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Mash Filter - Learn More
Mash Filter History
In 1901, Philippe Meura developed the first mash filter for application in the brewing industry and has been making continuous improvements ever since. A major advance was made in 1989 with the introduction of the Meura2001, a thin-bed, membrane-equipped, mash filter. Since that time, over 460 mash filters have been installed worldwide and today more than 25% of global beer production is produced using a Meura2001 mash filter. The fact that this share continues to increase every year is a strong statement of the confidence today’s brewers have in Meura’s mash filtration technology!
Meura Customer References
A few of the many well-known brewing companies using Meura2001 mash filters:
Heineken (Worldwide)
In 1992, Heineken installed its first Meura2001 in Italy at the Massafra brewery. After an extensive study, Heineken approved the Meura2001 for the production of the Heineken brand. To date, Heineken and its affiliates has installed over 60 Meura2001 filters.
Beck’s (Germany)
This brewery has 5 brewhouses. Before 1991 the brewery only used lauter tuns. In 1991, the brewery installed Meura2001 mash filters in 2 brewhouses. When an expansion was made 5 years later, a (double) Meura2001 mash filter was installed in their new brewhouse.
Polar (Venezuela)
Although less well known in the USA than the other companies on this list, Polar produces about 14 million hl/year. In 1992, they installed their first Meura2001 filter in one of their breweries (previously all were equipped with lauter tuns). Since then, they have been replacing, step by step, all their lauter tuns.
Guinness (Worldwide)
In 1991, the Guinness group installed their first Meura2001 in the Park Royal Brewery in London. The filtration time for their famous stout beer was reduced by over 50%. To date, the Guinness group has purchased more than 9 Meura2001 filters.
Carlsberg (Worldwide)
Since 1994, the Carlsberg group has installed more than 25 Meura2001 filters.
AB Inbev (Worldwide)
The first Meura2001 industrial pilot filter was installed in this group and from the beginning they were convinced about the technology. Since then, A-B Inbev and affiliates have installed over 60 Meura2001 filters.
SABMiller (Worldwide)
To date, SAB Miller breweries have installed more than 10 Meura2001 filters.
Wort Quality – Meura2001 Mash Filter vs. the Lauter Tun
Since the introduction of the Meura2001 mash filter, considerable research has been conducted comparing the wort coming from lauter tuns and the wort coming from Meura2001 mash filters. Mash residence time in the vessel, extract yield and wort brightness are all parameters that are easy to evaluate and clearly favor the Meura2001 mash filter.
Flavor Stability
The Micro frame hold plates that have a capacity of 11 kg (~24 lbs.) per chamber and the maximum number of chambers for this frame is 45 for a total capacity of 495 kg (~1100 lbs.).
Flavor stability is also enhanced with the mash filter. Research by Meura Technologies and independent researchers clearly shows that due to the shorter sparging cycles and lower sparging water ratio (as low as 2.3 l/kg over a 40 min. cycle) with the mash filter, the leaching of polyphenols and nonenal-potential is reduced and flavor stability enhanced. (For flavor stability details, Read More)
Lab Studies
In the early nineties, following the commercialization of the Meura2001, several studies were conducted by Professor Wackerbauer and his team at the VLB University in Berlin. In an article titled “The Influence of Grist from a Hammermill on Wort and Beer Quality” (Brauwelt, 1993, p107-113), the authors end the article by summarizing: “Quality of wort made of finest grist is at least equal to worts of conventional mash filters or lauter tuns. The beers produced with hammermill grist were even slightly preferred”.
In an earlier study Wackerbauer, et al. (Brauwelt 132, 1992, p1922-1936) concerning the relation between fine and coarse grist to flavor stability (translated into English): “… the influence of the mashing and boiling method on the wort composition is much more important than the filtration method.”
In 2005, a study was made comparing the flavour stability of wort produced under similar conditions in a pilot brewhouse, one with a lauter tun and one with a mash filter (G. De Rouck, G. Aerts, L. De Cooman, I. De Pril, B. Van Hijfte& J. van Waesberghe - E.B.C. convention Prague, 2005). In the summary, the article states: “… the difference in flavor stability between these lauter tun and thin-bed filter beers is almost zero, with a slight preference for thin-bed filter beers…”.
The preceding are just a few examples of the research work that has been done. Even more convincing than research results, might be the Heineken and Beck's references.
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