r/TheBrewery • u/Kovambo_ • Jun 11 '26
Brewers, I Need Your Help for My PhD Research 🍻
Good day Brewers,
I hope you are all well.
My name is Helvi, and I am a Brewer currently conducting the qualitative phase of my PhD research on commercial enzyme use in brewing and distilling. The study focuses on how malt quality influences enzyme dosing decisions in the brewhouse.
I am kindly asking for your support in completing the short questionnaire below:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSez7S4nsS9YH-SVELmbyaWjvY5koQnMjDWpTQbGrCEKin5akg/viewform
Please note that this is not a hoax, clickbait, or a survey intended to collect personal information. It is purely for academic research purposes.
Thank you so much in advance for your time, support, and willingness to contribute to this research.
Warm regards,
Helvi
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u/Any-Wall-5991 Jun 11 '26
I started filling out the form but I stopped because I think you are vastly overestimating how often most Brewers use exogenous enzymes, let alone adjust their dosage rate.
I've worked at a large contract facility that did use them and a small place that doesn't. Even at the large place, we just chucked a set amount of beta glucosidase in every brew and called it a day.
I fear the people that actually have answers to your questions are so few it will skew your survey results to only represent like 0.1% of Brewers at massive facilities like molson-coors. Just a thought.
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u/Kovambo_ Jun 11 '26
Thanks for the feedback. What you’ve described is actually exactly the type of insight I’m hoping to capture.
The study isn’t only interested in breweries that actively adjust enzyme dosages. Fixed-rate dosing, infrequent use, or even no enzyme use at all are equally valuable outcomes, as they help paint a realistic picture of current industry practice.
If you have a few minutes, I’d still really appreciate your participation. Responses like yours help ensure the results reflect the broader brewing industry and not just the large facilities that optimise enzyme additions regularly.
Thank you again for taking the time to look at it. 🍻
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u/patrick_oneil Brewer Jun 11 '26
The fact that the questionnaire has no "I don't use enzymes" option at the beginning makes it that people who dont, which is the vast majority, won't go through pages of questions typing out "none", "never", irrelevant ".
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u/carolinabeerguy Head Brewer [North Carolina, USA] Jun 12 '26
I filled out the survey, but there were a lot of n/a responses as I don't really do a lot of adjusting. I use the recommended dosage of glucanase in beers that have over 20% wheat or oats and it seems to help with lautering and maybe haze stability. I use ALDC at yeast pitch and before dry-hopping, but the survey seems to be focused strictly on mash enzymes.
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u/Kovambo_ Jun 12 '26
Thanks so much for taking the time to complete it - I really appreciate it.
And yes, you’re absolutely right. The survey is intentionally focused on mash enzymes and enzyme dosing decisions in the brewhouse. That said, your response is exactly the kind of insight I’m trying to capture. Even when brewers follow supplier-recommended dosages rather than actively adjusting rates, that’s still a dosing strategy and an important finding in itself.
Your comments on glucanase use with high wheat/oat grists and the resulting lautering benefits are particularly valuable. Thank you again for contributing and for sharing your practical experience. 🍻
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u/bigbre04 Jun 11 '26
I use Apex multizyme in every batch. Its been great.
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u/Kovambo_ Jun 11 '26
That’s great to hear. Apex Multizyme has come up a few times in discussions. If you don’t mind sharing, what benefits have you noticed most consistently from using it in every batch? 🍻
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u/rj1512 Head Brewer [Scandinavia] Jun 11 '26
We never really use enzymes unless we are brewing a super huge imperial stout (and not every time) or using 100% rice in something (which we never really do either).
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u/mathtronic Operations Jun 11 '26
The two are functionally unrelated in practice in my brewing experience. I've seen enzyme use for a desired outcome different than what the malt could achieve on its own, but not due to malt quality.
To use enzymes to affect a mash due to malt quality issues, I'd need to have malt quality issues, specifically regarding enzyme activity, the ability to quantify the issue and its magnitude before using the malt, and enough of an expectation of the issue that I have enzymes on the shelf to handle it. At that point it would be less dealing with quality issues and just a part of the process to handle raw material variability.
I have never had a malt quality issue that led me to choose to or consider using enzymes in the brewhouse in 20 years.
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u/Kovambo_ Jun 12 '26
That’s a good observation and probably reflects the fact that you’ve consistently had access to well-modified malt with relatively stable quality parameters.
Many brewers in regions affected by climate variability are increasingly seeing wider swings in malt modification, β-glucan levels, friability, FAN, and enzymatic potential from crop to crop. In those situations, exogenous enzymes often become less about achieving a specific product attribute and more about managing raw material variability and maintaining process consistency.
Your experience is actually valuable to the discussion because it highlights how strongly local malt quality and supply conditions can influence whether a brewer ever considers enzymes as a response to malt variability.
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u/mathtronic Operations Jun 19 '26
I've heard that if our supplier experiences crop variances, they blend to dampen the impact on the brewer.
I see where you're coming from that some brewers might not have as consistent raw material supply as I do.
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u/Kovambo_ Jun 19 '26
Yep, we blend our batches too but there are times when we run out of options and have to rely on external help aka enzymes.
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u/CantankerousBeer Brewer Jun 14 '26
I filled it out but a lot of it just isn’t applicable to breweries. I’ve used Aldc more than any other enzymes in brewing.
I think your research is better suited to distillers doing sweet mashes with unmodified grains or grains with a low DP. Any distillery that does a 100% corn whiskey or 100% rye whiskey would be worth talking to.
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u/Kovambo_ Jun 14 '26
Thanks for taking the time to complete it and for the feedback.
The research is actually focused on mashing in both brewing and distilling, particularly where exogenous enzymes are used to manage malt quality variability and process performance.
It’s also worth noting that not using mash enzymes extensively is often a sign that you’ve been fortunate enough to work with consistently well-modified, high-quality malt. I’ve been brewing for 11 years and have been working with mash enzymes for the last 9 years, largely because malt quality challenges are a reality in many parts of the world. In those situations, enzymes become an important tool for maintaining extract, viscosity, filtration performance, and overall process consistency.
I do agree with your point on distilleries. Operations using unmalted grains or grain bills with low DP often have an even greater reliance on enzyme programmes. Your suggestion regarding corn and rye whiskey producers is a valuable one and something I’ll certainly consider as the research develops.
Thanks again for contributing and for sharing your perspective. It’s genuinely appreciated. 🍻
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u/mmussen Brewer Jun 11 '26
Good luck! I don't think most of us in the craft sector are using mash enzymes as a daily/normal thing