during the 63-65℃ heat preservation stage, and the pH value is adjusted using citric acid or sodium bicarbonate.

4. The method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, the total boiling time of the wort is controlled at 60-70 minutes, and vigorous boiling is avoided during the gentle boiling stage to reduce the loss of chocolate flavor substances.

5. The method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S3, the temperature fluctuation throughout the fermentation process does not exceed ±1℃, and the yeast is the pre-activated S-33 yeast strain.

6. The method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step S6, low-temperature clarification can promote the precipitation of protein and cocoa butter complexes. After clarification, the lees are removed before membrane filtration for sterilization.

7. The method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, Based on 100L of finished beer, the raw material ratio is as follows: 15-20kg barley malt, 5-6kg rye malt, 5-6kg wheat malt, 2-2.5kg crystallized malt, 0.015kg Magnum hops, 0.03kg Cascade hops, 0.02kg Czech Saz, 0.04kg S-33 yeast, 0.3kg dark / white chocolate powder, and 105-110L of Laoshan water.

8. The method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preparation process also includes the preparation of white chocolate powder. Based on 100kg of finished product, the raw materials for white chocolate powder are 25-30kg of cocoa butter, 35-40kg of whole milk powder, 25-30kg of white sugar, 3-5kg of maltodextrin, 2-4kg of edible vegetable fat powder, 0.5-0.8kg of food-grade emulsifier, 0.05-0.1kg of vanilla flavoring, and 0.1-0.2kg of silicon dioxide.

9. A method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 8, characterized in that, When preparing white chocolate powder, granulated sugar is crushed to 80-100 mesh and sieved. Cocoa butter is melted in a water bath at 45-50℃ and kept at a temperature not exceeding 55℃. Milk powder raw materials are premixed at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. The mixture is then emulsified at high speed, ground in a colloid mill, spray granulated, dried twice, mixed with an anti-caking agent, and sieved to obtain the finished product with a moisture content ≤2.0%.

10. A method for preparing chocolate beer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The finished chocolate beer has a shelf life of 12 months at room temperature, maintains its foam for ≥3 minutes, and has no issues with flavor layering, turbidity, or sedimentation.

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