The perfect pint: Scientists unveil how to keep beer fresher for longer

The perfect pint: Scientists unveil how to keep beer fresher for longer

There's nothing quite as refreshing as a nice cold beer, but now drinkers may have another reason to raise their glasses in cheer.

After much painstaking 'research', the secret to the perfect pint may finally have been discovered.

For the first time, researchers have identified the main substances that cause the bitter, harsh after-taste of aged beer and suggest that preventing the formation of these substances could help extend its freshness.

The perfect pint: Researchers have identified the main substances that cause the bitter, harsh aftertaste of aged beer

The findings, in American Chemical Society's Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, mean beer drinkers everywhere could enjoy their favourite brew for longer.

Thomas Hofmann and his colleagues point out that beer can develop an unpleasant, bitter after-taste as it ages.

 

 

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Unlike wine, scotch whiskey, and bourbon, beer tastes best when consumed fresh.
Experts estimate that the average beer goes bad after 6 to 12 months of storage. 

But scientists have identified several dozens of the key bitter-tasting substances formed during beer manufacturing - so-called 'prenylated polyketides' which are derived from hops. 

Thirsty work: Researchers identified 56 substances that contribute to beer's bitter taste, including five that appear to be largely responsible for its harsh flavour after aging

Until now, nobody had solid information about the bitter substances that form as beer ages.

The scientists analysed a variety of commercial beers both before and after storage.

They identified 56 substances that contribute to beer's bitter taste, including five that appear to be largely responsible for its harsh flavour after ageing.

'The present study offers the scientific basis for a knowledge-based extension of the shelf life of the desirable beer's bitter taste and the delay of the onset of the less preferred harsh bitter after-taste by controlling the initial pH value of the beer and by keeping the temperature as low as possible during storage of the final beverage,' the study concludes.