JP6949696B2 - Fermented malt beverage and its manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a fermented malt beverage and a method for producing the same.

In fermented malt beverages, there is a demand for light beverages (with no unpleasant aftertaste and sharpness). In order to obtain a fermented malt beverage having a light taste, it is conceivable to increase the appearance final fermentation degree (for example, 88% or more). However, simply increasing the final fermentation degree of the appearance impairs the body feeling (richness) and tends to result in a watery beverage.

In relation to the above, Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 6170206) discloses a technique for providing a beer-taste beverage having an excellent balance of richness and sharpness. Patent Document 1 describes a beer taste having an appearance final fermentation degree of 95% to 105%, a specific amino acid concentration, a specific malt usage ratio, and a sugar content of 3.0 g / 100 mL or less. Beverages are disclosed.

Patent No. 6170206

In the technique described in Patent Document 1, the balance between richness and sharpness is adjusted by adjusting the amino acid concentration and the like. On the other hand, the inventor of the present application has attempted to impart a body feeling by increasing the bitterness value in a beverage having an increased degree of final fermentation in appearance. However, if the bitterness value is simply increased, the balance of flavors becomes unbalanced and the astringency and the like become conspicuous. In addition, the original aim of lightness is easily impaired.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a fermented malt beverage having an enhanced final fermentation degree in appearance, which can impart a body feeling without making the astringency noticeable and without impairing the lightness. The purpose is to provide the manufacturing method.

The present invention includes the following matters.
[1] Appearance The final fermentation degree is 88 to 98%, and the bitterness value is 20 to 30 B. U.S. A fermented malt beverage containing iso-alpha acid and having a ratio of isocohumlon to the total amount of iso-alpha acid of 35 to 45% by mass.
[2] The fermented malt beverage according to the above [1], wherein the raw wort extract is 8% by mass or more and 16% by mass or less.
[3] The fermented malt beverage according to the above [1] or [2], wherein the polyphenol concentration is 200 ppm or less.
[4] The fermented malt beverage according to any one of [1] to [3] above, which contains a hop or a hop extract.
[5] The fermented malt beverage according to any one of [1] to [4] above, wherein the alcohol content is 3 to 10% by volume.
[6] The fermented malt beverage according to any one of [1] to [5] above, wherein the malt use ratio is 25% or more.
[7] The fermented malt beverage according to any one of [1] to [6] above, wherein the sugar content is 1.0 to 5.0 g / 100 mL.
[8] Appearance The step of preparing wort having a final fermentation degree of 88 to 98% and the bitterness value of the wort were set to 20 to 30 B.I. U.S. A step of adding iso-alpha acid to the wort so that the ratio of isokohumlon to the total amount of iso-alpha acid is 35 to 45% by mass, and a step of fermenting the wort. A method for producing a fermented malt beverage, which comprises.

According to the present invention, in a fermented malt beverage having an enhanced degree of final fermentation in appearance, a fermented malt beverage and its production capable of imparting a body feeling without making astringency or the like noticeable and without impairing lightness. The method is provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
The fermented malt beverage according to the embodiment of the present invention has an appearance final fermentation degree of 88 to 98% and 20 to 30 B.I. U.S. Has a bitter taste value of. Further, this fermented malt beverage contains iso-alpha acid, and the ratio of isokohumlon to the total amount of iso-alpha acid (hereinafter, referred to as isokohumlon ratio) is 35% to 45% by mass. According to the fermented malt beverage according to the present embodiment, in the fermented malt beverage having a specific appearance final fermentation degree and a specific bitterness value, by adopting a specific isocohumlon ratio, both lightness and body feeling are compatible. However, it is possible to obtain a beverage in which astringency is suppressed.

Hereinafter, the fermented malt beverage according to this embodiment will be described in detail.
In the present invention, the "fermented malt beverage" is a beverage obtained by fermenting a saccharified product (hereinafter, wort) of a plant material containing malt.

The fermented malt beverage may be an alcoholic beverage having an alcohol (ethanol) content of 1% by volume or more, and may be a so-called non-alcoholic beverage or a low-alcoholic beverage having an alcohol content of less than 1% by volume. However, preferably, the fermented malt beverage is an alcoholic beverage. The alcohol content is more preferably 3 to 10% by volume, still more preferably 4 to 6% by volume.

The plant raw material that is the raw material of the fermented malt beverage may contain plants other than malt. Examples of raw materials other than malt include barley; beans such as rice, corn, and soybean; and potatoes. More preferably, raw materials other than malt include barley and corn such as cornstarch. The malt use ratio of the fermented malt beverage is preferably 25% or more, more preferably 40% or more. More preferably, it is 40% to 60%. Most preferably, it is 40% to 49%.
The malt usage ratio is the ratio (mass%) of malt to all raw materials excluding water.

As described above, the appearance final fermentation degree of the fermented malt beverage is 88 to 98%.
Appearance The final fermentation degree means the ratio of the sugar concentration that yeast can consume as a nutrient source for alcoholic fermentation to the total sugar concentration contained in the wort before fermentation. Appearance When the final fermentation degree is 88 to 98%, a beverage having a light taste can be obtained. The final degree of fermentation in appearance is preferably 89 to 97%, more preferably 90 to 96%, and even more preferably 91 to 95%.

Appearance The final fermentation degree "Vs end" can be obtained by, for example, the following formula 1.
(Equation 1): Vs end (%) = 100 × (P-Es end) / P
Here, in the formula 1, "Es end" indicates the appearance extract of the fermented malt beverage when all the residual sugar that can be consumed by yeast is consumed by adding yeast. The appearance extract can be obtained by the following formula 2 as described in, for example, "BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Fermentation of the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the Brewing Society of Japan, revised on November 1, 2004)".
(Equation 2): Es end = -460.234 + 662.649 × SG _EA -202.414 × SG _EA ²
In Equation 2, SG _EA is the specific gravity of the degassed beverage.
In addition, in Equation 1, "P" is a raw wort extract, and is according to the method described in "BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Fermentation by the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the Brewing Society of Japan, revised on November 1, 2004)". , Can be sought.
It should be noted that the appearance final fermentation degree may exceed 100% because the appearance extract "Es end" may have a larger value than the raw wort extract "P".

Appearance The final fermentation degree can be controlled by adjusting, for example, the saccharification conditions when preparing wort, the presence or absence of the use of enzymes during saccharification, the type and blending amount of raw materials, and the like. For example, by prolonging the saccharification time, accelerating the saccharification reaction by using an enzyme, etc., the sugar concentration that can be used by yeast can be increased, and the final degree of fermentation in appearance can be increased.

As described above, the fermented malt beverage has 20 to 30 B.I. U.S. Has a bitter taste value of.
The "bitter taste value" is an index of bitterness given by a group of hop-derived substances containing isohumulone as a main component. The bitterness value is 20 to 30 B. U.S. Therefore, it is possible to give a body feeling to the beverage without impairing the lightness. The bitterness value is preferably 21-28B. U.S. , More preferably 22-26 B. U.S. Is.

The bitterness value can be measured by, for example, the EBC method (Beer Sake Brewing Association: "Beer Analysis Method" 8.15, 1990).
The bitterness value can be adjusted, for example, by adding hops or hop extracts to the fermented malt beverage.

The fermented malt beverage according to the present embodiment contains iso-alpha acid. Iso-alpha acid is a component mainly derived from hops or hop extracts. Specifically, hops and hop extracts contain alpha acids. The fermented malt beverage contains iso-alpha acid, which is an isometric version of this alpha acid. This is the bitterness component of fermented malt beverages. Specifically, isohumulone, normal isohumulone, and adisohumulone are known as iso-alpha acids, and each of these components has a cis form and a trans form.

Here, in the fermented malt beverage, the ratio of isokohumlon to the total amount of isoα acid, that is, the ratio of isokohumlon is 35 to 45% by mass. When the isokohumlon ratio is in such a range, it is possible to give a body feeling to the fermented malt beverage while suppressing astringency. The isokohumlon ratio is more preferably 36 to 44% by mass, still more preferably 37 to 44% by mass.

The isokohumlon ratio can be adjusted, for example, by measuring the content of isocohumlon and other iso-alpha acids for each hop variety and selecting hops of varieties such that the isokohumlon ratio becomes a predetermined value. Can be done. For example, hop varieties include Shinshu early-maturing, Hercules, Saats, Spartan Select, Perle, Northern Brewer, Health Bruker, Haratau Mitterfrewer, Haratau Tradition, Tettnang, and Nugget. Species, Galina, Willamet, Cascade, Motuweka, Summit, Pacific Gem, Brion, Brewers Gold, Chinook, Cluster, East Kent Golding, Fagles, Halleto, Mount Hood , At least one selected from the group consisting of Calypso and Styrian species.
Alternatively, the proportion of isohumulone can be adjusted by using a purified or crudely purified isohumulone, normal isohumulone, or adisohumulone in addition to the conventional hops or hop extracts.
However, in a preferred embodiment, a plurality of varieties of hops are used so as to obtain a predetermined isocohumlon ratio. More preferably, as hops, any combination selected from the group consisting of early Shinshu varieties, calypso varieties, Perle varieties, Heracles varieties, cascade varieties, summit varieties, cluster varieties, and brewers gold varieties is used.

The isokohumlon ratio in the fermented malt beverage can be calculated according to the following formula.
(Formula): Isohumulone ratio = (isohumulone concentration) / (isohumulone concentration + isohumulone concentration + isohumulone concentration) x 100 (%)

The isohumulone concentration, the isohumulone concentration, and the isohumulone concentration are analyzed and quantified as follows, for example.
Add 1 ml of 3N hydrochloric acid to 10 g of fermented malt beverage from which carbon dioxide has been removed, and place the sample in a glass vial. Further, 20 ml of isooctane solution is added, shaken, and then centrifuged to obtain an isooctane layer. Then, the isooctane layer is analyzed by reverse phase HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) under the following conditions, for example.

<Conditions for reverse phase HPLC>
Separation module: 1200 series (manufactured by Agilent Technologies)
UV detector: (manufactured by Agilent Technologies)
Column: A250 x 4.6 mm i. d. Column (XBridge Phenyl, 5μ, manufactured by Waters)
Column temperature: 40 ° C
Injection volume: 40 μL
Detection wavelength: 275 nm
Mobile phase A: 1.0% formic acid aqueous solution Mobile phase B: 1.0% formic acid-acetonitrile solution <Gradient conditions>
Flow velocity: 0.9 ml / min
40% B liquid (0 to 40 min) → 55% B liquid (40 to 40.1 min) → 100% B liquid → 100% B liquid (40 to 50 min)
The concentrations of isohumulone, isohumulone, and isohumulone can be determined from the peak area of the obtained chromatograph. The quantification method from the peak area may be the area percentage method, or may be obtained from the ratio with the peak area of a standard product having a known concentration.

The fermented malt beverage according to the present embodiment is preferably a beverage obtained from wort in which the raw wort extract is 8% by mass or more and 16% by mass or less. The raw wort extract is an index showing the strength of wort. The raw wort extract is more preferably 9 to 15% by mass, still more preferably 10 to 12% by mass. As described above, the raw wort extract can be obtained by the method described in "BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (Fermentation by the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the Brewing Society of Japan, revised on November 1, 2004)".

The fermented malt beverage according to the present embodiment preferably has a polyphenol concentration of 200 ppm or less. Generally, fermented malt beverages contain polyphenols derived from plant materials such as malt. Polyphenols cause astringency. When the polyphenol concentration is 200 ppm or less, the astringency can be suppressed.
The polyphenol concentration can be reduced to 200 ppm or less by filtering the beverage using, for example, a filtration aid having a function of adsorbing polyphenols. Preferably, such a filtration aid includes polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP).
The polyphenol concentration is more preferably 30 to 180 ppm, still more preferably 60 to 160 ppm.
The total polyphenol concentration in the fermented malt beverage can be analyzed according to the Analytica-EBC standard method (9.11) of EBC (European Brewery Convention).

The sugar content of the fermented malt beverage is not particularly limited, but can be set to a value equivalent to that of ordinary beer. The sugar content is, for example, 1.0 to 5.0 g / 100 mL, preferably 1.5 to 4.5 g / 100 mL, more preferably 2.0 to 4.0 g / 100 mL, and even more preferably 2.0 to 3. .5 g / 100 mL.
In addition, in this specification, a sugar means a carbohydrate which is not dietary fiber.

The fermented malt beverage according to the present invention may contain additives such as dietary fiber, a pH adjuster, a bitterness agent, an acidulant, a sweetener, and a fragrance, if necessary. As for the content of these additives, the commonly used amounts for these additives may be adopted.

(Manufacturing method of fermented malt beverage)
Subsequently, an example of a method for producing a fermented malt beverage according to the present embodiment will be described.

First, a crushed malt is prepared as a raw material. If necessary, a starchy material such as rice or cornstarch is mixed as an auxiliary raw material. Next, warm water is added to the raw materials, mixed, and heated. As a result, the raw material is saccharified mainly by the enzyme of malt, and the saccharified solution is obtained as wort. The saccharification treatment is carried out under conditions such that a predetermined appearance final fermentation degree can be obtained. The final degree of fermentation can be enhanced by lengthening the saccharification time or by adding an enzyme separately from malt to promote the saccharification reaction. Examples of the enzyme include glucoamylase.

The resulting wort is filtered. After filtration, a predetermined amount of hops or hop extract is added to the wort. After adding the hops, the wort is boiled in a boiling kettle. By boiling the wort, the α-acid contained in the hop or hop extract is partially changed to iso-α-acid.
The hops or hop extracts may be added during the boiling of wort. The amount and timing of addition of hops or hop extracts are adjusted so as to obtain a predetermined bitterness value.

After boiling, the wort is transferred to a settling tank (called a whirlpool or the like) to remove sediments such as hop meal. After removing the precipitate, it is cooled to an appropriate fermentation temperature by a heat exchanger (plate cooler).

After cooling, the wort is inoculated with yeast and fermented. Further, after fermentation, the fermentation broth is aged as needed. Then, the fermented liquid is filtered to obtain the desired fermented malt beverage.
In the filtration step, polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) is preferably used as a filtration aid so that the polyphenol concentration is 200 ppm or less.

(Example 1)
19 kg of malt and 11 kg of barley were mixed with 120 L of hot water at 50 ° C. to proteolyze, and then 10 kg of cornstarch was mixed with a liquefied raw material to prepare an aqueous solution of a plant raw material. In addition, glucoamylase was added as an enzyme. This aqueous solution was saccharified and then enzymatically inactivated at 76 ° C. to obtain wort.
The wort was then filtered. After filtration, the wort was placed in a boiling pot, water was added to make 180 L, and then hops were added. As hops, a combination of 15 g of Hercules hop extract, 30 g of Shinshu early-maturing hop pellets, 60 g of Perle hop pellets, and 10 g of Summit hop pellets was used. After the addition of hops, the mixture was boiled for 60 minutes, and hot water was added to adjust the concentration to obtain 200 L of wort. Then, solid-liquid separation was performed in a whirlpool (swivel separation tank). After solid-liquid separation, the wort was cooled by a heat exchanger. After cooling, yeast was added to the wort and fermented. The liquid after fermentation was filtered to obtain a fermented malt beverage according to Example 1.

The alcohol content of the obtained fermented malt beverage was 4 to 6% by volume. The bitterness value is 24.5 B. U.S. Met. The sugar content was 2.0-3.5 g / 100 mL. The polyphenol concentration was in the range of 100 to 140 ppm. The isocohumlon ratio was 39.6% by mass. Appearance The final fermentation degree was 93.1%. The raw wort extract was 10 to 12%.

(Example 2)
The fermented malt beverage according to Example 2 was obtained by the same method as in Example 1. However, the isokohumlon ratio was adjusted by changing the amount of hops added. Specifically, a combination of 15 g of Hercules hop extract, 15 g of Shinshu early-maturing hop pellets, 60 g of Perle hop pellets, and 20 g of Summit hop pellets was used.

(Example 3)
The fermented malt beverage according to Example 3 was obtained by the same method as in Example 1. However, the isokohumlon ratio was adjusted by changing the amount of hops added. Specifically, a combination of 15 g of Hercules hop extract, 45 g of Shinshu early-maturing hop pellets, 60 g of Perle hop pellets, and 5 g of Summit hop pellets was used.

(Comparative Example 1)
The fermented malt beverage according to Comparative Example 1 was obtained by the same method as in Example 1. However, by shortening the saccharification time in the saccharification step, the appearance final fermentation degree was adjusted to 87.5%.

(Comparative Example 2)
The fermented malt beverage according to Comparative Example 2 was obtained by the same method as in Example 1. However, the bitterness value was adjusted to 16.0 by changing the amount of hops added. Specifically, as hops, a combination of 10 g of Hercules hop extract, 18 g of Shinshu early-maturing hop pellets, 38 g of Perle hop pellets, and 10 g of Summit hop pellets was used.

(Comparative Example 3)
The fermented malt beverage according to Comparative Example 3 was obtained by the same method as in Example 1. However, the isokohumlon ratio was adjusted by changing the hop variety. Specifically, as hops, a combination of 15 g of nugget hop extract, 30 g of Shinshu early-maturing hop pellets, 60 g of Perle hop pellets, and 20 g of Saffia hop pellets was used.

(Comparative Example 4)
The fermented malt beverage according to Comparative Example 4 was obtained by the same method as in Example 1. However, the isokohumlon ratio and bitterness value were reduced by changing the hops used. Specifically, as hops, a combination of 10 g of nugget hop extract, 18 g of Shinshu early-maturing hop pellets, 38 g of Perle hop pellets, and 20 g of Saffia hop pellets was used.

(sensory evaluation)
The obtained fermented malt beverages according to Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1 to 4 were subjected to a sensory test by a specialized panel of 5 persons. The evaluation items were lightness, body feeling, lack of astringency, and comprehensive evaluation (good beer flavor).
The lightness, body feeling, and lack of astringency were evaluated on a scale of 〇, △, and ×, respectively. The criteria for each evaluation item are as follows.
[Lightness]
〇: It is light.
Δ: Not very nimble.
×: Not light. (Unpleasant aftertaste remains.)
[Body feeling]
〇: There is a feeling of body.
Δ: There is not much body feeling. (Slightly watery.)
×: There is no body feeling. (It's watery.)
[No astringency]
〇: I can't feel the astringency.
Δ: A slightly astringent taste is felt.
×: I feel an unpleasant astringency.

In addition, the overall evaluation was made on a scale of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 based on the lightness, body feeling, and lack of astringency. The larger the value, the better the overall evaluation.
The results are shown in Table 1 below together with the appearance final fermentation degree, bitterness value, and isokohumlon ratio.

As shown in Table 1, the beverages according to Examples 1 to 3 were excellent in all of the items of lightness, body feeling, and no astringency, and the overall evaluation was higher than that of Comparative Examples 1 to 4. rice field. In particular, the beverage according to Example 1 had the highest overall evaluation.
On the other hand, the beverage according to Comparative Example 1 having an appearance final fermentation degree of less than 88% did not provide lightness.
In addition, the bitterness value is 20 B. U.S. The beverage according to Comparative Example 2, which was less than the above, was a beverage having a watery taste and a poor body feeling.
In the beverage according to Comparative Example 3 in which the isokohumlon ratio was less than 35%, the lightness was impaired, and the astringency and miscellaneous taste were conspicuous.
The bitterness value is 20 B. The beverage according to Comparative Example 4, which was less than U. And had an isokohumlon ratio of less than 35%, was inferior to Examples 1 to 3 in all of the items of lightness, body feeling, and lack of astringency.
From the above results, the appearance final fermentation degree was 88 to 89%, and the bitterness value was 20 to 30 B. U.S. Therefore, it can be understood that in a beverage having an isokohumlon ratio of 35% by mass to 45% by mass, both lightness and body feeling can be achieved without making the astringency noticeable.

Claims (8)

Appearance The final fermentation degree is 88-98%,
The bitterness value is 20 to 30 B. U.S. And
Contains iso-alpha acid,
A fermented malt beverage in which the ratio of isocohumlon to the total amount of iso-alpha acid is 35 to 45% by mass. The fermented malt beverage according to claim 1, wherein the raw wort extract is 8% by mass or more and 16% by mass or less. The fermented malt beverage according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the polyphenol concentration is 200 ppm or less. The fermented malt beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which contains hops or a hop extract. The fermented malt beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the alcohol content is 3 to 10% by volume. The fermented malt beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the malt use ratio is 25% or more. The fermented malt beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the sugar content is 1.0 to 5.0 g / 100 mL. Appearance The final fermentation degree is 88 to 98%, and the bitterness value is 20 to 30 B. U.S. It is a method for producing a fermented malt beverage containing iso-alpha acid and having a ratio of isocohumlon to the total amount of iso-alpha acid of 35 to 45% by mass.
The process of preparing wort and
And fermenting the previous Kimugijiru,
A method for producing a fermented malt beverage.