Interesting Behavior of Geranic Acid during the Beer Brewing Process: Why Could Geranic Acid Remain at a Higher Level Only in the Beer Using Sorachi Ace Hops?

Hops are among the most important ingredients in beer that contribute to beer flavor. Consequently, novel types of hops have been bred and widely used worldwide. For example, the Sorachi Ace hop imparts characteristic varietal aromas, including woody, pine-like, citrus, dill-like, and lemongrass-like aromas, to the finished beer. In our previous study, the unique volatile compound geranic acid was significantly detected only in the test beer brewed with the Sorachi Ace hop; moreover, the coexistence of geranic acid and other hop-derived flavor compounds could result in the characteristic aroma of the Sorachi Ace beers. In this study, selected hop-derived flavor compounds, including geranic acid, were compared among 17 hop varieties. The geranic acid content in the Sorachi Ace hop was the highest among the studied hops. We also investigated the behavior of geranic acid and related flavor compounds throughout the fermentation process. The content of geranic acid was higher than those of the other compounds during fermentation. Next, we compared the concentrations of these compounds in kettle-, late-, and dry-hopped beers using Sorachi Ace hop. The results revealed that geranic acid remained at higher concentrations from the worts to finished beers despite the decrease in the content of other hop-derived flavor compounds as a result of evaporation and/or other factors during brewing. Further, geranic acid could remain at high levels in the test-brewed beers with Sorachi Ace hops because of its behavior as an acid throughout the brewing process, including during wort boiling and fermentation.