Searching the world of hops and brewing to bring you the latest news and research ... so you don‘t have to!
Review on Beer Aroma
The brewing process is complex, long and consists of many process steps and uncountable parameters. In order to achieve a beer that not only is free of off flavors but also attractive in taste and aroma the brewer really needs to know what he is doing. In this review paper the reader receives a very comprehensive fresh up on important beer aroma compounds and how the develop or transform during brewing with technological explanation about the most important relevant parameters.
Șutea CM, Mudura E, Pop CR, Salanță LC, Fărcaș AC, Balaș PC, Gal E, Geană EI, Zhao H, Coldea TE. Beer Aroma Compounds: Key Odorants, Off-Flavour Compounds and Improvement Proposals. Foods. 2025 Dec 12;14(24):4287. doi: 10.3390/foods14244287. PMID: 41464993; PMCID: PMC12732517.
The cooling effect of hops in beer…
If you are familiar with the hop variety Polaris from Germany you might be able to relate to the very specific flavor that this variety is able to contribute to a hop forward beer. The flavor of Polaris is often described as “Glacier Ice Candy” and describes the mixture of fruity flavors with a cooling sensation. To elicit a cooling sensation so called thermoreceptors need to be triggered. It is well established in flavor research that thermosensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, can be triggered by cold temperatures, as well as by menthol and eucalyptol but also by 1,8-cineole and also β-eudesmol. This research team has now specifically looked into this sensation and was able to identify compounds that might be responsible for this cooling sensation: 1,8-cineole, 2-acetylpyrrole, and methyl trans-geranate. Although the hop additions (hot and coldside each about 100g of hops/hl) were quite moderate the conducted sensory tests indicated that the combined effect of all three compounds could contribute to the cooling sensation in beer brewed with Polaris hops. These results were obtained with spiking experiments using model beers and different methods for sensory evaluation. It is very interesting to have these hop variety specific insights, however Polaris, a variety that started as a flavor variety today is rather seen as a high alpha variety with a total acreage of about 500 ha.
Ayako Sanekata, Seishu Ohtori, and Kiyoshi Takoi: Characterization of Flavor Compounds from Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) Variety Polaris Contributing to the Cooling Sensation: Mechanistic Insight Involving Three Flavor Compound Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2025 73 (50), 32157-32168; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5c10218
Even hop waste is the solution
Hop is a perennial climbing plant and its biomass waste (leaves, stems, etc) contains bioactive compounds of interest for sustainable applications. This research team evaluated extracts from powdered hop waste (HWP) against two damaging phytopathogenic bacteria, Erwinia amylovora and Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Various HWP extracts were tested for antibacterial effects, focusing on bacterial membrane permeability, biofilm inhibition and removal, and antioxidant properties via the Folin-Ciocalteu test. Results showed HWP extracts significantly inhibited both pathogens by altering membrane permeability and reducing biofilms, with polyphenols indicating antioxidant activity. In planta tests confirmed these findings, suggesting HWP extracts are effective, eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic pesticides and antibiotics.
Fontana R, Leto L, Ortore MG, Guarrasi V, Pula W, Esposito E, Bigi F, Chiancone B, Marconi P. Hop biomass waste against fire blight and black rot: an eco-friendly approach to crop protection. Front Microbiol. 2025 Nov 7;16:1665767. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1665767. PMID: 41277958; PMCID: PMC12637027.
