Lesson 7 - Processing Aids and Additions SAQ

** A brewer wants to launch a Pilsner in green glass. They want the beer to have a dry-hopped character but don’t want to incur elevated beer losses by loading hops into the maturation vessel. What options should the brewer consider?

Response:

The first thing a brewer must consider is the impact that light has on the beer inside the green bottles and the measures needed to be taken to ensure flavour stability. Brewing a beer with kettle and/or whirlpool hop additions will result in light reacting with the hop component, isohumulones; this can result in the development of 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, an unpleasant skunky aroma. It can be avoided by using an iso-extract such as tetrahop instead of hops in the brewhouse. Tetrahop is a post-fermentation bittering ingredient that replaces conventional bittering products in the brewhouse. It is light stable, which means it protects against the development of the light struck flavour. It also has the added benefit of enhancing the beers foam potential in the glass.

To achieve a dry-hopped character, a brewer can use hop oils post-fermentation to impart a fresh dry-hop character. The advantage with aroma products is that they are completely soluble in beer and provide 100% utilisation in comparison to dry-hopping in cold storage. This means a brewer can consistently achieve a completely reproducible aroma on their beer. Hop oils have been developed further to replicate specific hop varieties, so for example, if a brewer wants a classic named citrus and tropical late-hop aroma, they can use an Amarillo hop oil to create this.