Abstract: A method of producing an alcohol-free or low alcohol beer comprising thermally breaking malt draff to obtain a malt draff mash from a substrate selected from the group consisting of a full- or a high-alcohol content beer brewing base or a protein fraction obtained from malt draff by digesting, boiling or autoclaving during the production of edible draff meal in a draff mash. The method homogenizes, extrudes and mechanically removes insoluble chaff from the brewing base prior to thermally breaking up the malt draff, cooling the malt draff mash to about 72.degree. C., emzymatically breaking up the malt draff mash by adding coarsely ground malt, heating the mash to 80.degree.-85.degree. C., adding thereto coarsely ground malt premashed in cold water to produce a wort with a final fermentation degree of at most 60% and a temperature of 70.degree.-74.degree. C., which is maintained until iodine normality is attained and subjecting the iodine normal mash to mashing.

Abstract: An energy-efficient method of recovering roughage from brewery residues (draff), including adding water to the draff and mixing to form a mixture of a soft protein fraction and a hard roughage fraction, separating the soft protein fraction from the hard roughage fraction, and removing water from the separated roughage fraction. After separating water the roughage fraction may be dried, and comminuted. In contrast to other methods, the separation into roughage and protein fractions is performed before the drying step and only the roughage fraction of interest is dried.