Barley Variety and Growing Location Provide Nuanced Contributions to Beer Flavor Using Elite Germplasm in Commercial-Type Malts and Beers

Understanding the role barley variety plays in the overall flavor profile of beer is an area of research of interest to barley breeders, maltsters, and brewers. Here we build on previous research on the effect of barley variety on beer flavor by focusing on commercial-type malts and beers. A selection of three winter-habit, elite malting lines – two released varieties and one experimental – were grown in three locations across Oregon and California and harvested in summer 2020. Each was malted to the specifications of Pilsner-style malt. Beers were produced to mimic offerings of the industry partner and utilized a small portion of specialty malt and higher hopping rates than previous work. All beers underwent descriptive sensory analysis and Projective Mapping (Napping®) to characterize and determine the magnitude of separation between samples. Malting and brewing performance differed among the nine entries, but sensory outcomes showed only minor separation and few significant differences in the descriptive analysis. The results here showed that there is correlation between malt modification and sensory outcomes and ultimately confirmed that barley variety and growing location contributes to beer flavor. However, the overall contributions are nuanced, particularly in commercial-ty3pe malts and beers.

解析大麦品种对啤酒整体风味特征的影响，是大麦育种者、麦芽制造商与酿酒师共同关注的研究方向。本研究依托既往关于大麦品种对啤酒风味影响的研究成果，将重点聚焦于商业化麦芽与啤酒体系。本研究选取3个冬性优质麦芽大麦品系——其中2个为已审定品种，1个为试验品系——于俄勒冈州与加利福尼亚州的3个试验点种植，并于2020年夏季收获。所有品系均按照皮尔森型（Pilsner-style）麦芽的工艺标准进行制麦处理。本次酿造的啤酒模拟了合作企业的量产产品配方，仅添加少量特种麦芽，且酒花投放量高于既往同类研究。所有啤酒样品均接受描述性感官分析与投射映射法（Projective Mapping，Napping®）检测，以表征样品风味特征并量化样品间的分离程度。9个试验样品的制麦与酿造性能存在显著差异，但描述性感官分析结果显示样品间仅存在微弱的风味分离，且显著差异数量较少。本研究结果证实，麦芽改性程度与感官评价结果之间存在相关性，并最终明确大麦品种与种植区域均会对啤酒风味产生影响。但此类影响的整体效应较为精细微妙，在商业化麦芽与啤酒场景中尤其如此。