Beer News

What’s that smell?

By applying a sophisticated method of scent analysis to the four varieties of noble hops, scientists in Australia are getting closer to identifying the exact chemical compounds that give beer that coveted “noble hop” smell. Their results, which were accepted by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry in May, reveal the semi-obvious: that the signature spicy aroma of a fine beer seems to come from a set of a very potent odurants, called terpenes, that also give most essential oils their smells. The primary scent found in the noble hops aroma was a compound that gives off an intense woody, cedarwood smell.

“Hops aroma has not been well-characterized in the past, and is indeed a complex matrix,” says Philip J. Marriott, professor of separation science and deputy director of the Australian Centre for Research on Separation Science at RMIT University in Melbourne. “It undergoes changes during brewing, and especially the reported ‘spicy aroma’ was the challenge. Hops varieties used in beer production add their own distinct character to the beer—and we know that the aroma they impart is very much tied to consumer preferences. If we can reduce this to identification of the character-impact aromas of the beer and the original hops, then we can add knowledge to the brewing process.” While it might look like Marriott and research partner Graham T. Eyre are trying to take the art out of beer, they’re working with the best of beer-loving intentions. The project was the brainchild of Jean-Pierre Dufour, a passionate scientist and beer advocate who died earlier this year. They completed the hops project in Dufour’s memory, dedicating the published result to him.

“By identifying the exact compounds that go into great beer, they hope to ‘encourage greater understanding of the role of hops aroma.’ ”

“Jean-Pierre’s interest in beer in all aspects, but particularly the aroma, was a long-held passion,” Marriott says. “An example of the lengths to which he engaged his passion is that he was a UNIDO [United Nations Industrial Development Organization] specialist to Africa on introduction and implementation of sorghum malt for the production of lager beer. He established a hub within the university that supported the craft brewing industry and established a network. In recognition of his service to the industry, he was awarded the BrewNZ Industry Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006.”

By identifying the exact compounds that go into great beer, they hope to “encourage greater understanding of the role of hops aroma; how the use of different varieties impacts aroma at a compositional level; and how post-fermentation aroma products will impact on the aroma in the final product.”

“Major brewers will always rely on the smell of beer,” Marriot says. “Whilst we don’t want to propose removing the art of beer production or the allure or mystery, we believe that we can bring a level of science to the art (which we like to think is sort of a technical art!) that adds considerably to the knowledge base of what a good beer is all about!”

They’d like to buy the world a beer

Unsatisfied with courting new devotees within the United States, the US Brewers Association (BA) has been cultivating appetites for craft beer abroad. This year, they used $225,000 in grants from the Department of Agriculture’s Market Access and Emerging Markets programs to send representatives of its Export Development Program to the Stockholm Beer and Whisky Festival. Funds were also used to distribute craft beer from Brooklyn Brewery, North Coast Brewing Company and Rogue Ales to Shanghai—the Chinese, according to a July BA press release, “like what they’re drinking” and have ordered several more shipments.

The program has boosted exports of craft beer 40 percent since 2004, says Bob Pease, the vice president of the Brewers Association. Last year, US craft brewers exported over 600,000 gallons overseas; this year, the BA expects that number to top a million. Next year, there are plans to expand beyond Europe and China to supply Japan—one of the program’s larger importers—with craft beer.

“There’s the thirst for all things American in Tokyo,” explains Pease. “I think, from our perspective, the goal of the program is all about helping create that world-class brand image for American craft beer. The perception of American beer is still pretty poor in the international market, so we’re trying to follow in the footsteps of American wine. Thirty years ago, American wine was basically seen as jug wine and wine with no corks— now you look at American wines, and they’re some of the finest in the world.”

Unlike wine promoters, he adds, craft beer doesn’t get million-dollar grants from the Department of Agriculture to hone its image. Yet.

Craft beer facing full disclosure

At the end of July, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) proposed a new set of regulations that will require the labels on alcoholic beverages to state nutrition facts, as well as “a statement of alcohol content, expressed as a percentage of alcohol by volume, on all alcohol beverage products.”

The new regulations could have a big effect on the brewing industry. “The proposed rules will have a really significant impact,” says Paul Gatza, the director of the Brewers Association. “The new rule will be every container. A small brewer will have to retrofit equipment to do that. We’ve estimated that the impact on small brewers could be a cumulative $100 million.”

The inclusion of alcohol content right on the label would be especially troublesome, Gatza says: “We prefer it to be optional. The danger is that there could be companies that could be competing based on the alcohol content on the bottle or can. People could look at high-grade malt liquor and think, ‘There’s more bang for the buck there.’”

But the TTB is arguing that requiring “calorie and nutrient information” for alcohol is necessary, in the wake of a 2003 petition signed by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and 67 other organizations. Currently, the petitioners argue, “regulatory requirements force consumers to guess about the calorie content of alcohol beverages and the alcohol content of malt beverages.” Some also think that “mandatory alcohol content labeling is especially important given the problems caused by alcohol abuse.”

In order to soften the impact of the new rules on small brewers, the TTB wants to implement the new rule in three years. Whether the craft beer industry will kick up a fuss remains to be seen—the TTB’s proposal will be subject to public comment until October 29. ■