17 - Beer shelf life and stability

Abstract

Brewing was one of the earliest processes to be undertaken on a commercial scale and consequently it became the first biological process to develop from a craft into a technology. Although the production of beer is a relatively simple process, the finished product is unstable when in its final package – bottle, can or keg. As well as being susceptible to microbial infection, non-biological instability involves a number of complex reactions with proteins, carbohydrates, polyphenols, metal ions, thiols and carbonyls. Although our understanding of these reactions has progressed over the past 25years, we are still far from a complete comprehension of beer instability/ stability reaction systems.