Isomerization of bitter acids during the brewing process

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. The transformation of bitter acids to iso-α and iso-ß-acids is recognized as the key step of beer production. The paper shows and discusses the transformation kinetics of α- and ß-acids into their iso-form. Following the performed experiments, the largest amounts of the bitter acids isomers are formed in the brewing process carried out at 80oC for more than 100 minutes. The presented data are in good agreements with the knowledge of experienced brewers who learned about the brewing process relying on sensory tests.