Chris Smart (1), Gill Fisher (1), Ed Wray (1); (1) Campden BRI, Nutfield, England
Technical Session 13: Sensory II
Tuesday, August 16 • 8:15–9:30 a.m.
Plaza Building, Concourse Level, Governor’s Square 15
The development of new aroma hop varieties together with an increased
interest in hops by brewers in many countries in recent years has
contributed to the rapid expansion of new products for the beer
consumer. However, it remains difficult to predict hop sensory
characteristics in finished beers and matching a particular hop by
blending other varieties is even more complex. This study assessed 14
new and established hop varieties from various regions in the world
(United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia) both in terms of
sensory analysis, using an expert beer sensory panel, and chemical
composition (by SPME GCMS-QToF) in hops and finished beer. Hop teas were
prepared using boiling water and left to cool overnight to room
temperature before being presented to the panel. Single-hop and blended
brews were produced at a 1 hL scale in a pilot brewery using Nottingham
Ale yeast. The data showed that, under the brewing conditions used, hop
teas are a poor predictor of hop sensory characteristics in finished
beer. Several identical key hop aromas were significantly reduced or
removed altogether by the brewing process for all of the hop varieties
tested. Of 120 hop aroma compounds identified analytically only 9 were
found at detectable levels in the finished beers. In addition, hop
varieties grown in the same country were found to have very similar
sensory attributes to each other and, by and large, could be grouped by
country with a small number of notable exceptions. Finally, the data was
used to determine a hop blend to target finished beer with the same
sensory characteristics as a single hop variety, namely Amarillo, with
some success.
Chris is head of the Brewing Services Department at Campden BRI
and is based at the Nutfield site. The department’s activities cover
sensory science, NPD, microbiology, process engineering, and training in
a wide range of brewing-related technical areas. Chris also has
responsibility for the extensive pilot-malting/brewing facilities and
the majority of the research conducted within the Brewing Division.
Chris has a B.S. degree in biotechnology from the University Reading, a
Ph.D. degree in biological sciences (yeast biotransformations) from the
University of Warwick, and an MBA from the University of Nottingham. His
background includes over 20 years within the food and beverage
industries, where he has held a number of positions with organizations
such as the Institute of Food Research, Reading Scientific Services
Limited, Cadbury Schweppes, Leatherhead Food Research and, more
recently, Campden BRI. Chris’ passion for brewing started with an
industrial placement at Bass Brewers in Burton while studying for his
first degree.
