How is water, malt, hops and yeast turned into a finished beer? Twenty-two students from the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Bergakademie Freiberg were able to follow the individual production stages first-hand at the technical facilities during an excursion to the Hartmannsdorf Brewery. The visit, which took place as part of the ‘Wine and Beer Production’ module, combined the fundamentals of process engineering with practical insights into production, quality assurance and product development.
The tour of the brewery clearly demonstrated just how closely process engineering and food production are linked. Together with Managing Director Ludwig Hörnlein and lecturer Dr Frank Hebmüller, the students followed the beer’s journey from wort preparation in the brewhouse through fermentation, storage and maturation to filtration and bottling.
They were able to view the technical equipment at close quarters. This made it immediately apparent how the process steps they had learnt about in lectures interlock within a production company. With a workforce of twelve, the Hartmannsdorf Brewery produces around 70,000 hectolitres of beer per year, thereby also giving the students an insight into the organisational processes of a medium-sized brewery.
Beer straight from the fermentation tank
A particular highlight of the programme was the so-called ‘Zwickeln’: the students tasted a naturally cloudy beer straight from the fermentation tank. At this stage, the beer has already fully fermented but is still in an early phase of maturation.
This allowed them not only to experience the flavour at this stage of the production process, but also to understand how a beer changes during further storage and processing.
How ingredients and methods influence flavour
Following the tour of the facilities, the focus shifted to sensory quality assurance. In a blind taste test, the students tested their ability to distinguish flavour differences between several samples.
They also compared various non-alcoholic beers produced using different methods. This clearly demonstrated the influence that the choice of malt, hops and yeast, the mashing method used, as well as filtration and other process steps, have on the flavour and character of the final product.
To round off the session, the participants were also able to taste the beer they had brewed themselves earlier during the practical session. This brought the course full circle, from the theoretical foundations through their own practical work to industrial production.
Process engineering you can experience
The field trip clearly demonstrated how scientific knowledge, technical equipment and sensory evaluation interact in food production. At the same time, the students gained a direct insight into potential career paths – ranging from the planning and control of industrial processes to quality control and product development.
Practical courses and field trips complement the degree programme at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering and Energy Technology, enabling students to apply the knowledge they have acquired in the lecture theatre under real production conditions.
