craft beer carbonation

Craft beer has a unique and loving following due to its unique taste. It shares one feature with industrial beer: carbonation. Microbreweries are a popular choice in the beer world, and we'll discuss how to prevent carbonation issues in brewery-brewed beer.

The most obvious "bubbling" phenomenon, the carbonation of the drink, is also one of the most iconic characteristics of beer. Many people haven't encountered or can't imagine non-carbonated beer. Especially in the case of small breweries, it brings us to the real problem of carbonation, preventing carbonation of beer in different ways: natural carbonation and artificial carbonation.

Natural carbonation is one of the common practices of carbonated beer. It occurs during fermentation, where ingredients such as barley ferment, thereby producing carbon dioxide as a waste product. A part is lost in the production process and a part is kept. The way this is achieved is by allowing the beer to continue fermenting after bottling. Better carbonation can be achieved given the environment in which bottling seals beer fermentation.

Artificial carbonization is a carbonization process carried out manually with the help of various equipment. The process is done by cooling the beer and placing it in an airtight container. When you're done, press carbon dioxide into the container and let it sit for a few days. Changes in pressure and temperature allow a steady uptake of carbon dioxide gas into the beer and achieve the desired carbonation. Eventually, usually within a few days or at most a week or so, the carbon dioxide will be completely absorbed, giving the beer its signature carbonated flavor.

Carbonation decreases over time as the gas eventually escapes into the surrounding environment unless stored under pressure. It's very similar to carbonated drinks like Coke, any Coke that isn't stored under pressure will eventually lose its "foam" as the carbon dioxide escapes into the surrounding environment.

The exact carbonation process also varies by manufacturing method, but many of the details are the same, and the above will help you more with how microbreweries handle carbonation.