Finding correlations between hop catalogs and real hoppy character in brewery conditions

Abstract

Brewing recipe design is mainly based on brewer’s expertise, information available in catalogs and certificates of analysis (CoA’s). Hop schedule design and formulation has become an essential topic since hoppy craft beers took the scene. But how accurate is the flavor profile information provided in catalogs? How useful is the chemical composition profile information in CoA’s? Besides current research and tons of reported experiences, hops impact is still a mystery, and topics like biotransformation are black-boxes for brewers. In this study, nine single hopped beers were brewed, and a trained panel conducted sensorial beer analysis. Then, to asses hop impact, qualitative and process-related-quantitative beer characteristics were contrasted to find valuable correlations and trends between hop catalogs and final beers. Discrepancies with catalog qualitative data were reported. In addition to what is already described in the literature, here we describe how α-acids, linalool, myrcene, and geraniol (despite the classical use for these compounds) could predict positive and negative hop impact of nine different hop varieties on bitterness, flavor, and aroma, when they are applied in different brewing process steps. Also, with this pipeline we stand the basis of a tool to be improved, available for brewers, to better predict their brews and assess new hop varieties in real-life pilot brewing set ups.