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Methods and Measures for Adjusting Beer Bitterness
The bitterness of beer mainly comes from the hops added during the wort boiling process. When hops are added to the boiling pot, the formation of bitterness to wort (beer) can be roughly divided into three processes, namely, leaching, dispersion (emulsification), and isomerization (dissolution). Finally, what really forms beer bitterness is the isomerization of hops during boiling chemical reaction and its products.
The bitterness of beer is mainly composed of three parts:
1. The isomerization product of a-acid in hop resin (iso-a-acid) and its derivatives. Iso-alpha-acid is particularly bitter and is the main component of beer bitterness;
2. Oxidation products and derivatives of β-acid in hop resin, β-acid does not undergo isomerization during the wort boiling process, but will produce strong oxidation, and its oxidation products have high solubility and fine And strong bitter taste, under the condition of closed boiling, the bitter effect of β-acid is small;
3. The bitter taste of some metal salts, mainly magnesium salts, but the proportion of this bitter taste is relatively small.
Bitter beer may be related to the following factors:
1. Addition ratio The higher the addition ratio of hops, the heavier the bitterness. If the a-acid content of hops is higher, then, with the same addition ratio, the bitterness of beer will be heavier. In addition, due to different raw material quality (mainly leaching rate) and different saccharification processes, the hot wort output will be different. The same is equivalent to increasing the amount of hops added, and the degree of bitterness of beer will be correspondingly greater.
2. Grinding and dispersion The better the pulverization and dispersion of hops, the easier it is for the hop resin in the hop gland to leach, disperse, and isomerize. Therefore, the addition ratio of hop powder and hop particles should be higher than that of the whole hops. The addition ratio is low, otherwise, it is prone to bitterness.
3. The pH of the wort and the boiling strength The pH of the wort is high and the boiling strength is high, which will make the hop bitter resin isomerized more effectively. Therefore, when the pH of the wort is high and the boiling strength is high, if the hops are added If the ratio is not adjusted accordingly, the wort and beer will be bitter.
4. Adding method and adding time If a large proportion of hops is added in the early or middle stage of boiling, the bitterness value of beer will be increased. If a higher proportion of bitter hops is used in the last addition of hops, it will also cause beer to produce Rough bitterness.
5. The degree of wort oxidation Strong oxidation will oxidize the bitter components and polyphenols in beer, increasing the bitterness of beer.
Consumers are more likely to accept the bitterness of beer. According to the variety of beer, the measured value of bitterness is recommended to be 10-25EBU, not exceeding 30EBU. The specific control measures can be taken from the following aspects:
1. Strictly control the addition ratio and amount. For beer with general concentration, when adding whole hops, it should be controlled at 0.12-0.14%; when adding crushed hops or hop particles, it should be controlled at about 0.05-0.1%. In addition, The addition amount calculated according to the addition ratio should be properly adjusted according to the predicted wort production. A more suitable addition method is to calculate the amount of a-acid contained in the hops, which can not only meet the bitterness content requirements, but also improve the utilization rate of hops, and avoid the phenomenon of uneven bitterness content.
2. Control the appropriate addition time and method. Whether the addition time is correct is of great significance to the bitterness of beer and the utilization rate of hops. If the addition time is earlier, the degree of bitterness will be improved, but due to the further change of some iso-a-acids It is a non-bitter derivative, which reduces the effective utilization rate of hop bitter resin; the addition time is late, the isomerization effect is poor, the bitterness is rough, and the hop utilization rate is also low. The correct addition time should be a small-scale test, that is, simulate boiling with different addition times and different addition amounts, and then determine the correct addition time based on the measured value of bitterness. In addition, the method of addition is also very important, which includes adding several times, the amount of each addition, etc., if it is well controlled, it can ensure that the beer has a palatable bitterness and saves the amount of hops.
3. Adjust suitable brewing water The ratio of magnesium ions, sulfate ions and chloride ions in beer brewing water, high residual alkalinity, etc. can also affect the bitterness of beer, so it is also very important to adjust the brewing water.
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