Craft Beer Research Articles

Internet of Things Approach to Automated Autoclave Control in Craft Brewery Laboratories

Internet of Things Approach to Automated Autoclave Control in Craft Brewery Laboratories

Young Professional Activities at 2023 IEEE International Symposium on EMC+SIPI in Grand Rapids

In this issue of the EMC Magazine, you will find a preview of the Young Professional (YP) events being planned for this year's Symposium in none other than “Beer City USA”: Grand Rapids, Michigan! That's rightƒ not only is this year's Symposium THE best opportunity for you to learn and network with likeminded individuals, but it's being hosted in a city where there are more than 40 craft breweries within a 30-minute drive, at least two of which you'll have the opportunity to visit if you attend our YP events! ALL attendees of the Symposium are welcome (not only the EMC-S YPs!).

Produção e caracterização de cervejas artesanais com diferentes adições de frutas nativas e resíduos agroindustriais: uma revisão

ABSTRACT: There is a growing demand for authentic products that provide sensory characteristics combined with health benefits that current studies have focused on. This review addressed the technological aspects involved in producing craft beers and the use of various fruits in developing new products with higher added value. The information was collected by researching scientific databases such as Scopus, websites, and the CAPES catalog of Theses and Dissertations. Thus, this study sought to obtain more information to promote discussion about the possibilities of adding various fruits in developing beers with a strong cultural appeal, high nutritional and marketing value, and that can also be categorized as a functional food.

КАЧЕСТВО И БЕЗОПАСНОСТЬ КРАФТОВОГО ПИВА

КАЧЕСТВО И БЕЗОПАСНОСТЬ КРАФТОВОГО ПИВА

Local Market Reaction to Brand Acquisitions: Evidence From the Craft Beer Industry

Local Market Reaction to Brand Acquisitions: Evidence From the Craft Beer Industry

A unifying approach to wheat beer flavour by chemometric analyses. Could we speak of ‘terroir’?

Raw materials are recognized to affect the sensory profile of ‘Blanche’ craft beers and their ‘terroir’. Two common wheat (Triticum aestivum, L.) were harvested in three experimental fields with different pedo-climatic conditions and altitudes, and then used for beer production. The taste and flavour of wheat beers were analysed by sensory (panel and consumer test) and SPME GC-MS analyses. Panel dataset was processed by multivariate statistical analyses: a principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that formulation was the main source of variation of sensory profile in wheat beers and a generalized Procrustes analysis (GPA) showed how wheat origin affected the sensory profiles of wheat craft beers based on the consensus among panelists. Moreover, a partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) on VOCs permitted to discriminate and characterize beers selected by a panel-driven approach. By comparing panel and VOCs results, it was possible to highlight that higher altitudes of wheat cultivation determine an increase of pleasant notes such as fruity and herbal. A PCA on consumer test data confirmed that formulation was the main factor affecting liking scores and that the preferences were affected by age, involvement and frequency of use. An internal preference map combining panel and consumer data suggested that the majority of preferences are driven by a few key sensory attributes. Differences in liking among the considered beers revealed two main consumer groups.

Influence of Brewing Process on the Profile of Biogenic Amines in Craft Beers

The evaluation of the biogenic amines (BAs) profile of different types of craft beers is herein presented. A previously developed and validated analytical method based on ion-pair chromatography coupled with potentiometric detection was used to determine the presence of 10 BAs. Good analytical features were obtained for all amines regarding linearity (R2 values from 0.9873 ± 0.0015 to 0.9973 ± 0.0015), intra- and inter-day precision (RSD lower than 6.9% and 9.7% for beer samples, respectively), and accuracy (recovery between 83.2-108.9%). Detection and quantification limits range from 9.3 to 60.5 and from 31.1 to 202.3 µg L-1, respectively. The validated method was applied to the analysis of four ale beers and one lager craft beer. Ethylamine, spermidine, spermine, and tyramine were detected in all analyzed samples while methylamine and phenylethylamine were not detected. Overall, pale ale beers had a significantly higher total content of BAs than those found in wheat pale and dark samples. A general least square regression model showed a good correlation between the total content of BAs and the brewing process, especially for Plato degree, mashing, and fermentation temperatures. Knowledge about the type of ingredients and manufacturing processes that contribute to higher concentrations of these compounds is crucial to ensuring consumer safety.

Bottled Up or Poured Out: How Product Name Emotions Affect Appeal and Authenticity in the Market for Craft Beer

Although we know that product names influence audience evaluations of producers and their offerings, mechanisms behind the effect remain undertheorized. We propose that a classic psychological stimulus-and-response process is at play. Emotional contagion suggests that emotions conveyed by product names will influence consumer evaluations. Although the process is psychological, social context shapes the strength and valence in the stimulus-and-response relationship. We predict that the antimass production ideology and oppositional identity of contemporary craft markets produce reverse emotional contagion: Positively charged product names lead to negative evaluations of products and negatively charged ones lead to positive evaluations. We also predict that product names shape audience attributions of authenticity: Positive emotionality decreases authenticity perceptions and negative emotionality elevates them. We find empirical support for most of our conjectures in regression analyses of the U.S. craft beer industry between 1996 and 2012. Funding: The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and from the Lubar College of Business at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/stsc.2022.0178 .

Evaluation of the antioxidant characteristics of craft beer with green tea

The addition of green tea as antioxidants to beer can improve the beer's flavor stability by protecting against staling during storage. To analyze the effect of different green teas on the flavor stability of beer, we developed an approach to rapidly evaluate their antioxidant activity. Ten types of craft beer were produced by adding different kinds of green tea during brewing, and their antioxidant activity and phenolic profiles were evaluated. The results showed remarkable variations in antioxidant activity and antioxidative compound contents, which were considerably higher in green tea beers than in non-tea beer (p<0.05). A comprehensive evaluation function was developed to evaluate the total antioxidant activity of beers using principal component analysis. The highest total antioxidant activity was observed in Taiping Houkui beer, with a comprehensive evaluation score of 2.53. Pearson correlation analysis suggested that (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, (-)-epicatechin gallate, and (-)-epigallocatechin were strongly correlated with the total antioxidant activity of green tea beers (p<0.01). The summation of their contents represented more than 60% of the total phenolic content of the teas, which can be used to predict the total antioxidant activity of green tea beers. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Flavor stability is of prime concern for brewers, and flavor aging is increasingly becoming the limiting factor in beer shelf life. The application of green tea as antioxidants in beer can improve the flavor stability by protecting against beer staling during storage. The analytical method developed in this study will contribute to the rapid comparison of the effect of different green teas on the flavor stability of beer. Furthermore, the research findings demonstrate the potential benefits of green teas to beer flavor stability, which is of considerable importance in promoting the development and consumption of green teas.

Commercial craft beers produced in Uruguay: Volatile profile and physicochemical composition

Even beer being the most consumed alcoholic beverage around the world, there is not enough information generated for craft beers produced in Latin America, for either volatile profiles or physicochemical studies. In this work, the chemical and volatile components of ten commercial Blond Ale and nine Indian Pale Ale (IPA) beers from the Uruguayan market were studied using GC–MS. Principal component analysis applied to the data allowed differentiation among the two groups of samples while the volatile compounds and physicochemical parameters responsible for these differences were identified. The physicochemical properties revealed a great diversity between all beer samples even within the same beer style. The main significant differences were obtained for alcohol, polyphenols, bitterness, colour, and pH. Most Blond Ale beer samples were differentiated from IPA ones by raw fermentation aroma compounds such as 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol, hexanoic and isobutyric acids, 4-vinyl guaiacol, and 5,5-dimethyl-2(5H)-furanone. This is the first work that contributes to the knowledge of Uruguayan craft beers. The study also showed the ability of most of the Uruguayan microbreweries to brew Blond Ale and IPA craft beer styles that meet international standards for physicochemical quality.

Neolocal but global? A cross-cultural insight into the neolocal discourse of craft beer industry

Neolocalism, a movement that shifted the focus from the global to the local sense of place is highly illustrated by local food industry, particularly craft beer industry. Researchers have identified neolocal discourse indicators in terms of branding, environmental sustainability and community engagement. In this paper I look at the neolocal discourse of three craft breweries from Romania, France and United States of America as mirrored in the most active and interactive communication environment, the social media. My aim is to investigate the extent to which national cultures impact the neolocal discourse. I place the research within a cross-cultural framework in light of the cultural dimensions framed by Hofstede, and I carry out semiotic analysis of images and texts posted on the Facebook pages of three craft breweries, Mustață de bere, Romania, Deck &amp; Donohue, France, and Bell’s Brewery, United States of America.

The Paycheck Protection Program and small business performance: Evidence from craft breweries.

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provided approximately US $790 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to small businessesacross the United States. This study merges a verified industry dataset of craft beer producers with government microdata on PPP loan recipients to examine the relationship between PPP funding and small business performance during the pandemic. Results indicate that firms receiving PPP funding were more likely to remain in operation and experience a smaller decline in annual production. However, even within a single industry, COVID-19 had heterogeneous effects on different market segments, demonstrating the importance of a firm's pre-pandemic business model on its flexibility and resiliency during a crisis. Finally, using a quasi-experiment that exploits a natural break in the loan program, the study suggests a positive causal effect of the role of loan approval timing on short-run performance outcomes. These findings provide evidence that the PPP alleviated some losses induced by COVID-19, but questions remain about the program's distribution and long-term impacts. The US federal government created the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to minimize the economic damages from COVID-19 on workers and small businesses. One industry hit particularly hard by the pandemic was the craft brewing industry, making it an ideal industry to explore whether the PPP achieved its objectives. The results show that receiving a PPP loan increased the likelihood of remaining in business through the pandemic. Additionally, while most craft breweries experienced a decline in annual production from 2019 to 2020, firms that received a PPP loan experienced a smaller reduction. Breweries that received the earliest funding also performed better, suggesting that loan timing played a key role in performance outcomes. Taken together, the study suggests that the government program helped reduce economic damages associated with COVID-19, but more work is needed to fully understand the program's impact. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11187-022-00717-3.

Calidad fisicoquímica y sensorial de cerveza artesanal estilo blonde ale con infusión de flor deshidratada de jamaica (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of the infusion of dried jamaican flower (IFDJ) on the physicochemical and sensory parameters of blonde ale-style craft beer. A completely randomized experimental design with a factorial arrangement was used. Factor A corresponded to concentrations of IFDJ at 5%, 10% and 15%. The Kruskal Wallis and Tukey test were used at 5% significance. In the physicochemical profile, a p &lt; 0.05% was obtained, the results ranged between 0.40% - 0.55% for acidity; 6.17% - 6.66% v/v (alcoholic degree); 3.27 - 3.71 (pH); 2.7 - 3.5 L CO2/L beverage (carbonation), at a sensory level the variables color, persistence of foam, transparency and liveliness were significantly different, the other attributes showed a p &gt; 0.05%. All the treatments presented acceptable microbiological quality, in terms of the physicochemical variables, the alcoholic degree and carbonation were found within what is required by INEN 2262, on the contrary, the acidity was above the norm, and the pH was only acceptable in the T1 (5% IFDJ). According to sensory analysis, treatment T1 (5% IFDJ) showed better acceptance, with golden color characteristics, persistent foam, transparent appearance and balanced liveliness.

Carbon Dioxide Monitoring inside an Australian Brewery Using an Internet-of-Things Sensor Network

Maintaining a high standard of indoor air quality (IAQ) is vital to ensuring good human health. The concentration of CO2 in air is a good proxy for IAQ, while high levels of CO2 have been shown to cause cognitive or physiological impairment. Work environments that generate CO2 as an inherent part of their business present a unique and significant risk in terms of poor IAQ. Craft breweries generate CO2 and, unlike larger breweries, often lack the technology to capture and re-use the fermentation CO2 for beer carbonation. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the venting of fermentation CO2 and the unintentional venting of CO2 during the filling of CO2 storage tanks can cause the indoor CO2 levels to rise significantly. This is shown by monitoring CO2 levels inside an Australian craft brewery using a newly developed system containing three Internet of Things (IoT) sensor nodes positioned strategically in different sections of the brewery. The maximum CO2 level recorded was in excess of 18,000 ppm, with the maximum time period levels exceeding 1000 and 10,000 ppm being equivalent to 425 and 26 min, respectively. The identification of differences in measured CO2 at different times and locations throughout the brewery reveals that a single hard-wired CO2 sensor may be inadequate to support IAQ monitoring. For this purpose, a network of portable or wearable CO2 sensor nodes may be most suitable. The battery life of the sensors is a key consideration, and the current sensor battery life is too short. Low-power sensors and communication protocols are recommended for this task.

Circular business models and the environment: Maturity levels of the circular economy and innovation in greener craft breweries

AbstractThis article aims to highlight the level of maturity of the circular economy according to the ReSOLVE framework, the level of maturity of technical and biological cycles, and the level of maturity of sustaining and disruptive innovation in Brazilian and Portuguese craft brewing companies. Through a multiple case study in the craft brewery sector in the state of Santa Catarina (Brazil) and in the city of Porto (Portugal), a qualitative study was developed by means of a documentary analysis of secondary data, technical visits, and application of on‐site interviews with 11 Brazilian and 11 Portuguese companies. The results indicate that (I) Brazilian and Portuguese companies are at different maturity levels concerning the circular economy, according to the ReSOLVE framework; (II) the maturity levels of the technical and biological cycles can be identified in the recycling practices of both cases, with the 11 Portuguese companies operating at the optimized level while the Brazilian companies are moving toward optimization; and (III) regarding innovation maturity levels, sustaining innovation is incorporated and optimized in these 22 companies. Concerning disruptive innovations, the results show that Brazilian and Portuguese companies are at different stages. This study contributes to theory by linking circular economy constructs and innovation and introducing gastronomy as a new link between these constructs. For practitioners, it highlights the stages of maturity and practical actions that can guide the improvement of maturity levels. In terms of limitations, we cite the geography and population of the countries and states addressed, the pandemic, differing production volume between companies, and the scope of the businesses. We suggest that future studies replicate or expand the sample to other geographic regions, as well as apply the framework to other business segments.

“Brewing Change”: Advocacy in Craft Brewing in the United States

Over the past several decades, craft brewing has altered physical and cultural landscapes across the United States as fermentation industries have increasingly been at the center of civic (re)development activities. Fermented landscapes are now ubiquitous, producing and maintaining a variety of public goods, whether perceived as beneficial or not. Some breweries offer highly visible examples of advocacy efforts, including the pursuit and promotion of environmental sustainability initiatives or profit-sharing to benefit various causes. It is unclear, however, how prevalent (or, alternatively, extraordinary) these kinds of activities are. Although craft breweries have been studied as agents of landscape change previously, they remain understudied as sociocultural actors that advocate for particular issues or outcomes. Thus, to better understand the kinds of advocacy that breweries pursue, we conducted a qualitatively informed quantitative analysis (including qualitative coding, descriptive statistics, and two analytical visualization techniques) on a random sample of 400 craft breweries in the United States. The resulting typology of advocacy in craft brewing identifies three dozen distinct techniques and approximately two dozen themes of action across three broad axes of advocacy, clarifying how breweries engage in environmental, social (justice), and economic initiatives in both active and passive ways.

Combining omics tools for the characterization of the microbiota of diverse vinegars obtained by submerged culture: 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and MALDI-TOF MS.

Vinegars elaborated in southern Spain are highly valued all over the world because of their exceptional organoleptic properties and high quality. Among the factors which influence the characteristics of the final industrial products, the composition of the microbiota responsible for the process and the raw material used as acetification substrate have a crucial role. The current state of knowledge shows that few microbial groups are usually present throughout acetification, mainly acetic acid bacteria (AAB), although other microorganisms, present in smaller proportions, may also affect the overall activity and behavior of the microbial community. In the present work, the composition of a starter microbiota propagated on and subsequently developing three acetification profiles on different raw materials, an alcohol wine medium and two other natural substrates (a craft beer and fine wine), was characterized and compared. For this purpose, two different "omics" tools were combined for the first time to study submerged vinegar production: 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, a culture-independent technique, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS), a culture-dependent method. Analysis of the metagenome revealed numerous taxa from 30 different phyla and highlighted the importance of the AAB genus Komagataeibacter, which was much more frequent than the other taxa, and Acetobacter; interestingly, also archaea from the Nitrososphaeraceae family were detected by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. MALDI-TOF MS confirmed the presence of Komagataeibacter by the identification of K. intermedius. These tools allowed for identifying some taxonomic groups such as the bacteria genera Cetobacterium and Rhodobacter, the bacteria species Lysinibacillus fusiformis, and even archaea, never to date found in this medium. Definitely, the effect of the combination of these techniques has allowed first, to confirm the composition of the predominant microbiota obtained in our previous metaproteomics approaches; second, to identify the microbial community and discriminate specific species that can be cultivated under laboratory conditions; and third, to obtain new insights on the characterization of the acetification raw materials used. These first findings may contribute to improving the understanding of the microbial communities' role in the vinegar-making industry.

Consumer Studies: Beyond Acceptability—A Case Study with Beer

Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world; its consumption and preference are evolving from traditional industrial beers of low complexity to novel craft beers with diverse flavour profiles. In such a competitive industry and considering the complexity of consumer behaviour, improvement and innovation become necessary. Consequently, consumer science, which is responsible for identifying the motivation behind customer preferences through their attitudes, perception and behaviour, has implemented strategies ranging from simple hedonic measurements to several innovative and emerging methodologies for a deeper understanding of the variables that affect the product experience: sensory, affective and cognitive. In this context, we offer a review inspired by previous research that explores some of the quantitative and qualitative methods used in consumer studies related to beer consumption, ranging from traditional approaches (acceptability, purchase intention, preference, etc.) to techniques that go beyond acceptability and allow a different understanding of aspects of consumer perception and behaviour (segmentation, expectations, emotions, representation, etc.). Also, innovative applications (contexts, immersive technologies and virtual reality, implicit measures, etc.) and current trends related to consumer science (Internet, social media, pairing, product experience, etc.) are addressed.

Establishment of a commercial organic hopyard in a Mediterranean environment: Production attributes and their relationship with soil texture

The cultivated hops are recently moving towards new growing areas in Southern Europe, boosted by the increasing number of craft breweries and by the higher vulnerability to climate change observed, for this crop, in the traditional growing regions. Despite this clear market and geographic trend, there is a lack of knowledge about pedoclimatic needs and agronomic performances of hops grown in the Mediterranean environment. Particularly, the agronomic potential of a new hopyard during its establishment period is poorly studied even in traditional growing zones. Moreover, a restricted number of plants were usually sampled to gather the few data available, thus leading to a probable overestimation of yield performance. A commercial organic hopyard in central Italy was established and a 2-year (2018–2019) field experiment was set-up to accurately investigate the cone and shoot yield potential of cultivar ‘Cascade’ and to understand how such yields are related to each other and to soil texture. Hop plants were two-years old when the experiment started; plant population was 4,000 plants ha−1. Forty points within the hopyard were sampled for soil analysis and yield traits. Data were analyzed accounting for spatial dependence of the sampling points. Results show a negative relation between clay content in the soil and hop yields, even though it was significant only in the exceptional rainy season of 2018. Shoot and cone yield were positively and strongly related, suggesting the green shoot yield in spring as a good predictor of hop production. Both shoot and cone yield significantly increased from the second to the third year (+11% and +16%, respectively); however, the unseasonably high rainfall of 2018 probably lowered the yield of the first experimental year. Cone yield attained over this 2-year study (1.24 t ha−1 and 1.44 t ha−1 for 2018 and 2019, respectively) was within the published ranges for mature plants. Similarly to cone production, shoot dry matter yield was lower in 2018 (197 kg ha−1) than in 2019 (218 kg ha−1). This study provides the first reliable information on both cone and shoot yield potential of a young organic hopyard under Mediterranean climatic conditions.

Invited Review: Rise of craft breweries in the southeastern USA increases supplement availability for beef cattle

The purpose of this invited review was to discuss the current state of craft beer production and the generation, nutritional variability, and importance of wet brewers grains (WBG) as a livestock feed. This article also takes an in-depth look at logistical challenges of using WBG as a feed resource and how local communities are mitigating those challenges. Information provided came from the combination of published scientific resources and through experiences based on outreach services and real-world applications of using WBG as a byproduct feed for beef cattle. Wet brewers grains are often a cheap or no-cost feed for beef cattle producers located near craft breweries. The high concentrations of CP and digestible fiber make it a byproduct of interest for many beef cattle production systems. Moisture content is the greatest limitation, and additives for improved fermentation may be needed during storage of this high-moisture feed. The rise of craft breweries has increased the availability of WBG, which is an affordable feedstuff for beef cattle producers located near a brewery. Although there is variability in WBG between brews and craft breweries, successful incorporation of this byproduct into diets has occurred in all sectors of the beef industry. The on-farm handling and storage of WBG should be considered, and the addition of a feed additive may help to prevent spoilage and extend WBG shelf life. In local communities, logistical challenges may be somewhat averted when several smaller beef cattle producers work together on a WBG contract.