Effect of oak wood on the quality of beer |
| |
| Authors: | P Wyler L H P Angeloni A R Alcarde S H da Cruz |
| |
| Affiliation: | Department of Agri‐food Industry, Food and Nutrition, College of Agriculture ‘Luiz de Queiroz’, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil |
| |
| Abstract: | Maturation in wood is an important practice that is widely used in the production of high‐quality beverages. The effect of French oak cubes on young lager beer was studied. Oak cubes (with light, medium or heavy toasting) were added to the beer, which was stored at 0°C for 3 months. Beer samples were analysed monthly, and an acceptance test was performed at the end of 3 months. The content of volatile compounds (aldehydes, esters and higher alcohols) was determined by gas chromatography using a flame ionization detector, and the content of low molecular weight phenolic compounds was determined by high‐performance liquid chromatography. The contents of aldehydes, esters, higher alcohols and wood‐derived compounds increased during the 3‐month maturation period. Lager beer stored with heavily toasted oak cubes had the highest concentration of low‐molecular‐weight phenolic compounds, followed by the beer matured in an oak barrel. These results suggest that beer maturation in wood barrels or with oak cubes changed the composition of their oak‐related aromatic compounds, indicating that interactions between the beer and the wood occurred. Copyright © 2015 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling |
| |
| Keywords: | French oak cubes oak barrels physicochemical beer analysis acceptance testing |
|
|
