Episode 214: Analysis of Commercial NEIPAs

This podcast explores the aroma compounds in New England IPAs, comparing them to West Coast IPAs. Christina Schmidt and Martin Biendl from Hopsteiner share findings from their research, which analyzed six commercial New England IPAs, noting the wide variations in recipes and hop additions, ranging from 0.7 to 2.2 kilograms per hectolitre. The analysis revealed high concentrations of terpenes, with one beer containing over 20,000 ppb of myrcene. They also found that while non-polar compounds are absorbed by haze, a significant amount remains in the liquid phase. The presence of linalool and beta-citronellol, a marker compound for New England IPAs, was also a key finding. The speakers suggest that the aroma is not driven by thiols, and the terpene alcohols are much more stable.