Bitterness in beer - Bitter acid composition of various beers

3 important questions on Bitterness in beer - Bitter acid composition of various beers

Why are beta-acids present in a very low concentration in beers?

  • There is a low abundance of beta-acids in hop flowers
  • High hydrophobicity --> the increased hydrophobicity of beta-acids creates a driving force for their interaction with barley proteins
  • The complexes between barley proteins and beta-acids have low solubility and are not extracted into the beer

Why do the iso-alpha-acid to alpha-acid ratios differ between beers?

Could be related to incomplete conversion of alpha-acids into iso-alpha-acids during brewing.

Why is the trans/cis ratio remarkably constant between different beers?

The consistency in the ratio is related to the temperature-dependent trans-cis equilibrium, which is similar for the various beer types, as the wort boiling temperature is the same.

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