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Many factors contribute to the complexity of beer flavor, including odor-active hop oil compounds. Best estimate thresholds of 10 hop compounds were reported in unhopped pale ale beer with ethanol contents of 5 and 10% alcohol by volume (ABV) using ASTM E679 threshold methodology. Although the solvating properties of ethanol had the potential to impact solubility, this study concluded that variation in the ethanol content had little effect on the sensory orthonasal detection thresholds of hop compounds in beer. Seven of the compounds were not influenced by ethanol concentration. Ethanol had a statistically significant effect on the threshold concentrations of β-damascenone (195 µg/L in 5% ABV to 74 µg/L in 10% ABV), but the practical significance of the 36 ppb difference between the two ethanol contents is uncertain. The threshold concentrations of geraniol and linalool significantly increased when more ethanol was present, from 141 to 305 µg/L and from 83 to 205 µg/L, respectively. The potential ethanol suppression of terpene alcohols was relatively small, 2.5-fold, and would likely have little impact on the odor activity values (OAVs). The results of this study can be used for OAV calculations across a wide range of ethanol concentrations in beer. Keywords: ASTM method E679, Ethanol, Hops, Odor activity values, Sensory, Thresholds
