FOAM CONTROL

The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to beer. In particular the present invention relates to the controlling of foaming and/or control of carbon dioxide in beer, during filling of beer containers and/or during dispensing.

By "foaming" herein we include the formation of an excessive and/or persistent foam head during filling or dispensing; and the spurting or gushing which may occur when a beer container is opened. By "filling" herein we mean filling of containers during manufacture, and thus include canning or bottling.

By "dispensing" (or "pouring") herein we mean pouring of a beer direct from a container (for example by a person in the home, or by a member of serving staff, for example a steward on an airline, or a bartender) , as well as delivering from a draft flow system at home or in a bar or restaurant .

By "beer" herein we mean any fermented starch beverage, especially any fermented malt beverage, including such as bitters, lagers, stouts, ales, wheat beers, Iambic beers, typically having an alcohol content below 12% by volume. Some beers may have carbon dioxide added to them during their production. Others have only carbon dioxide from fermentation. Both are called "carbonated" herein.

A "container" herein may typically be a bottle or can, or a keg or barrel.

There is a need for foam control in beer, and a particular need to control foaming in beer during filling of containers. The overall filling process is significantly retarded by the time it takes for a foam to collapse before filling may continue to the required volume. A solution to this problem will thus improve the throughput of beer through filling stations in the manufacturing process.

A further problem associated with excessive foaming is excessive loss of carbon dioxide during filling. It is undesirable, from a product quality, efficiency and environmental viewpoint, to release carbon dioxide into the environment. However some breweries have sought to recover carbon dioxide from the fermentation process and use it to carbonate the beer.

A yet further problem is the loss of the contribution to taste provided by carbon dioxide, particularly in respect of more carbonated beers such as lagers. If excessive carbon dioxide is lost from the beer there may be a marked deterioration in its drinking quality.

A technical measure which solves or reduces one or more of the problems described herein could be of high value .

US 3,751,263 describes the use of antifoaming agents introduced during boiling, aeration, and fermentation of the wort in brewery processes. To this end, silicone antifoaming agents are used, but are removed prior to the

beer being packaged, thus restoring the foaming properties to the beer.

In the rare circumstances where antifoaming agents are introduced to remain within the beer after packaging, such antifoaming agents have generally been derived from hop extracts. Such hop extracts are only partially effective in foam control, and furthermore often affect the taste of the beer unfavourably in the quantities required for effective foam control. In addition, such hop extracts typically require the inclusion of emulsifying agents to render the hop extracts soluble. This cocktail of ingredients is undesirable both in terms of the complexity of the manufacturing process and the resulting flavour of the beer.

Hop extracts produce particularly unpleasant odours and flavours when exposed to light, even when emulsified with an emulsifying agent, albeit this effect is then somewhat reduced.

It is an object of the present invention to solve at least one of the problems of the prior art.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a beer comprising a foam control agent and/or a carbon dioxide control agent, the control agent comprising: a polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester; a sorbitan fatty acid ester; or a polyethylene glycol (PEG) fatty acid ester.

The addition of such foam control agents has a remarkable effect in relation to foam control, when a beer

is delivered to a container, whether the container be a can or bottle in a filling plant, or a drinking vessel such as a glass or cup. Foaming is significantly reduced. It appears to be the case with many beers that excessive foam is inhibited, and any foam head which is produced is more coarse and collapses more quickly. Consequently there arise the advantages that less carbon dioxide is lost into the atmosphere during filling giving economic and environmental benefit; and less carbon dioxide escapes from the beverage when it is poured into a drinking vessel (thereby giving better drinking quality) . A further advantage of embodiments of the invention may be that carbon dioxide can be retained for longer in the beer in a container which has been opened. The familiar problem of beer, especially bottled or canned beer, going "flat" after pouring may thereby be ameliorated, in such embodiments .

Carbonation may be by a natural process of fermentation and, if wished, in addition by supply of carbon dioxide.

The beer may be non-alcoholic, but is typically alcoholic with an alcohol content no more than 12% ABV, where ABV mean alcohol by volume, as commonly understood in the art. Preferably the beer has an alcohol content of less than 8% ABV. Most preferably the beer has an alcohol content of less than 6.5% ABV.

The beer preferably has an alcohol content greater than 2% ABV, preferably greater than 3% ABV, and most preferably greater than 4% ABV.

The beer may be a bitter, lager, ale, stout, wheat beer, Iambic beer, or anything else which is commonly regarded as a beer.

Preferably the beer is clear; that is, preferably not hazy and/or cloudy and/or turbid and/or opaque. Preferably the beer does not contain hop extracts in addition to those arising from the brewing process; for example, those sometimes used as auxiliary foam control agents.

Preferably the control agent, which may include one or more compounds of one or more of the classes of compound stated, is the only agent present in the beverage to achieve foam control and/or control carbon dioxide release. That is to say, there is no control agent other than a polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester and/or a sorbitan fatty acid ester and/or a polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester. Preferably no other compound intended to promote or boost the activity of the control agent is present .

Preferably the control agent has a molecular weight in the range of 200 to 3000, preferably 300 to 2500, more preferably 400 to 2000.

Preferably the control agent has an HLB value less than 14, more preferably less than 12, most preferably less than 11. Preferably the control agent has an HLB value greater than 1, more preferably greater than 2, most preferably greater than 3.

HLB number is defined in terms of the widely used method of Griffin. In accordance with this method the molecular weight of the ethylene oxide part of the respective compound is calculated. For example if there are 20 moles of ethylene oxide, the molecular weight of that compound is 880 (20 multiplied by 44) . To this number is added the molecular weight of the fatty acid residue (e.g. monooleate, dilaureate etc.), this essentially gives an overall molecular weight. The molecular weight of the ethylene oxide part is expressed as a percentage of the overall molecular weight, and the resulting percentage value is divided by 5, to yield the HLB value (thus if the ethylene oxide represents 55% of the total compound weight, the HLB value of the respective compound is 11) .

Preferably the control agent is used in the absence of any other control agent. Preferably the control agent is not used to assist the performance of another control agent.

The concentration of the control agent is preferably 0.1 to 100 mg/1, preferably 0.1 to 50 mg/1, more preferably 0.5 to 30 mg/1, more preferably 1 to 20 mg/1, most preferably 1 to 10 mg/1.

Control agents may be used in admixture, within the classed defined and across the classes defined. Such concentration ranges refer to the total amount of control agents present, when more than one such compound is present. Concentrations are of the control agent (s) as active, and do not refer to formulated product containing same .

The molar ratio of ethylene oxide to fatty acid ester in a control agent comprising compounds with polyethylene oxide residues is at least 1, preferably 2 to 36, most preferably 4 to 7.

A beer may contain a sorbitan fatty acid ester in an amount of from 0.1 to 50 mg/1, preferably from 0.5 to 20 mg/1, more preferably from 1 to 20mg/l, and most preferably from 1 to 10 mg/1.

The sorbitan fatty acid ester preferably has an HLB value of less than 11, more preferably less than 10, and most preferably less than 9. The sorbitan fatty acid ester preferably has a minimum HLB value of 3, and most preferably 4.

The sorbitan fatty acid ester may be compounds with plural ester groups, e.g. triesters, but is preferably a monoester .

The sorbitan fatty acid ester is preferably selected from the group including:

Sorbitan monooleate (commonly known as SPAN 80) - HLB 4.3.

Sorbitan monostearate (commonly known as SPAN 60) HLB 4.7.

Sorbitan monopalmitate (commonly known as SPAN 40) HLB 6.7. Sorbitan monolaurate (commonly known as SPAN 20) - HLB 8.6.

Preferably the sorbitan fatty acid ester is sorbitan monooleate or sorbitan monolaurate.

The beer may contain a polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester in an amount of from 0.1 to 50 mg/1, more preferably 1 to 30 mg/1, most preferably 2 to 20 mg/1.

The polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester preferably has an HLB value less than 12, more preferably less than 10, and most preferably less than 9. The polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester preferably has a minimum HLB value of 4, more preferably 5, and most preferably 6.

Preferably the PEG part of the PEG fatty acid esters is a low molecular PEG moiety, for example a PEG 50 - PEG 2000 moiety, preferably a PEG 100 - PEG 1000 moiety, most preferably PEG 200 - PEG 600.

The Cloud Point (CP) of a preferred control agent, in a 1% aqueous solution, is preferably not greater than 20 ⁰ C, preferably not greater than 16°C, and more preferably is not greater than 10 ⁰ C.

The polyethylene glycol fatty acid ester is preferably selected from the group including:

PEG 200 monolaurate - HLB 9.3, CP 15°C

PEG 200 dilaurate - HLB 5.9, CP less than 5°C

PEG 300 dilaurate - HLB 7.9, CP less than 5°C PEG 200 monostearate - HLB 8.1, CP less than 5°C

PEG 200 distearate - HLB 4.8, CP less than 5°C

PEG 300 monostearate - HLB 10.3, CP less than 5°C

PEG 300 distearate - HLB 6.9, CP less than 5°C

PEG 400 monostearate - HLB 11.7, CP less than 5°C PEG 400 distearate - HLB 8.5, CP less than 5°C PEG 600 distearate - HLB 10.7, CP less than 5°C PEG 200 monooleate - HLB 8.2, CP less than 5°C PEG 200 dioleate - HLB 5.0, CP less than 5°C

PEG 300 monooleate - HLB 10.2, CP less than 5°C PEG 300 dioleate - HLB 6.9, CP less than 5°C PEG 400 dioleate - HLB 8.3, CP less than 5°C PEG 600 dioleate - HLB 10.6, CP 10 ⁰ C.

Preferably the PEG fatty acid ester is PEG 200 monooleate, PEG 400 dioleate or PEG 600 dioleate.

A beer may comprise a polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester in a concentration range of 0.1 to 100 mg/1, preferably 0.1 to 50 mg/1, preferably 0.2 to 30 mg/1, preferably 0.5 to 20 mg/1, most preferably 1 to 10 mg/1.

Preferably the polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester has an HLB value less than 14, more preferably less than 11.5. Preferably the polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester has a minimum HLB value of 5, more preferably a minimum of 6, more preferably a minimum of 7.

The polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester may be selected from the group including:

Polyoxyethylene - (20) - sorbitan tristearate (common name Polysorbate 65)- HLB 10.5-11.0.

Polyoxyethylene - (20) - sorbitan trioleate (common name Polysorbate 85) - HLB 11.0.

Polyoxyethylene - (4) - sorbitan monostearate (common name Polysorbate 61) - HLB 9.6.

Polyoxyethylene - (5) - sorbitan monooleate (common name Polysorbate 81) - HLB 10.0.

Polyoxyethylene - (4) - sorbitan monolaurate (common name Polysorbate 21) - HLB 13.3.

Most preferably the polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester is Polysorbate 65.

It should be noted that the preferred compounds for use in beer as foam control agents are selected to complement a given beer. The examples show how simple tests may be carried out in order to select the optimum foam control agent for a given beer.

Preferably the control agent used in the present invention comprises at least one mole of ethylene oxide per mole of ester; preferably at least 2, preferably at least 3, more preferably at least 4. Preferably it contains up to 36 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of fatty acid ester, preferably up to 24, preferably up to 12, most preferably up to 7. The presence, in the polyoxyethylene sorbitan ester or PEG ester of other alkylene oxide moieties such as propylene oxide, is not excluded. However, some polyoxyethylene component must be present, and the polyoxyethylene component itself preferably conforms to the molar definitions given above, without reference to any additional alkylene oxide component. Most preferably, however, the polyoxyethylene

component contains ethylene oxide units, and no other alkylene oxide unit.

Preferably the fatty acid residues of any defined compounds herein are residues of Ce - C33 fatty acids, preferably Cio - C22 fatty acids. Fatty acids may be saturated (for example lauric, stearic) or unsaturated (for example oleic) . Typically the compound may have from 1 to the saturation number of fatty acid residues (the compound being, for example a monooleate, dioleate, monostearate, distearate or, in the case of a sorbitan compound, being a trioleate or tristearate, for example) .

It will be appreciated that many of the parameters expressed above for a control agent of the invention are mean values, given that the control agents are distributions of compounds; for example molecular weight, HLB and number of carbon atoms per molecule or residue. A similar comment applies to the degree of ethoxylation, given that ethoxylation produces a distribution.

Preferably the control agent is added to the beer or to a precursor thereof; for example, a pre-fermentation liquor. The control agent may itself be a liquid at ambient temperature, or it may be liquefiable, for example by heating it in order to melt it, or by dissolving or dispersing it in a liquid carrier.

In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention there is provided a sealed container containing a beer of the first aspect. The sealed container is suitably of a pressure-resisting construction, such as a

metal can, a deformation-resistant plastics bottle, or a glass bottle, or a barrel or keg.

In accordance with the third aspect of the present invention there is provided a foam control additive comprising the control agent of the first aspect. Preferably the additive is in a form whereby it may be conveniently added to a base beer (that is, a beer lacking only the control agent) or to a precursor thereof, for example to a pre-fermentation liquor. Preferably the additive comprises a liquid carrier, preferably water. The liquid carrier may further comprise an ingestible polar organic solvent such as ethanol to assist solubility of the control agent.

In accordance with a fourth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of making a beer of the first aspect, comprising adding the control agent to a base beer (that is, a beer lacking only the control agent) or a precursor therefor. The foam control agent may first be incorporated into a foam control additive in accordance with the second aspect before then adding said additive to the beer or precursor therefor. The method may include the step of sealing the beer in a pressure-resistant container. It is found that in accordance with the present invention the filling process is much quicker with than without the control agent. The amount of foam formed is reduced, and it collapses more quickly. Both phenomena lead to increased filling rates.

In accordance with a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of controlling foaming and/or improving retention of carbon dioxide in a

beer, the method comprising the inclusion, in the beer or in a precursor, of a foam control agent as defined above.

In accordance with a sixth aspect of the present invention there is provided a use, for the purpose of controlling foaming and/or improving retention of carbon dioxide in a beer, of a control agent as defined above.

The preferred features of any aspect of the present invention are also preferred features of any other aspect.

The invention will now be further described, by way of illustration only, with reference to the following examples .

Example 1

Experiments to assess foaming properties were carried out upon beer employing commercially available Polysorbate 65 (HLB 10.5; sold under the trade mark Kotilen S/3) , otherwise known as Polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan tristearate, as the control agent. The beer employed in this example was "biere blonde" (exclusive to Tesco, a UK supermarket) - French lager (2.8% ABV) .

A foam control additive in the form of an aqueous dispersion of Polysorbate 65 was prepared by adding liquid

(molten) Kotilen S/3 to hot water at approximately 50 ⁰ C, mixing and allowing the mixture to cool to 20 ⁰ C, to produce a 0.5 wt % aqueous dispersion. Appropriate quantities of the additive were introduced by pipette into the relevant beer bottles, the caps having been removed, then replaced with new crown caps using a capping tool.

The bottles were inverted 20 times using a smooth action, to obtain a uniform dispersion before allowing it to equilibrate for a minimum of three hours at ambient temperature. Controls (i.e. where just water is added) were treated in a similar way, but with an appropriate amount of water, eg. 1. Og water being added to the beer instead of 1. Og of the 0.5% Kotilen S/3 (equivalent to 40 mg/1 Polysorbate 65)

Example Ia

In this example the biere blonde from Tesco was used, dosed with the Polysorbate 65, and the beer was adjusted to the temperature stated in Table 1 below, using a water bath. When the bottle was opened the temperature of the beer was taken using an electronic thermometer. The beer was then poured from each bottle in turn into a weight tared 600 ml plastic beaker in a continuous smooth stream from the top of the beaker at an angle of 90°. The beer was poured into the beaker, which was oversized for the volume of beer, as quickly as possible, and the time taken for the foam to subside to leave a clear area of approximately 2.5 cm diameter was recorded. A constant dose of 40mg/l Polysorbate 65 (active content) was used, or a control of 2g of water. The results are outlined in Table 1 below.

TABLE 1

''Beer would not all go into beaker ''Much smaller head

In this example the temperature effect on the rate of foam collapse can be clearly seen in respect of the control (2g of water) . More importantly however, a dramatic increase in the rate of foam collapse is observed across all temperatures in the samples treated with 2g of the foam control additive dispersion. Furthermore, the change in the rate of foam collapse is inverted with temperature as compared to those samples treated with a control solution. It is of note that the size of the foam head at high temperatures, in respect of the samples treated with the foam control agent, was much less than those samples not treated with foam control agent. This indicates that less carbon dioxide was lost during pouring, whilst the foam itself also collapsed much more quickly.

The inverted temperature relationship with the rate of foam collapse is also telling of the effect of the foam control agent. The fact that foam collapse occurs quicker

at higher temperatures for samples containing the foam control agent is a clear indication of a kinetic effect, and confirms the effectiveness of the foam control agent.

Example Ib

The tests carried out in Example Ia were repeated, but this time using lower concentrations of the foam control agent. Dosages were 20 mg/1 Polysorbate 65 in 250 ml biere blonde and 1.5g 30 mg/1 Polysorbate 65 in 250 ml biere blonde (30mg/l) . Temperatures were again varied. The results are outlined in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2

These results are consistent with expectations following the results of Example Ia.

Example Ic

The tests carried out in Examples Ia and Ib were essentially repeated, only at each temperature a pair of beers were tested: one control having been treated with Ig

of tap water and one treated beer with 20 mg/1 of Polysorbate 65. Mixing of the additives with the beer was conducted as before. Again the beer was the same biere blonde, but this time larger 1000 ml glass measuring cylinders were used as receptacles. The beer was poured into the cylinders as quickly as possible, and the total volume of liquid plus foam was noted, as well as the time taken for the foam to subside to leave a clear area of approximately 1.5 cm diameter.

The results are outlined in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3

These results clearly show a superior performance in terms of foam control in relation to the treated samples over the control samples. The rate of foam collapse increases markedly with temperature in the case of treated samples, but much less so in the case of the control samples .

For the control samples, the fact that the rate of foam collapse now increases with temperature (unlike in

Example Ia) may be due to the different receptacles used.

Surface area is likely to be an important factor in foam collapse.

Example 2

In this example, similar tests to those outlined above were performed using Budweiser™ (300 ml bottles, 5% ABV) . Mixing of additives with the beer within the bottles prior to pouring was carried out as in Example 1.

Example 2a

In this example bottles of beer were treated with 10 mg/1 Polysorbate 65 within each beer sample.

Treated beer was then poured into a squat form borosilicate glass beaker (800 ml) over the top of the beaker such that no beer was poured down the side of the beaker. Times were then noted for the foam to clear, based on the following two definitions:

a) time taken to clear an area of approximately 1.5 cm diameter; b) time take to totally clear (apart from a thin layer of foam around the inside of the beaker) .

For completeness, each experiment was performed with a corresponding control dosed with 3g water.

The results are shown in Table 4 below.

TABLE 4

These results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the foam control agent, and that the difference between times a) and b) is significantly reduced in the case of treated samples as the temperature is increased. At low temperatures and in all cases with the control, samples took a long time to progress from a) to b) to give total clearance of the foam.

Example 2b

This time bottles were treated with 6.7 mg/1 of Polysorbate 65 within each beer sample.

Treated beer was then poured into a squat form borosilicate glass beaker (800 ml) as in Example 2a. Times were then noted for the foam to clear, based on the same two definitions in Example 2a.

The results are shown in Table 5 below.

TABLE 5

These results are consistent with those obtained in Example 2a, and demonstrate that lower doses of STS 20 may be employed to still achieve excellent levels of foam control. Clearly lower doses are preferable in terms of taste .

Example 2c

In this example bottles of beer were treated with 16.7 mg/1 of Polysorbate 65 within each beer sample. Controls were treated with Ig of tap water. Mixing was conducted as in Example 1.

A pair of bottles (one control and one treated) were adjusted to the same temperature before caps were removed and their temperatures checked. The contents of each were then poured into each of two identical 1000 ml glass measuring cylinders.

The total volume of liquid plus foam was noted, as well as the time taken for the foam to subside to leave a clear area of approximately 1.5 cm diameter.

The results are outlined in Table 6 below.

TABLE 6

These results confirm that beers with higher alcohol content enjoy better foam control when dosed with foam control agents according to the present invention. Clearly in the case of the control, the rate of foam collapse does not increase significantly with temperature, unlike treated beers. Furthermore, the rate of foam collapse is much greater even at low temperatures for beers treated with the foam control agent.

Example 3

In this example, similar tests to those outlined above were performed using Cobra™ lager (330 ml bottles, 5% ABV) . Mixing of additives with the beer within the bottles prior to pouring was carried out as in Example 1.

Bottles of beer were treated with 6.7 mg/1 of Polysorbate 65 within each beer sample. Controls were treated with 2.2g of tap water.

A pair of bottles (one control and one treated) were adjusted to the same temperature before caps were removed and their temperatures checked. The contents of each were then poured into each of two identical 1000 ml glass measuring cylinders.

The total volume of liquid plus foam was noted, as well as the time taken for the foam to subside to leave a clear area of approximately 1.5 cm diameter.

The results are outlined in Table 7 below.

TABLE 7

These results demonstrate the same principles as in Examples 1 and 2 upon another beer. Clearly foams of Cobra lager are more difficult to control than foams of some other beers at low dosage of foam control agent - such variation is to be expected. However, the results

show unambiguous improvements in foam control for samples containing Polysorbate 65 over the control samples.

Example 4

In this example, numerous experiments were carried out with various beers, foam control agents (different from Polysorbate 65) , and concentrations of foam control agents within said beers.

0.1 to 2.0 wt% dispersions of the relevant foam control agents were prepared in a similar manner to the method outlined for Polysorbate 65 in Example 1. The temperature of the diluent water varied between 10 and 90 ⁰ C, depending upon the additive to be dispersed.

Bottles of beer were then treated with such dispersions

(foam control additives) as before such that the bottles were resealed, mixed, and allowed to equilibrate as described in Example 1. No more than 3g of the foam control agent dispersions was added to any of the beers to obtain the desired concentrations of foam control agent within the beers. Any controls were always treated in the same way as in Example 1, ie . replacing an amount of foam control agent with an equivalent amount of water.

In each experiment, treated beer was then poured in a continuous stream, over approximately 5 seconds, into a squat form borosilicate glass beaker (800 ml) over the top of the beaker such that no beer was poured down the side of the beaker. The time taken for the foam to subside to leave a clear area of approximately 1.5 cm diameter was recorded.

Example 4a

In this example Budweiser (300 ml, 5% ABV) was tested as outlined above using sorbitan monolaurate as foam control agent. In each case the temperature of the beer was 16°C. The results are shown in Table 8 below.

TABLE

These results indicate excellent foam control even at relatively low doses of foam control agent and at medium temperatures .

Example 4b

In this example Budweiser (300 ml, 5% ABV) was tested as outlined above using a variety of foam control agents at constant dose and temperature. In each case the temperature of the beer was 16°C. The results are shown in Table 9 below.

TABLE 9

These results illustrate the effectiveness of both sorbitan fatty acid esters (non-ethoxylated) and also PEG fatty acid esters.

Example 4c

In this example Budweiser (300 ml, 5% ABV) was tested as outlined above using a variety of foam control agents at various doses but similar temperatures. The results are shown in Table 10 below.

TABLE 1 0

These results demonstrate the effect on foam control of both these sorbitan and PEG esters, albeit the dosages for optimum foam control may differ. Concentrations of PEG esters must in general be higher than the corresponding sorbitan esters. The results also show, however, that certain fatty acid groups are preferable to others, whether linked to a sorbitan or a PEG moiety.

Example 4d

In this example Budweiser (300 ml, 5% ABV) was tested as outlined above using three different foam control agents at constant dosage but at various temperatures. The results are shown in Table 11 below.

TABLE 1 1

These results demonstrate that variation in foaming properties with temperature is considerably reduced in the case of beers containing foam control agents such as sorbitan fatty acid esters or PEG fatty acid esters. Thus, even at low temperatures, such foam control agents perform excellently.

Example 4e

In this example Boheme Pilsen (Czech Pilsner Lager,

330 ml, 4.7% ABV) was tested as outlined above using various foam control agents at constant dose and temperature. In each case the temperature of the beer was

14°C. The results are shown in Table 12 below.

TABLE 12

These results show the effectiveness of sorbitan fatty acid esters and PEG fatty acid esters as foam control agents in a pilsner-type beer at moderate temperatures. Clearly the sorbitan esters perform best at the 10 mg/1 dosage used in these tests, but it is known that PEG esters can be used in higher doses without tainting the taste of the beer.

Example 4f

In this example Biere Blonde (250 ml bottles, 2.8% ABV), as used in Example 1, was tested as outlined above using various foam control agents at constant dose and temperature. In each case the temperature of the beer was

14°C. The results are shown in Table 13 below.

TABLE 13

These results again show the effectiveness of sorbitan fatty acid esters and PEG fatty acid esters as foam control agents in a lower-alcohol beer at medium temperatures. However, certain esters perform better in this example than they did in Example 4e. This may be related to the lower alcohol content of this beer.

Although the general effectiveness of sorbitan and PEG fatty acid esters has been demonstrated across many beers, it is thought that certain esters are likely to be particularly complementary with specific beers. A simple screen of sorbitan fatty acid esters and PEG fatty acid esters could therefore be carried out in relation to any beer to ascertain the most appropriate foam control agent. As these examples show, the person skilled in the art could readily carry out such a screen, without undue experimentation, armed with the knowledge of the present invention .

Example 4f

In this example various beers were tested as outlined above using various foam control agents at constant dose and temperature. Larger, 1000 ml, beakers were used, to accommodate the large volume of liquid and foam. The results are shown in Table 14 below.

TABLE 14

These results demonstrate the effectiveness of sorbitan monooleate and PEG 200 monooleate across a range of different beers, including traditional British ale, where sorbitan monolaurate was shown to perform particularly well. This supports the broad applicability of the present invention.

An advantage of a beer containing foam control agents which control or suppress foaming at higher temperatures, such as room temperature (-25 ⁰ C) , is that bottlenecks in the beer bottling process may be reduced, resulting in increased manufacturing throughput. It also alleviates the need to chill the beer prior to bottling, which is an expensive and energy inefficient partial solution currently employed in the industry.

Further advantages in using the foam control agents are that desired foam conditions on pouring and in the glass may be achieved, especially when a low-foaming effect is desired; serving the beer may be quicker; loss of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere may be reduced; and the beer may retain good drinking quality for longer, as it may take longer to go "flat".