Three beer-related discoveries to celebrate Oktoberfest

American Chemical Society

Frothy or smooth, bitter or sweet, light or dark: There’s a beer for most palates. As people around the world pour over the best brews at Oktoberfest celebrations or ferment about their favorite fall-themed beers, three papers published in ACS journals crack open new insights into these beverages. And if you’re hop-ing to conduct studies to find which beer is good for what ales you, please drink responsibly. Reporters can request free access to these papers by emailing newsroom@acs.org.

1. Coriander’s origin changes beer flavor. Just like simmering a stew, brewing a beer with herbs and spices can enhance its flavor. A study in ACS Food Science & Technology reports that coriander seeds harvested from different countries (Bulgaria, Canada, Morocco and India) impart varying amounts of sweet, herbal and/or cooling flavors in Belgian white beers. The research group found that adding three compounds specific to Bulgarian coriander seeds could also enhance flowery characteristics in a model beer they created.
2. Barley proteins impact hop bitterness. Researchers in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry explored how malt from two different barley cultivars interacted with hop extracts during the wort-boiling stage of the brewing process. They found that wort prepared from the higher-protein barley malt had lower acid levels, which suggests the proteins trap and remove some of the bitter-tasting hop compounds that influence the beer’s final flavor. The researchers say these results could help brewers tailor the taste of their suds; for example, they could select low-protein barley for a hoppy beer. 
3. Testing microbes for a probiotic beer. Functional beverages, such as prebiotic sodas, kombucha and fermented dairy drinks, are popular right now. To create a probiotic beer, researchers screened several different lactic acid-producing bacterial strains. Their comprehensive brewing experiments published in ACS Food Science & Technology demonstrated that five of the 21 strains tested could reach cellular counts associated with probiotic activity. But these counts were only reached in lightly hopped beers (below 2 international bitterness units (IBUs), a level that’s insufficient to give beer its signature bitterness). The next step for the researchers is testing the viability of the probiotic bacteria after carbonation, storage and consumption.

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The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, e-books and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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Note: ACS does not conduct research but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies.

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