Taste of beer!

The taste of beer is an important quality characteristic of beer. Although it varies with different types of beer, it has an important position in quality evaluation.

Beer taste is one of the important indicators to measure beer. It must be consistent with the type of beer, and sometimes have certain regional or fashionable characteristics. Of course, the taste of beer also needs to meet the needs of consumers, so as to gain a competitive advantage. 

The taste of beer is generally expressed when drinking: aroma, bitterness, purity, mellowness, coordination, Mouthkilling power and so on.

The combination of these feelings can basically judge the pros and cons of a beer taste.

Next, I will share with you mainly from the four aspects of beer aroma, mellowness, Mouthkilling power and bitterness:

1.The aroma of beer

The aroma of beer is determined by the following factors: the use of raw materials, the variety and addition of hops, the selection of yeast types, the implementation of the brewing process, and the by-products formed during fermentation.

Yeast species is related to the fermentation process and the formation of its by-products, especially the ratio of aromatic esters and higher alcohols and esters to higher alcohols. For example, the normal fermentation of the above yeast generally has a ratio of higher alcohols and esters of about 2~3:1, and may fluctuate under certain conditions, which often affects the taste of beer. It is recommended to add an appropriate amount of yeast when inoculating yeast in a full tank of wort, and take a certain amount of ventilation to ensure the uniformity of yeast demand and addition as much as possible. Even the geometry of the fermenter can affect the ratio of higher alcohols to esters, for example a diameter to height ratio of 1:2 (1:3) gives good results. The lower yeast fermented at a low temperature, which affected the formation of metabolites during the fermentation process, so the lower fermenting yeast formed significantly more esters and higher alcohols than the upper fermenting yeast.

Hop aromas are especially important when producing pilsner-type beers. The aroma of hops first comes from one of the important components of hops - hop oil; the composition of hop oil has a far greater impact on the aroma of beer than its content; secondly, the selection of hop varieties (natural hops, granular hops and extract), addition methods and Addition time also matters.

The solubility of hop oil from natural hop flowers and granular hops is better than that of hop extract. Most of the hop oil can be converted to some form that is soluble in the beer by adding hops to the head wort. Bitter hops are often added in the early and middle stages of boiling, so that those hop oil components with impure or bad taste can be taken away by the volatilization of water vapor. In order to take full advantage of the hop aroma, generally good hops are added late. An example of adding hops when the boiling time is 60min:

25% is added at the beginning of the boil;

25% is added 40min before the end of boiling;

25% is added 20min before the end of boiling;

25% was added 5 minutes before the end of boiling.

The purity of hop aroma depends on the variety and quality of hops. If the hops are improperly stored and oxidized, it is easy to form isovaleric acid (cheese flavor). The hop aroma also has a certain influence on the taste stability of beer.

Affecting beer taste through SO2 is a form of sulfide. The formation of SO2 in brewing often depends on the variety of yeast, ventilation, sanitation and so on. Volatile sulfur compounds also affect the aroma of beer to a large extent, which can impart an undesired strong sulfuric flavor formed by sulfites and mercaptans to light-laden beers. On the other hand, SO2 also has a positive side on the overall characteristics of beer, especially the taste stability of beer, in order to avoid beer oxidation.

2.The mellowness

The mellowness of beer is related to the concentration of its original wort. The higher the concentration of the beer, the better its body, which is related to the alcohol and residual extract content. However, when producing light pilsners, the body should not be overemphasized.

The following malt quality indicators have a positive effect on mellowness:

Protein content: 10.5%~11%

Protein solubility: 39%~41%

Thickness and fine powder difference: 1.7%~2%

Viscosity: 1.54~1.57mPa·s

Excessively dissolved malt can leave the flavor and taste of the beer hollow and without body.

The addition of gypsum and CaCI2 to the brewing water has a positive effect on the softness and body of the beer, as does the control of residual alkalinity and bioacidification.

3. Mouthkilling power

People understand the killing power as the stimulation of drinking beer, and the beer without killing power is bland and tasteless.

The killing power of beer depends on the carbon dioxide content in the beer, the internal solution of the beer, the pH of the beer and so on. Clearly, the killing power decreases or disappears with the slow escape of CO2 from the beer. The escape of CO2 depends on the conditions of wine storage, the way of canning, the tightness of the packaging, the way of drinking and pouring, the style of the wine container or the state of its inner surface, the drinking time of the wine poured into the glass, and so on.

The killing power of beer is also affected by the pH of the beer, and the killing power is better when the pH is low. The pH of the whole malt beer should be 4.35~4.40; the pH of the beer with auxiliary materials should be 4.1~4.2.

4.The bitterness of beer

Bitterness of beer: mainly from the soft resinous substances of hops, followed by abnormal bitter substances such as polyphenols, protein bitterness and yeast bitterness.

Of course, the bitterness of hops first comes from the bitter substances in hops. Acadiadone has a strong bitter taste. In addition, the combination of bitter substances and hop oil will harmonize the integrity of the bitter taste. Bitter hops with the least amount of hop oil are always added ahead of time. The effect of hop varieties on the bitterness of beer is very obvious.

The bitter taste of polyphenols only occurs when:

Reuse the residual water of wort or hops to press water; the concentration of first wort is high, and the proportion of wort is large; due to the phenomenon of oxygen absorption or cavitation in the wort, the polyphenols are strongly oxidized; due to the carbonic acid of the water High salt content, hop polyphenols are washed out in large quantities, etc.

Protein bitterness occurs when malt dissolves too poorly and saccharification is too strong.

Yeast bitterness can be detected in the following situations: if the physiological condition of the yeast is very poor, the yeast is used too frequently, the yeast concentration in the beer is too high when the beer is served, the temperature fluctuates or is high when the wine is stored, and so on.

The taste of beer is often affected by multiple factors, so everyone should make every effort to avoid changes and fluctuations in the taste of beer. The brewer must keep abreast of the deviation and impact of the taste of the beer you brew, so as to ensure And control the stability of beer taste.