ABV testing by GC for alcohol free beers and ciders

If you brew alcohol-free or low-alcohol beer and cider, it is essential that the alcohol content is correct. If the amount of ethanol present is greater than expected, even by a fraction, and you could face re-labelling, or a product that can’t be sold. A hydrometer is commonly used to check ABV values; however, as this method infers alcohol content from the density of the beer, residual sugars, sweeteners, acids, and CO₂ in alcohol-free beer and cider can overwhelm the tiny density change from ethanol, resulting in inaccurate readings near zero.  Another option is to send a sample to an external contract laboratory, but this can be time-consuming and costly if you need to run samples frequently

That’s why many small breweries are now moving to test %ABV themselve in-house using gas chromatography. This doesn’t require massive amounts of prior experience and a huge lab setup. With a compact GC that’s simple to use and priced for a small team.

The Ellutia 200 Series GC is an ideal fit for this application. Its compact size and lower cost make it ideal for breweries looking to take the next step in improving their Quality control.  The application itself is a simple process. This short video shows the whole method, start to finish.

If you would like to learn more, please contact Ellutia about how this could help your business.

 More information online