Master Brewers Association of the AmericasPublicationsTechnical QuarterlyTQ Archive2019

​​​Investigating the Factors Impacting Aroma, Flavor, and Stability in Dry-Hopped Beers​​

MBAA TQ https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-56-1-0225-01 | VIEW ARTICLE
 
Scott R. Lafontaine and Thomas H. Shellhammer. Department of Food Science and Technology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, U.S.A.
 
Abstract
The considerations that constitute hop quality have been changing in recent years as brewers use greater and greater quantities of hops for aroma additions to increase aroma perception while striving to keep total bitterness low and consistent. Several analytical drivers of overall hop aroma intensity and quality have been identified in various studies, but these drivers are often specific to varieties and/or hopping technique. In fact, today’s high dry-hopping rates lead to a lot of unintended consequences in beer flavor and stability due to the extraction of nonvolatile components from hops. Decisions involving hop quality should be aligned with the type of hop additions brewers use to impart aroma and flavor to beer. As more is learned about these analytical drivers of dry-hop beer quality from both bitterness and aroma perspectives, brewers can use this information to produce more consistent and sustainable hop-forward beers.

Keywords: Humulus lupulus, beer, hop quality, aroma hop, dry hop