Determination of α-Acids in Hops and Beers

One essential aspect of quality control in beer brewing is making sure that the type and amount of α-acids are the same from batch to batch, and that their transformation into the bitter iso-α-acids during the brewing process gives each individual brand its recognizable taste, consistently. This application note presents a straightforward method to determine the type and amount of α-acids in pellets from five hops varieties. In addition, an American IPA beer is analyzed to confirm the presence of isomerized α-acids.