Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) are primarily used to provide specific characteristics to beer, such as bitterness, aroma, flavor, and microbial stability. The chemical composition of hops, relative to how they are used during the brewing process, dictates the expression of these characteristics. Of the raw ingredients that go into making...
Alpha acids are found in the lupulin glands of hops cones. These acids have no bitterness of their own, but can be isomerized and subsequently hydrogenated to form bitter iso-α-acids and tetrahydroiso-α-acids respectively. Current literature values for the detection thresholds of iso-α-acid and tetrahydroiso-α-acid in lager beer have been reported...
Hop derived bitter compounds, including alpha-acids, reduced and non-reduced iso-alpha-acids, were evaluated for their contribution to peak bitter intensity in lager beer. Alpha-acids are the precursors to the major bittering components in beer (iso-alpha-acids). Typically, alpha-acids do not survive the brewing process, but if a product is dry-hopped, they may...