INCREASED SENSORY PERCEPTION OF BITTERNESS IN HOPPED BEERS THROUGH PH ADJUSTMENT DURING THE MATURATION STAGE

Abstract

Brazil is the third largest beer producer in the world and with the popularization of so-called craft beers, the final quality of this drink has become desired by brew masters and consumers. One of the styles that became most popular in Brazil and around the world was India Pale Ale, or simply, IPA, a beer whose central characteristic is its high bitterness (International Bitterness Unit - IBU) caused by the presence of iso-humulones from hops added to the recipe. In this work, spectrophotometric results are presented on the importance of pH in the solubility of iso-humulones (iso-α-acids) in beer, and consequently, intensifying its bitterness. Therefore, we introduced the terms “theoretical IBU” and “real IBU” to discuss the results presented. The results obtained indicate that a small increase in the pH of beers, with pH between 4.0 and 4.5, at the beginning of maturation can intensify their bitterness, minimizing the difference between the sensorial perception of bitterness and its theoretical IBU value.