Acid Protease for Brewing
Better yeast nutrition in the wort, and fewer protein problems in the glass.
Brewing asks two opposite things of wort protein. You want enough of it broken down to feed the yeast properly, and you want the wrong fractions gone so the finished beer stays bright. Both problems are proteolytic, and both become harder when the grist leans on adjuncts or on barley with a low modification. Acid protease is used to raise the free amino nitrogen available to yeast and to break down the haze-forming protein fractions that survive the boil and reappear as chill haze weeks later. Because it works on the acid side, it fits the pH the process is already moving toward rather than requiring an accommodation. We supply acid protease in bulk to brewers, with samples so it can be evaluated on your own grist and yeast before scaling.
Raising wort free amino nitrogen
High-adjunct grists dilute the malt-derived nitrogen that yeast depends on. Supplementing proteolysis raises the assimilable nitrogen pool, which supports a clean start, a healthy yeast crop and consistent attenuation, particularly where the same yeast is repitched repeatedly.
Chill haze and colloidal stability
Chill haze forms when residual protein fractions bind polyphenols in cold beer. Breaking those fractions down is one of the standard routes to colloidal stability, and it addresses the cause rather than filtering the symptom out later.
Poorly modified or variable malt
When malt modification is inconsistent, so is wort nitrogen, and so is fermentation behaviour. Supplemental proteolysis is used to reduce that variability so brewhouse performance depends less on the maltings' last delivery.
High-gravity brewing
High-gravity worts stress yeast, and nitrogen limitation is a common cause of sluggish or incomplete attenuation at gravity. Raising assimilable nitrogen is one of the levers used to keep those fermentations finishing on schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this replace a good malt bill?
No. It is a tool for managing variability and for making adjunct-heavy or high-gravity brewing behave predictably. A well-modified malt grist may need very little help.
Will breaking down protein hurt my head retention?
It can if the reaction is taken too far, because foam depends on particular polypeptide fractions. This is a real trade-off and it is the main reason to establish dose on your own recipe rather than copy a figure across.
Where is it added?
Typically in the mash, so it has contact time at a useful temperature. The exact point depends on your mash profile and on whether you are targeting yeast nutrition, haze, or both.
Does it survive into the finished beer?
Normal brewhouse practice inactivates it thermally during the boil, so it acts during the mash rather than in the fermenter or the package.
Can we trial it on one brew first?
Yes, and we would encourage it. We supply samples so you can evaluate the effect on your own grist, yeast and water before making it standard.
Trial acid protease on your own grist
Provide substrate type, process pH and temperature, and desired hydrolysis outcome. We’ll recommend grade (50k or 100k U/g), ship a 100 g trial with COA, and quote for 25 kg drums within 24 h.
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