What made you start using this enzyme?
We have been focusing on chill haze in the finished product for a while now. Chill haze is when the beer gets cloudy at cold temperatures and clears up as the beer warms up. It occurs when certain protein molecules bond together in cold conditions and release from each other as conditions warm up. We have tried a few different products, called “fining agents”, to try prevent the formation of chill haze. One very popular product is an electrically charged, inert, plastic. It tends to work very well. However, using a product like plastic in our beer, even if it is fully filtered out before packaging, does not fit with our business philosophy. Also, there are some animal derived products but again we do not want to use them and are proud to brew vegan friendly beers. So, we have been trying other, natural, plant derived products to get the job done. We found one that we liked best that denatures the specific protein molecule to the point where the protein can no longer bond together in cold conditions.
How did you find out what else the enzyme was doing in the beer?
... In our discussions with a couple labs about the enzyme and its usage, they mentioned it also was denaturing gluten in there research. So, we had Prairie Path tested for gluten and were excited about the results.
... We also asked a few of our gluten intolerant friends to “take one for the team” and drink a few beers for us. We have been very cautious about publishing this because we wanted all the information first. Our gluten intolerant friends had no negative reaction and said things like “this is life changing” and “I can finally drink a beer that tastes like beer”.