Sensory Everyone Can Do For NA Beer Production
March 2024
You may be accustomed to tasting and drinking beer, even a range of styles of beer. But, when you start to drink NA beers, your sensory experience can be quite different. In some ways it is fair to compare an NA to a full strength beer. In some ways it is not fair. There are some ways you can effectively evaluate the sensory characteristics of your NA beers. They are the same as your full strength beers, but because alcohol alters our sensory experiences, setting proper expectations is key.
You can expect some changes in the product because of the lack of alcohol. To evaluate your NA beer, use the senses you have but know what can change. Note: If you make your NA by dealcoholization, you have the advantage of comparing to the original, full alcohol beer
Look at the NA beer: appearance
The color of the NA beer should not substantially be different than a beer containing alcohol. This depends on any recipe differences and chances for oxidation. NA beers tend to be more susceptible to oxidation changes without the protection of alcohol.
NA beer has a tendency to be slightly less clear without clarifying methods, process aids or mechanical processes.
Smell your NA beer: aroma
NA beers often have less aroma. Ethanol helps volatilize various aroma compounds. These compounds you would typically smell are not leaving the liquid for you to smell.
NA beers often give off less hoppy aroma particular. In addition to fewer aroma compounds, because many hop terpenes are more soluble in ethanol than in water, the NA beer will likely contain fewer of these desirable hoppy aromas than a beer with alcohol with the same hops.
Drink some NA beer: Taste & Mouthfeel
The NA beer may feel less full because alcohol adds a feeling of fullness in a liquid. (This is contrary to the actual density, if you measure that. Since ethanol is less dense than water, NA beers are usually more dense.)
The NA beer may appear to be less sweet. Alcohol tastes sweet
The NA beer may not have as much “zing”. This is because alcohol gives a warming or burning sensation that can help liven up a beer.
The NA beer may seem to have less hop flavor and be more bitter. As mentioned above, many hop compounds, particularly terpenes, are more soluble in ethanol than water. For taste, this means that some of the bitter compounds may be more present and the flavors we expect (really aromas) not perceived as much.
And, of course, you can quantify any of these with various laboratory measurements. Whether you have an alcohol version to compare to, recording qualitative and quantitative data points will help you be consistent and even improve batch to batch.
All of these differences, characteristics we are accustomed to in a full alcohol beer, can be addressed with recipe adjustments. Those adjustments are up to you. Good luck and enjoy!
For more reading, check out this additional post from us at ABV Technology
Also check out these research papers:
Piornos, J. A., Koussissi, E., Balagiannis, D. P., Brouwer, E., & Parker, J. K. (2023). Alcohol-free and low-alcohol beers: Aroma chemistry and sensory characteristics. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 22, 233–259. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.13068
Ramsey, I., Dinu, V., Linforth, R. et al. Understanding the lost functionality of ethanol in non-alcoholic beer using sensory evaluation, aroma release and molecular hydrodynamics. Sci Rep 10, 20855 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77697-5