“Freshness in beer is what a frame is to a masterpiece—it makes it pop.” MashLife, a novel brewing aid derived from pomegranate fruit, helps brewers preserve just that. Designed to combat oxidation and metal-induced staling, MashLife provides a natural solution to improve beer quality, freshness and shelf life, and sets a new standard by outperforming its predecessors in terms of effectiveness. Let’s explore what pomegranate extract is, how it works and why it’s becoming the next big thing in beer flavour stability.
Why Does Beer Deteriorate Over Time?
The biggest challenge to beer quality is time. As beer ages, oxidation dulls aromas, flavours and colour. Bitterness decreases and unpleasant off-flavours such as cardboard or sherry notes begin to emerge. Transition metals such as iron and copper accelerate these reactions and contribute to the deterioration of the beer’s sensory profile. Addressing these metals early in the brewing process is key to maintaining the integrity and stability of the beer.
What is MashLife and How Does It Work?
MashLife, is a game changer due to the dual benefits of its polyphenols:
1. Chelation of Detrimental Transition Metals – MashLife binds to metals such as iron and copper, forming complexes that are too large to remain in solution, reducing their concentration and preventing the formation of free radicals that can damage the flavour profile during the brewing process and beer storage.
2. Neutralisation of Free Radicals – MashLife protects sensitive flavour compounds from oxidative damage by quenching free radicals and other reactive molecules, ensuring the beer retains its original character throughout its shelf life.
By incorporating 1–2.5 g/hl for pale beers or 2–4 g/hl for dark or high-gravity beers, brewers can significantly enhance beer freshness and stability from the earliest stages of production. The extract can be added either entirely to the kettle before hop addition or split evenly, with 50% added to the brewing liquor before malt addition and the remaining 50% to the kettle before hop addition.
Outperforming Traditional Solutions:
Compared to conventional solutions like tannic acid, MashLife’s pomegranate extract offers several distinct advantages:
· Superior Efficacy Studies have shown that pomegranate extract can reduce harmful radicals by up to 80% and transition metals such as iron by nearly 90%. This outperforms tannic acid and similar products in terms of enhancing oxidative stability and beer freshness post-brewing.
· Natural and Clean-Label Friendly Derived from pomegranates, MashLife is a natural, safe option for brewers who want to maintain beer quality without relying on synthetic additives.
For Brewers Who Want to Take Beer Quality to the Next Level:
At its core, MashLife is more than just an ingredient—it is a commitment to better beer. Whether brewing a crisp lager or a bold IPA, MashLife ensures that the beer stays vibrant, flavourful and true to its intended character.
Your beer deserves to shine—let MashLife help keep it that way!
Want to learn more? Explore the full PhD thesis, Strategies to Reduce the Iron Intake During the Brewing Process with respect to Flavour Stability, and other work by the author at this link: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tuur-Mertens
