BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The major component of alcoholic beverages such as beer is water. Since such beverages may be transported considerable distances, it has been recognized that substantial transportation cost savings could be achieved by reducing the water content of the beverage prior to transportation and then rehydrating the product after transportation.

Methods for producing concentrated alcoholic beverages and then reconverting such concentrated beverages back into final products are known in the art. Various methods for concentrating alcoholic beverages known in the brewing industry includes freeze drying, reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration. All of these methods start with a substantially finished beer and then expel the water. The resulting concentrated beverages can then be transported more cost effectively and rehydrated at a final destination with water and carbon dioxide.

Beer flavors that are intended to be added during a typical brewing process are known. Such beer flavors are added during the brewing process to change the flavor of the beer being brewed. Such beer flavors cannot stand on their own, i. e., cannot be made into a final beer product through the addition of a diluent such as carbonated water.

The color of beer is measured in degrees SRM (standard reference method) which is a standard of the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and denotes the amount of light absorbed at a single wave length.

The SRM scale is nonlinear and runs 0-1000, with the lower the SRM number, the lighter the color. For example, a colorless beer is 0 degrees SRM, an opaque beer color is 100 degrees SRM, typical lager beer color is around 2.5 degrees SRM, a stout beer is typically in the range of 25-60 degrees SRM.

Hops, in the form of either the ground dried cones or an extract, are a main ingredient in the brewing process due to their contribution of bitter flavors and rich aromas. The color of the malt is measured in lovibond units (L) and the bitterness of the brewed beer is measured in bitterness units (BU), both ASBC standards.

It is known that isohumulones derived from hops or an unreduced hop extract can cause light instability in malt beverages. Specifically, the iso- alpha acids of the hops reacts with light and a sulfur compound to form 3-methyl-1-butene-2-thiol. The exposure of such a beer to light can result in the beverage becoming"light struck"and having a skunky odor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention provides a beer flavor concentrate which can be shipped to a destination and then converted into beer through the addition of a diluent. The beer flavor concentrate is a very high flavor product that can be made into a variety of types of final beer products. The primary ingredients to be added to the beer flavor concentrate to make the final beer product include water, carbon dioxide and alcohol.

Additional ingredients that can be further added include reduced and non-reduced iso-alpha acids and dextrins. The iso-alpha acids are used to increase the bitterness units of the beer to a desirable level and the dextrins are used to give the final beer product more body.

The invention further includes a method for making a beer flavor concentrate that can be used to make beer which is either stable to light or not stable to light.

The invention further includes a method for making a final beer product using a beer flavor concentrate.

By adding alcohol to the beer flavor concentrate, further transportation cost savings can be realized as well as further cost savings in making the final beer product because inexpensive alcohols can be added to the beer flavor concentrate at a final destination to make the final beer product.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a beer flavor concentrate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a beer flavor concentrate with high SRM degree of color.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a beer flavor concentrate with a color in the range of 25-60 degrees SRM.

It is another object of the present invention to prepare a beer flavor concentrate using malts having colors in the range of L10-L300.

It is another object of the present invention to prepare a beer flavor concentrate having a bitterness of approximately 40 BU.

It is another object of the present invention to brew a beer flavor concentrate having an alcohol percentage by weight in the range of 1-6%.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method of brewing a beer flavor concentrate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for converting a beer flavor concentrate into a finished beer product through the addition of a diluent.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for converting a beer flavor concentrate into a finished beer product through the addition of water, carbon dioxide and alcohol.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for brewing a finished beer product using a beer flavor concentrate.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for brewing a light stable finished beer product using a beer flavor concentrate.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a beer flavor concentrate to produce various styles of beer products including, for example, pilsners, dark beers, red beers, ales, pale ales, dark ales, bocks, stouts and porters.

It is another object of the present invention to blend multiple beer flavor concentrates to produce various types and/or styles of beers.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a beer flavor concentrate in the production of other non-beer alcoholic beverages.

It is another object of the present invention to utilize a beer flavor concentrate to flavor non- alcoholic foods.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description and claims. Before one embodiment of the invention is explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The present invention pertains to the brewing of a beer flavor concentrate that can be utilized to produce a final beer product through the addition of a diluent. The beer flavor concentrate is designed so that when diluted with water, carbon dioxide and alcohol, the resulting final beer product has desired color, bitterness and alcohol levels. To make the desired final beer product, the beer flavor concentrate is produced with the desired characteristics such that upon a predetermined dilution, the desired final beer product is obtained.

With respect to color, the beer flavor concentrate has a color that is preferably in the range of 25-60 degrees SRM, and most preferably in the range of 35-45 degrees SRM. To achieve this high color, malts that produce high degree SRM beers are utilized.

Examples of such high color malts include black malt, caramel malt, black malt, roasted malt, malt extracts and other specialty malts known to the industry. Malts with colors of L10-L300 can be used, and malts with colors in the range of L50-L80 are most preferred.

Coloring agents, such as caramel color and IMCA malt, can also be utilized to produce the desired beer flavor concentrate.

With respect to alcohol content of the beer flavor concentrate, some alcohol is desired and too much alcohol in the concentrate leads to an undesirable precipitate. Alcohol gives the concentrate microstability. Therefore, a small amount of alcohol in the beer flavor concentrate is desirable to inhibit growth of yeast, microorganisms etc., during storage and shipping. Preferably, the beer flavor concentrate has an alcohol level in the range of 1% to 6% by weight, and most preferably, in the range of 2-4%.

Types of alcohols that can be added include, for example, food grade ethanol or ethyl alcohol.

Preferably, potable 95% alcohol that has been distilled from corn is added to the concentrate.

With respect to the bitterness of the beer flavor concentrate, although several varieties of hops can be used, the common varieties of Galena and Tettnanger are preferred. It should also be noted that hop extracts and hop oils can also be utilized.

Further, reduced iso-alpha acids are also utilized to adjust bitterness to a consistent level and to afford an additional level of microbiological stability, a property well understood by the industry. Light stable beers preferably have an iso-alpha-acids content of less than 2 ppm and a tetralone (reduced iso-alpha- acids) level of 4-16 ppm with 10 ppm being most preferred. The beer flavor concentrate has a bitterness in the range of 25 to 50 BU, and most preferably, approximately 40 BU.

The dilution factor of the beer flavor concentrate can be varied as desired. In the examples set forth below, a dilution factor of 10 is used for simplicity. Other dilution factors such as, for example, 3,5 or 7 can be employed as desired.

A skunk character may occur on exposure of beer to light. Brown glass reduces the photoreaction that produces skunk material. However, a beer concentrate can be produced that is light stable.

By varying the constituents in making the beer flavor concentrate and/or by blending two or more beer flavor concentrates, various types of beers can be ultimately produced such as, for example, reduced alcohol beers, low and full calorie beers, having a range of styles including pilsners, dark beers, red beers, lagers, ales, pale ales, dark ales, stouts, porters, etc.

It should be noted that the beer flavor concentrate can also be utilized to produce a low alcohol or non-alcoholic final beer product. When diluting the beer flavor concentrate, the amount of

alcohol to be added, if any, can be altered to produce the desired low or non-alcoholic beer.

Natural flavors can also be added to either the beer flavor concentrate or when diluting the beer flavor concentrate to further flavor the final product.

For example, citrus flavors can be added to produce a fruit flavored beer product.

The beer flavor concentrate can also be used to produce other alcoholic beverages in addition to a beer product. For example, the beer flavor concentrate can be used to produce brandy-like beverage or malt wine.

The beer flavor concentrates can also be used to flavor non-alcoholic foods such as breads. The residual alcohol would be evaporated during heating or baking of the food product.

The following examples are set forth for illustration and are not intended to be limiting.

Example 1 The following example sets forth the preparation of a beer flavor concentrate having a color of approximately 40 degrees SRM, a bitterness of 40 BU and an alcohol content of approximately 4% by weight.

The mashed malt is first prepared from 35-45% of a standard L2 pale malt with active enzymes and a diastatic power of about 150, and 55-60% of a L60 caramel malt. The L60 malt gives a caramel-toffee malt without a burnt taste. The mashed malt is blended with water at 45 degrees F. for 20 minutes in a brew kettle to allow the malted barley to absorb water. Next, the temperature is raised to 62 degrees F. over 15 minutes to begin breaking down the starches. The enzymes in the malt, in particular beta-amylases, degrade the starches in the malt to form fermentable simple sugars.

The temperature is maintained at 62 degrees F. for 15 minutes and then raised to 70 degrees F. over 15 minutes and maintained at that temperature for an

additional 15 minutes. At 70 degrees F., the starches are breaking down into fermentable sugars. The temperature is then raised to 77 degrees F. and held there for 5 minutes to terminate the enzyme activity.

The mash is filtered using a standard filter press or a conventional lauter tun and the liquid is recirculated (Vorlauf) until it is clear. The clear liquid is termed wort and is then pumped into the brew kettle.

The wort is thereafter hopped as follows.

Galena and Tettnanger hops are added to a 90 minute boil before knockout. Galena hops are utilized as the bittering hop and Tettnanger hops are used as the aroma hop. Specifically, 1/3 of the Galena hops are added at 15 minutes into the boil. Another 1/3 of the Galena hops and 1/3 of the Tettnanger hops are added at 30 minutes into the boil. Finally, at 60 minutes into the boil, the final 1/3 of Galena hops and 2/3 of the Tettnanger hops are added. The Galena hops contribute approximately 30 BU and the Tettnanger hops contribute approximately 10 BU.

Finally, the wort is aerated using filtered air or oxygen at 8 ppm by bubbling through the wort on the way to fermentation or in the fermentation vessel and conventional bottom fermenting lager yeast or top fermenting ale yeast at 10 to 20 million cells per milliliter are added, either enroute to or in the fermentation vessel. The wort is fermented at 52-59°F (52°F preferred) for lager yeast and 62-68°F (62°F preferred) for ale yeast until EOF (end of fermentation: fermentables converted to biomass, ethanol, flavor molecules, and C02), typically 15 days and 10 days, respectively. When at EOF, the fermentation broth or beer flavor concentrate is cooled to 45°F, held for about 1 day, and at which time the yeast precipitating in the fermentor is removed.

Suspended yeast remain to mature the green beer flavor concentrate, which is allowed to age for about 10 to 14 additional days. The concentrate is then

conventionally filtered to remove the remaining yeast and particulates using any standard filter such as a plate and frame DE filter, resulting in a bright beer flavor concentrate ready for shipment. The beer flavored concentrate is stored and shipped under 6 to 10 psig CO2 head pressure and cold at 29 to 34°F in kegs, totes or tanker cars until ready to use.

In this example, the beer flavor concentrate is diluted by a factor of 10 with carbonated water and distilled corn alcohol to give a product with a color of about 4.0 degrees SRM, a bitterness of 4.0 BU and which is 3-7% by weight alcohol.

Tetrahydroisohumulone which is a reduced iso- alpha acids, such as TetraloneT"available from Kalsec of Kalamazoo, MI, is added at a level of approximately 2-8 ppm to give the final beer product a bitterness in the range of 6-12 BU. The bitterness can be adjusted to the tastes of the market where the final beer product is to be sold. Tetralone is 1.6 times the bittering effect as compared to non-reduced iso-alpha acids. Each ppm of Tetralone is approximately 1 BU.

Preferably, it is desirable to have 4 BU contributed from iso-alpha acids and between 1 and 8 BU contributed from reduced iso-alpha acids.

A dextrin such as Staley 200"adjunct syrup available from A. E. Stanley Manufacturing Co. of Decatur, IL may then be added to increase the body of the final beer product and to provide a real extract to alcohol ratio (RE/A) of about 1. The Staley 200 syrup is diluted to 20-30% solids with diluent and added to the beer flavor concentrate using a mixing loop, or in line while moving the beer from one tank to another to achieve mixing and the desired RE/A ratio.

Example 2 The process for producing a light-stable beer flavor concentrate is largely the same as that

described above in Example 1 with the following differences.

In this process, approximately 3,000 ppm of commercially available spent Galena hops (Galena hops extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide) are added during the boil and left in for the full 90 minute boil as opposed to adding the Galena and Tettnanger hops.

Further, Tetralone'"at 10 ppm is added to the beer flavor concentrate prior to shipping to provide stability. The TetraloneT"is anti-microbial and is necessary because the spent hops are very low in iso- alpha acids.

The light stable beer flavor concentrate is converted into a final beer product substantially the same as in Example 1 above wherein carbonated water, alcohol and Staley 200 adjunct syrup are added to provide a final beer product.