Characterizing the Impact of Package Type on Beer Stability

Abstract

The brewing industry is highly competitive, driving the importance of beer stability. Brewers use both aluminum cans and glass bottles to distribute products; however, a direct comparison of the impact of these two package types on beer stability has yet to be conducted. Here, a non-targeted metabolomics approach was used to characterize changes in the metabolite profile of amber ale (AA) and India pale ale (IPA) packaged in cans and bottles over a 6-month aging period. A strong correlation by package type was observed for AA but not for IPA over all time points. Baseline differences in amino acids (glycine, tyrosine, and asparagine) and esters (isobutyl isobutyrate, 2-methylbutyl butyrate, and ethyl decanoate) were also observed in AA. Hop terpenes (humulene, pinocarvone, and α-calacorene) demonstrated package-dependent changes over time which appear to be influenced by metabolite water solubility. Overall, the results demonstrate that beer metabolites, and thus stability, are significantly impacted by package type.