JP7803672B2 - Beer-like fermented malt beverage - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a beer-like fermented malt beverage, and in particular to a beer-like fermented malt beverage with reduced bitterness.

A malt beverage is a beverage produced using malt as an ingredient. For example, beverages obtained by fermenting malt-derived sugar solution and beverages obtained by mixing malt-derived sugar solution fall under the category of malt beverages. Specific examples of malt beverages include beer-like fermented malt beverages.

Beer is a beverage made from malt, hops, and water, fermented with yeast. Beer-like fermented malt beverages are malt beverages designed to be similar in taste and aroma to be reminiscent of beer. Beer and happoshu are included in beer-like fermented malt beverages.

Beer-like fermented malt beverages use malt as an ingredient, providing the umami and rich taste unique to malt. Hops are used as an ingredient, providing the bitterness and astringency unique to hops. Furthermore, fermenting the ingredients provides the aroma and complex flavor of the fermentation products, a stimulating sensation from ethanol and carbon dioxide, and reduced sugars provide a clean aftertaste.

Beer-like fermented malt beverages have a unique bitterness and flavor, and are characterized primarily by their thirst-quenching properties and drinkability (the ability to drink multiple cups without getting bored). In particular, a refreshing feeling is an important quality in beer's drinkability.

Strongly bitter beers have a lingering bitterness that lingers in the mouth, diminishing the beer's refreshing feeling, clean aftertaste, and crispness, resulting in a decrease in the beer's palatability and drinkability. Therefore, beer-flavored beverages that use less hops to reduce the bitterness are being investigated.

Patent Documents 1 and 2 describe beer-flavored beverages that use substantially no hops, maintain the beer-like flavor derived from malt, and maintain a certain level of malt content to prevent poor fermentation due to a lack of nitrogen source. If hops are not used as an ingredient, the malt flavor becomes more pronounced, resulting in a thick, heavy taste. This problem is solved by adjusting the total nitrogen and total polyphenol contents to specific ranges, and adjusting the tartaric acid or 4-vinylguaiacol contents to specific ranges, resulting in a refreshing aftertaste that is characteristic of beer-flavored beverages.

Patent Document 3 describes a beer-flavored beverage that has a high malt ratio of 50% by mass or more to maintain a good taste, and an apparent degree of attenuation of 100% or more to improve its refreshing taste. If the apparent degree of attenuation is increased, the taste of the beer-flavored beverage will become monotonous. This problem is solved by adjusting the malt ratio, apparent degree of attenuation, and pyroglutamic acid content, resulting in a beverage with a complex, high-quality taste and a refreshing taste.

Patent No. 6676813 Patent No. 6703173 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-195318

In the case of beer-like fermented malt beverages, it has become clear that when hops are not used as an ingredient, yeast fermentation becomes vigorous and the amount of esters produced increases, resulting in a strong sweetness derived from the esters and a sticky taste, reducing the drinkability of the beer.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to provide a beer-like fermented malt beverage with reduced bitterness and excellent beer-like drinkability.

The present invention provides
Substantially free of iso-α acids,
The malt usage ratio is 50 to 100% by mass,
To provide a beer-like fermented malt beverage having an apparent final attenuation of 90% or more.

In one embodiment, the beer-like fermented malt beverage has an ethyl acetate concentration greater than 15 ppm.

In one embodiment, the beer-like fermented malt beverage has a malt content of 90 to 100% by mass.

In one embodiment, the beer-like fermented malt beverage is substantially free of hop-derived components.

In one embodiment, the beer-like fermented malt beverage contains a fermentation product made with yeast from which hop-derived components have been substantially removed.

In one embodiment, the beer-like fermented malt beverage has a final apparent attenuation degree of 95 to 100% by mass.

In one embodiment, the beer-like fermented malt beverage has an ethyl acetate concentration of 20 to 35 ppm.

The present invention also provides a method for producing a malt ...
A method for producing a beer-like fermented malt beverage, comprising:
To provide a method for producing a beer-like fermented malt beverage, which does not include a step of adding hops or hop-derived components.

In one embodiment, the method for producing a beer-like fermented malt beverage comprises using yeast for fermentation from which hop-derived components have been substantially removed.

The present invention provides a beer-like fermented malt beverage with reduced bitterness and excellent beer-like drinkability.

<Method for producing beer-like fermented malt beverage>
The beer-like fermented malt beverage of the present invention is produced according to methods and conditions typically employed in the production of beer or fermented malt beverages, except that the raw material composition is adjusted so that the malt usage ratio is 50% by mass or more, the saccharification conditions are adjusted so that the apparent final degree of attenuation is 90% or more, and hops or hop-derived components are not used. Specific examples of hop-derived components include hop extracts and compounds contained in hops.

The method for producing a beer-like fermented malt beverage of the present invention does not include a step of adding hops or hop-derived components. In other words, the resulting beer-like fermented malt beverage is substantially free of iso-α acids or hop-derived components. "Substantially free" here means that the content is below the detection limit of commonly used analytical methods. As a result, the bitterness of the resulting beer-like fermented malt beverage is reduced. This is explained in detail below.

First, crushed malt, barley and other auxiliary ingredients, and warm water are added to a brewing tank and mixed at a specified malt ratio to prepare the mash. The malt ratio refers to the ratio of the mass of malt to the mass of all ingredients excluding hops and brewing water. The higher the malt ratio, the stronger the malt-derived flavor and richness of the resulting wort. In addition, the higher the malt ratio, the greater the nitrogen compound content in the resulting wort, making it less likely for irregular fermentation to occur and less likely for unpleasant odors to occur when the wort is fermented.

The malt usage ratio is 50% by mass or more, preferably 80% by mass or more, and more preferably 90% by mass or more. The malt usage ratio may be 100% by mass. Malt alone may be used as the starchy raw material for saccharification. Because the beer-like fermented malt beverage of the present invention is substantially free of iso-α acids, it has little bitterness and tends to have a stronger malt-derived grain flavor. Therefore, by adjusting the malt usage ratio within the above range, it is easier to impart a beer-like balance of richness and crispness to the beer-like fermented malt beverage.

The above-mentioned secondary ingredients refer to ingredients other than malt and hops. Examples of such secondary ingredients include starchy ingredients such as barley, wheat, cornstarch, corn grits, rice, and koji millet, as well as carbohydrate ingredients such as liquid sugar and sugar. Liquid sugar is produced by breaking down and saccharifying starch with acid or saccharifying enzymes, and primarily contains glucose, maltose, maltotriose, and the like. Other secondary ingredients include spices, herbs, and fruits used to impart or improve flavor.

Maiché can be prepared using standard methods. For example, the raw materials are first kept at 35-60°C for 20-90 minutes to break down proteins into amino acids, etc., before moving on to the saccharification process. In addition to the main and secondary raw materials, enzymes such as saccharifying enzymes and proteases, as described below, and flavoring ingredients such as spices and herbs, may also be added as needed.

The mashed mash is then gradually heated and held at a predetermined temperature for a certain period of time, whereby the starch is saccharified using enzymes derived from malt or enzymes added to the mashed mash. The temperature and time during saccharification can be determined appropriately taking into account the type of enzyme used, the amount of mashed mash, and the desired quality of the malt alcoholic beverage. For example, mashing can be carried out by holding the mashed mash at 60-72°C for 30-90 minutes. After mashing, the mashed mash is held at 76-78°C for approximately 10 minutes, and then filtered in a wort filtration tank to obtain a clear sugar solution. Furthermore, an appropriate amount of enzyme may be added during saccharification, as needed.

The saccharifying enzyme refers to an enzyme that breaks down starch to produce sugar. Examples of such saccharifying enzymes include α-amylase, glucoamylase, and pullulanase.

The wort boiling operation can be carried out according to the methods and conditions normally used when producing beer. For example, the pH-adjusted sugar solution is transferred to a boiling kettle and boiled. The pH of the sugar solution is adjusted to 3.8 to 6.0, preferably 4.0 to 5.7, and more preferably 4.2 to 5.5, to promote protein coagulation in the wort.

The pH of the sugar solution is adjusted by adding acidic substances that are approved as food additives and are harmless to the human body. Examples of such acidic substances include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, and tartaric acid. The sugar solution is then transferred to a settling tank called a whirlpool, where hop dregs and coagulated proteins resulting from boiling are removed, and the solution is then cooled to an appropriate temperature using a plate cooler. Wort is obtained by the above wort boiling process.

The resulting wort is fermented to produce a fermented malt beverage. Wort fermentation can be carried out according to standard methods. For example, cooled wort is inoculated with yeast and transferred to a fermentation tank for alcoholic fermentation. Wort contains virtually no hop-derived components such as iso-α acids. Therefore, during alcoholic fermentation, yeast fermentation is vigorous, resulting in increased production of esters. Examples of esters include ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl caproate, ethyl caprylate, and phenylethyl acetate. (Note that the ASBC method also detects higher alcohols such as isoamyl alcohol and phenylethyl alcohol.)

The resulting beer-like fermented malt beverage has an ethyl acetate concentration of more than 15 ppm, preferably 16 to 60 ppm, and more preferably 20 to 35 ppm. When the ethyl acetate concentration of the beer-like fermented malt beverage is within the above range, a strong ester-derived sweetness is perceived.

The ethyl acetate concentration in beer-like fermented malt beverages and beer-like sparkling beverages can be measured in accordance with the "ASBC Methods of Analysis" published by the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC).

In one preferred embodiment, in order to enhance drinkability, alcoholic fermentation is carried out using bottom-fermenting yeast, with the wort temperature adjusted to 5.0-8.0°C, preferably 6.0-7.0°C.

To prevent iso-α acids from being mixed into the resulting beer-like fermented malt beverage, yeast that does not have hop-derived components attached is used. For example, when reusing yeast that has come into contact with hop-containing wort or beer, it is preferable to substantially remove hop-derived components from the yeast by washing with water, etc. Here, "substantially removing" means reducing the amount to a level that is undetectable by commonly used analytical methods.

The final apparent attenuation degree of the fermented malt beverage of the present invention is adjusted to 90% or more. If the final apparent attenuation degree of the fermented malt beverage is less than 90%, the resulting fermented malt beverage will have a strong ester-like sweetness and will be viscous, failing to exhibit beer-like drinkability. The final apparent attenuation degree of the fermented malt beverage of the present invention is preferably 90-110%, more preferably 95-100%.

The degree of fermentation is an important indicator of how much fermentation has progressed in fermented beer and how the fermentation is progressing. Furthermore, the final degree of fermentation refers to the ratio of extract that can be assimilated by brewer's yeast to the original wort extract. Here, the extract that can be assimilated by brewer's yeast is the original wort extract minus the extract contained in the finished beer (i.e., the extract that remains after all the extract that can be used by brewer's yeast has been fermented (referred to as the final extract)). The apparent final degree of fermentation is the final degree of fermentation calculated using the final extract value and the extract concentration (% (w/w)) determined from the specific gravity of the apparent extract, i.e., the beer still containing alcohol.

The term "extract" refers to the solid residue remaining after evaporation of wort. Extract is primarily composed of sugars. The extract content can be adjusted by changing the amounts of raw malt, various starches, and sugars added. The true extract concentration of a beer-like fermented malt beverage can be measured, for example, by the EBC method (BCOJ Beer Analysis Methods, 7.2 (2004), edited by the Brewers Association of Japan). Depending on the context, the term "extract" can refer to the non-volatile solids themselves, the amount of non-volatile solids, or the concentration of non-volatile solids (% (w/w)).

The final apparent fermentation degree Vend of the fermented wort liquid can be calculated, for example, using the following formula (1):

Vend (%) = {(P-Eend)/P}×100 (1)
[Where P is the original wort extract and End is the apparent final extract.]

Original wort extract (P) is calculated theoretically from the wort extract value before alcoholic fermentation according to Balling's formula using the alcohol concentration and extract value of the finished beer. Specifically, it can be calculated using the method shown in Analytica-EBC (9.4) (2007). Furthermore, apparent final extract (Eend) can be calculated by placing beer in a flask, adding a large amount of fresh compressed yeast, and fermenting it with stirring at 25°C until the extract value no longer decreases (24 hours), and then measuring the apparent extract value of the remaining beer.

The apparent final extract (Eend) is calculated from the specific gravity of the final extract including alcohol, so it may show a negative value. As a result, the apparent final fermentation degree may exceed 100%.

The apparent final degree of attenuation can be controlled, for example, by adjusting the saccharification conditions, such as whether or not enzymes are used when saccharifying the raw materials, and the type and amount of raw materials used. For example, extending the saccharification time of the raw materials increases the sugar concentration available to the yeast, thereby increasing the apparent final degree of attenuation.

After fermentation is complete, the resulting wort fermentation liquid is aged in a storage tank as an aging process, and then stored at low temperatures of around 0°C to stabilize it. Next, in the filtration process, the aged wort fermentation liquid is filtered to remove yeast, proteins, etc., resulting in the desired beer-like fermented malt beverage.

<Beer-like fermented malt beverage>
As described above, the beer-like fermented malt beverage of the present invention is substantially free of iso-α acids or hop-derived components, has a predetermined malt usage ratio, and has a predetermined apparent final attenuation. In a preferred embodiment, the beer-like fermented malt beverage of the present invention has a predetermined ethyl acetate concentration, as described above .

The beer-like fermented malt beverage of the present invention may be commercialized by filling it into sealable containers such as barrels, cans, and bottles.

The present invention will be further explained in detail using the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these.

Example 1
Four kilograms of bottom-fermenting yeast used in the production of hop-containing beer was collected and washed by adding it to 12 liters of water and stirring it four times. The fifth wash water was separated from the yeast and the iso-α acid concentration was measured using HPLC. No iso-α acid was detected in the wash water.

40 kg of malt was crushed, mixed with 0.2 kg of glucoamylase and hot water, saccharified, and filtered to prepare 160 L of wort. The sediment was removed from the wort, adjusted to a 12% extract, and cooled. An appropriate amount of washed yeast was added to the cooled wort. Primary fermentation was carried out at 10°C for 7 days, followed by aging at 10°C for 10 days. After cooling and filtration, a predetermined amount of carbon dioxide was dissolved to obtain a beer-like fermented malt beverage containing approximately 5.0 v/v% ethanol. The resulting beer-like fermented malt beverage is designated Sample 1. The final apparent attenuation of Sample 1 was 95%. The ethyl acetate concentration of Sample 1 was measured using the ASBC method and was found to be 20 ppm.

Samples 2 to 6 were produced by adding a specified amount of ethyl acetate-based fragrance to Sample 1.

<Sensory evaluation>
The prepared samples were adjusted to a liquid temperature of approximately 4°C and subjected to a sensory evaluation. The evaluation item was "drinkability," and six trained panelists specializing in beer rated according to the criteria described below. The average of the scores of all panelists was used as the score for each evaluation item. The results of the sensory evaluation are shown in Table 1.

[Evaluation criteria]
High drinkability typical of beer:
Beer-like drinkability was scored on a 5-point scale, with Asahi Breweries'"Asahi Super Dry" (product name) scoring 5 points, commercial product 1 (Japan Special, Asahi Breweries') scoring 3 points, and commercial product 2 (100% malt beer) scoring 2 points. A score of 3 or higher is considered good.

Asahi Super Dry had a final fermentation rate of 88% and an ethyl acetate concentration of 15 ppm.
The commercial product 1 had a final fermentation rate of 89% and an ethyl acetate concentration of 19 ppm.
The commercial product 2 had a final fermentation rate of 83% and an ethyl acetate concentration of 33 ppm.

Example 2
Beer-like fermented malt beverages were produced, analyzed, and sensory evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the final appearance attenuation degree was set to 100%. The results are shown in Table 2.

<Comparative Example>
A beer-like fermented malt beverage was produced in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the final appearance attenuation degree was 88%, and then analyzed and sensory evaluated. The results are shown in Table 3.

<Reference example>
40 kg of malt was crushed, mixed with 0.2 kg of glucoamylase and hot water, saccharified, and filtered to prepare 160 L of wort. 0.15 kg of bitter hop extract (Hopsteiner) and hop pellets (Hopsteiner) were added in amounts such that the bitterness value of the finished beer was 20.0 B.U., and the mixture was boiled for 90 minutes. The sediment was removed from the wort, adjusted to a 12% extract content, and cooled. An appropriate amount of bottom-fermenting yeast used in the production of hop-containing beer was added to the cooled wort. Main fermentation was carried out at 10°C for 7 days, followed by aging at 10°C for 10 days. After cooling and filtration, a predetermined amount of carbon dioxide was dissolved to obtain a beer containing approximately 5.0 v/v% ethanol. The final apparent attenuation of the resulting beer was 88%. The ethyl acetate concentration of Sample 1 was measured using the ASBC method and found to be 15 ppm.

The beer was subjected to a sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Example 1. The results showed that the drinkability was generally rated at 3 points or higher.

Claims (7)

Substantially free of iso-α acids,
The malt usage ratio is 50 to 100% by mass,
The final appearance fermentation degree is 90% or more,
A beer-like fermented malt beverage having an ethyl acetate concentration of 20 to 40 ppm . 2. The beer-like fermented malt beverage according to claim 1 , wherein the malt content is 90 to 100% by mass. 3. The beer-like fermented malt beverage according to claim 1 , which is substantially free of hop-derived components. 4. The beer-like fermented malt beverage according to claim 1 , comprising a fermentation product with yeast from which hop-derived components have been substantially removed. The beer-like fermented malt beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , having a final apparent degree of attenuation of 95 to 100% by mass. a step of adjusting the composition of the raw material so that the malt usage ratio is 50 to 100% by mass; and a step of adjusting the saccharification conditions of the raw material so that the apparent final attenuation degree is 90% or more;
A method for producing a beer-like fermented malt beverage, comprising:
A method for producing a beer-like fermented malt beverage having an ethyl acetate concentration of 20 to 40 ppm , which does not include a step of incorporating hops or a component derived from hops. The method for producing a beer-like fermented malt beverage according to claim 6 , wherein the yeast used for fermentation includes yeast from which hop-derived components have been substantially removed.