Today in 1993, US Patent WO 1993016167 A1 was issued, an invention of James Allan Doncheck, Bruce John Morton, Michael Rudolph Sfat, and Ann Christine Wege, assigned to Bio Tech Resources, for their “Concentrated Beer Flavor Product.” Here’s the Abstract:
A process for forming a beer flavored concentrate by germinating barely (e.g., in the presence of the enzyme promoting agent gibberellic acid) to produce a green malt of approximately 43 % moisture content that is heated in a closed container at 85° to 95 °C for 2 to 6 hours (i.e., raising the internal bed temperature to 70° to 89 °C for one half to 3 hours) to reduce amylolytic enzyme activity. By kiln drying in an opened container (e.g. at 50° to 65 °C for 12 to 18 hours) an amylolytic enzyme deficient green malt of 3.5 to 5.5 wt.% moisture content is produced. This dried malt when used to make a mash (e.g. upon grinding and the addition of brewing water) results in the preparation of a wort that when boiled and pitched with brewers yeast can be fermented by conventional methods. The fermented wot can be diluted with water to yield a malt beverage containing less than 0.5 volume % alcohol and less than 40 calories per 12 ounces or alternatively concentrated by vacuum evaporation, freeze concentration, spray-drying and/or freeze drying to produce an intense beer flavored product.
I’m not sure if it’s the same or not, but Pat’s Backcountry Beverages started offering something similar for sale recently, which Gizmodo tested in We Drank Beer Concentrate So You Don’t Have To.
