Non-alcoholic beer flavored beverage, method for producing non-alcoholic beer flavored beverage, and method for improving quality of bitterness of non-alcoholic beer flavored beverage

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage with improved bitterness quality. The present invention is a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, characterized by containing 15 to 60 ppm of iso-α-acid, containing 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-α-acid to ethyl glucoside (iso-α-acid / ethyl glucoside) is 6.0 or less.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, a method for producing the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, and a method for improving the quality of bitterness in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage. Background Art

[0002] With the diversification of consumers' preferences in recent years, the development of non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages with various flavor characteristics has been expected.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage characterized by containing γ-aminobutyric acid and iso-α-acids, wherein the content of γ-aminobutyric acid is 500 ppm or less and the content of iso-α-acids is 5 ppm or more.

[0004] Patent Document

[0005] Patent Document 1: WO 2017 / 090090 Summary of the Invention

[0006] In conventional non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages, residual bitterness is sometimes felt, and this residual bitterness is not liked.

[0007] At this time, if the bitterness is simply eliminated by adding components that mask the residual bitterness or the like, the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage will become tasteless.

[0008] The fact that the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage has bitterness itself is not a problem, but the quality of the bitterness is the problem. It is preferable that there is no residual bitterness and the bitterness has a good sense of dissipation.

[0009] That is, improvement in the quality of bitterness is expected as compared with conventional non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages.

[0010] Based on the above needs, an object of the present invention is to provide a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage with improved quality of bitterness.

[0011] That is, the present invention relates to the following non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, a method for producing the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, and a method for improving the quality of bitterness in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage.

[0012] [1] A non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, characterized by containing 15 to 60 ppm of iso-α-acids, containing 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-α-acids to ethyl glucoside, i.e., iso-α-acids / ethyl glucoside, is 6.0 or less.

[0013] [2] The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to [1], characterized by containing 20 to 30 ppm of iso-α-acids and containing 10 to 25 ppm of ethyl glucoside.

[0014] [3] A method for manufacturing a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, characterized in that the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage contains 15 to 60 ppm of iso-alpha acids, contains 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-alpha acids to ethyl glucoside, i.e., iso-alpha acids / ethyl glucoside, is adjusted to be 6.0 or less.

[0015] [4] A method for improving the quality of the bitterness of a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, characterized in that it is achieved by making the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage contain 15 to 60 ppm of iso-alpha acids, contain 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-alpha acids to ethyl glucoside, i.e., iso-alpha acids / ethyl glucoside, is 6.0 or less.

[0016] According to the present invention, a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage with improved bitterness quality can be provided. Detailed Embodiments

[0017] A non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage refers to a beer-flavored beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1%, preferably substantially free of alcohol. In addition, the alcohol content can also be 0%.

[0018] A beer-flavored beverage refers to a carbonated beverage with a beer flavor.

[0019] Here, a beverage in a form substantially free of alcohol does not exclude a beverage containing an extremely small amount of alcohol that cannot be detected. A beverage with an alcohol content rounded to 0.0%, especially a beverage with an alcohol content rounded to 0.00%, is included in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage. As the types of the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, for example, it includes non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages, beer-flavored soft drinks, etc. In addition, the "alcohol content (alcohol percentage)" here refers to the content of ethanol and does not include the content of aliphatic alcohols other than ethanol.

[0020] The alcohol content of the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage related to the present invention refers to the content (v / v%) of the alcohol component in the beverage, which can be measured by any known method. For example, it can be measured by a vibrating densitometer. Specifically, a sample from which carbon dioxide has been removed from the beverage by filtration or ultrasonic treatment can be prepared, and then the sample is directly fire-distilled, and the density of the obtained distillate at 15°C is measured, and the conversion is obtained by using the "Table 2 Conversion Table of Alcohol Component and Density (15°C) and Specific Gravity (15 / 15°C)" in the attached table of the analysis method specified by the National Tax Agency of Japan (National Tax Agency Instruction No. 6 of Heisei 19, revised on June 22, 2007). When the alcohol content is less than 1.0%, a commercially available alcohol measuring device or gas chromatography can also be used.

[0021] The non-alcoholic beer flavored beverage of the present invention may or may not contain malt in its raw materials.

[0022] The so-called raw materials herein refer to cereal raw materials and sugars other than water and hops.

[0023] As raw materials, in addition to malt, rice, corn, sorghum, potatoes, starch, and wheat other than malt may also be contained. Components such as acidulants, sweeteners, bitter agents, flavoring agents, and spices that can be added in trace amounts are not included in the raw materials. The weight of the extract component of the non-alcoholic beer flavored beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited, and is preferably 0.01 to 20.0% by weight.

[0024] Iso-α-acids are components obtained by isomerization of α-acids.

[0025] As iso-α-acids, substances derived from hops can be used, extracts derived from hops can be formulated, and commercially available iso-α-acid preparations can also be formulated. As commercially available iso-α-acid preparations, ISOHOP (manufactured by John I. HAAS, Inc.) etc. can be cited.

[0026] As an extraction method of hops, any well-known technique can be used without limitation.

[0027] The content of iso-α-acids can be measured according to the provisions of the analysis method "Analytica-EBC" of Method 7.7 issued by the European Brewery Convention (EBC).

[0028] The content of iso-α-acids in the non-alcoholic beer flavored beverage of the present invention is 15 to 60 ppm, preferably 15 to 45 ppm, more preferably 15 to 30 ppm, and further preferably 20 to 30 ppm.

[0029] Ethyl glucoside is a compound having a structure in which the hydroxyl group at the 1-position carbon atom of glucose is substituted with an ethoxy group. The glucose in ethyl glucoside can be either D-glucose or L-glucose, and D-glucose is preferred. As ethyl glucoside, either ethyl-α-glucoside or ethyl-β-glucoside can be used, or a combination of ethyl-α-glucoside and ethyl-β-glucoside can also be used. In the present invention, ethyl glucoside can be ethyl-α-glucoside and / or ethyl-β-glucoside. Ethyl glucoside is preferably ethyl-α-glucoside.

[0030] The content of ethyl glucoside in the beverage can be measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC method) under the following conditions.

[0031] High performance liquid chromatography: LC-2030C (manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation)

[0032] Electrospray detector: CORONA Ultra (manufactured by Thermo Fisher Scientific)

[0033] Column: COSMOSIL HILIC (manufactured by Nacalai Tesque, inner diameter 4.6 mm, length 150 mm)

[0034] Mobile phase (A): water

[0035] Mobile phase (B): acetonitrile

[0036] Flow rate: 0.5 mL / min

[0037] Bconc.: 80%

[0038] Oven temperature: 40 °C

[0039] The content of ethyl glucoside in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention is 5 to 50 ppm, preferably 10 to 30 ppm, and more preferably 10 to 25 ppm.

[0040] In the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, the contents of iso-α-acids and ethyl glucoside are set within a specified range. By setting the contents of these two components within this range, a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage with improved bitterness quality can be provided. This non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage has no residual bitterness but has a bitterness with a good sense of dissipation.

[0041] The "bitterness quality" in this specification is an index determined by the presence or absence of residual bitterness and the presence or absence of a good sense of dissipation of bitterness. When the residual bitterness is weak and the bitterness with a good sense of dissipation is strong, the bitterness quality is judged to be good.

[0042] When the content of iso-α-acids is less than 15 ppm, regardless of the content of ethyl glucoside, the residual bitterness becomes stronger.

[0043] When the content of iso-α-acids is 15 to 30 ppm, the residual bitterness tends to become weaker. When further containing 5 ppm or more of ethyl glucoside, the residual bitterness is particularly weak and the bitterness with a good sense of dissipation becomes stronger. That is, in the range where the content of iso-α-acids is 15 to 30 ppm and the content of ethyl glucoside is 5 ppm or more, the bitterness quality is improved.

[0044] In addition, when the content of iso-α-acids exceeds 30 ppm and the content of iso-α-acids relative to the content of ethyl glucoside is high, the residual bitterness becomes stronger. Specifically, when the ratio of iso-α-acids to ethyl glucoside (iso-α-acids / ethyl glucoside) exceeds 6.0, the residual bitterness becomes stronger.

[0045] When the content of iso-α-acids exceeds 30 ppm and is below 60 ppm, and the ratio of iso-α-acids to ethyl glucoside (iso-α-acids / ethyl glucoside) is 6.0 or less, the quality of the bitterness is improved.

[0046] When the content of iso-α-acids exceeds 60 ppm, in order to improve the quality of the bitterness, it is necessary to increase the content of ethyl glucoside, but in this case, astringency is strongly felt.

[0047] Ethyl glucoside has the effect of improving the quality of the bitterness when the content of iso-α-acids is 15 ppm or more, but sometimes astringency is strongly felt when the content of ethyl glucoside increases. Specifically, in a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, when the content of ethyl glucoside exceeds 50 ppm, astringency is strongly felt.

[0048] Therefore, in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, the content of ethyl glucoside is set to 50 ppm or less.

[0049] In this way, when the content of iso-α-acids and the content of ethyl glucoside are within a specified range, the quality of the bitterness is improved, and a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage with reduced astringency can be produced.

[0050] In addition, when the content of iso-α-acids is 20 - 30 ppm and the content of ethyl glucoside is 10 - 25 ppm, the wort odor can be reduced. Compared with a general beer-flavored beverage, a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage sometimes strongly feels the wort odor because it contains a large amount of aldehydes that present the wort odor. By setting the content of iso-α-acids and ethyl glucoside contained in such a beverage with a strong wort odor to a specified range, the wort odor can be reduced.

[0051] The following shows the manufacturing process of a general non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage.

[0052] Since there is no fermentation process based on yeast, a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage can be easily manufactured.

[0053] When manufacturing a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, first, to a mixture containing raw materials such as wheat or other grains, starch, sugars, bitter agents or coloring agents, etc. and water, enzymes such as amylase are added as needed, and gelatinization, saccharification and filtration are carried out to obtain a saccharified liquid. As needed, hops or bitter agents, etc. are added to the saccharified liquid and boiled, and solid components such as coagulated proteins are removed in a clarification tank. As an alternative to this saccharified liquid, hops can be added to a malt extract to which warm water has been added and boiled. The hops can be mixed at any stage from the start to the end of boiling. Conditions for the saccharification process, boiling process, solid component removal process, etc. can use known conditions. After boiling, the obtained wort is filtered, and carbon dioxide is added to the obtained filtrate. Then, it is filled into a container and the target non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage is obtained through a sterilization process.

[0054] From the perspective of imparting a liquor-like feeling to the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, aliphatic alcohols may also be added. As the aliphatic alcohols, there are no particular limitations as long as they are publicly known aliphatic alcohols, and aliphatic alcohols having 4 to 5 carbon atoms are preferred. In the present invention, as the preferred aliphatic alcohols, among the aliphatic alcohols having 4 carbon atoms, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 1-butanol, etc. can be cited, and among the aliphatic alcohols having 5 carbon atoms, 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-pentanol, etc. can be cited. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

[0055] The content of the aliphatic alcohol having 4 to 5 carbon atoms is preferably 0.0002 to 0.0007% by mass, more preferably 0.0003 to 0.0006% by mass. In this specification, the content of the aliphatic alcohol can be measured by headspace gas chromatography.

[0056] For the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, in order to meet the preference for low calories in recent years, it is desired to be low in calories. Accordingly, the calorie value of the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention is preferably less than 5 kcal / 100 mL, more preferably less than 4 kcal / 100 mL, and still more preferably less than 3 kcal / 100 mL.

[0057] The calorie value contained in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention is basically calculated in accordance with the "Analysis Methods of Nutritional Components, etc. in Nutritional Labeling Standards" published in connection with the Japanese Health Promotion Law. That is, in principle, it can be calculated by the sum of the amounts of various nutritional components determined, each multiplied by the energy conversion coefficient of each component (protein: 4 kcal / g, lipid: 9 kcal / g, saccharide: 4 kcal / g, dietary fiber: 2 kcal / g, alcohol: 7 kcal / g, organic acid: 3 kcal / g). For details, please refer to the "Analysis Methods of Nutritional Components, etc. in Nutritional Labeling Standards".

[0058] The specific measurement method of the amount of each nutritional component contained in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention can be based on various analysis methods described in the Japanese Health Promotion Law, "Analysis Methods of Nutritional Components, etc. in Nutritional Labeling Standards". Alternatively, by entrusting the Japan Food Analysis Center, such calorie and / or the amount of each nutritional component can also be obtained.

[0059] The saccharide-containing substances in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to the present invention refer to saccharide-containing substances based on the nutritional labeling standards for foods (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 176 of 2003 (2003 in the 15th year of Heisei)). Specifically, the saccharide-containing substances refer to substances obtained by removing proteins, lipids, dietary fibers, ash, alcohol components, and water from foods. In addition, the amount of saccharide-containing substances in foods is calculated by subtracting the amounts of proteins, lipids, dietary fibers, ash, and water from the weight of the food. At this time, the amounts of proteins, lipids, dietary fibers, ash, and water are measured according to the methods disclosed in the nutritional labeling standards. Specifically, the amount of protein is measured by the nitrogen quantification conversion method, the amount of lipid is measured by the ether extraction method, the chloroform and methanol mixed solution extraction method, the Gerber method, the acid decomposition method, or the Rose-Gottlieb Method, the amount of dietary fiber is measured by the high performance liquid chromatography method or the Prosky method, the amount of ash is measured by the magnesium acetate addition ashing method, the direct ashing method, or the sulfuric acid addition ashing method, and the amount of water is measured by the Karl Fischer method, the drying aid method, the reduced pressure heating drying method, the normal pressure heating drying method, or the plastic film method.

[0060] The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to the present invention can be low in saccharide-containing substances in order to meet the preference for low-saccharide substances in recent years. Therefore, the content of saccharide-containing substances in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to the present invention can be less than 2.5 g / 100 mL, or can also be less than 0.5 g / 100 mL. In addition, no lower limit is particularly set, and it is generally about 0.1 g / 100 mL. For example, it can be 0.15 g / 100 mL or more, or can also be 0.2 g / 100 mL or more.

[0061] The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to the present invention may also contain an acidulant. As the acidulant, it is preferable to use one or more acids selected from citric acid, lactic acid, phosphoric acid, and malic acid. In addition, in the present invention, as acids other than the above-mentioned acids, succinic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, glacial acetic acid, etc. can also be used. These can be used without limitation as long as they are substances approved for addition to foods. In the present invention, from the perspective of appropriately imparting a mild sour taste, a combination with lactic acid is preferably used, and from the perspective of appropriately imparting a slightly pungent sour taste, a combination with phosphoric acid is preferably used.

[0062] In the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, from the perspective of imparting a beer flavor, the content of the acidulant is preferably 200 ppm or more, more preferably 550 ppm or more, and further preferably 700 ppm or more in terms of citric acid conversion. In addition, from the perspective of sourness, it is preferably 15,000 ppm or less, more preferably 5,500 ppm or less, and further preferably 2,000 ppm or less. Therefore, in the present invention, the content of the acidulant, in terms of citric acid conversion, can be exemplified by a suitable range of 200 ppm to 15,000 ppm, preferably 550 ppm to 5,500 ppm, and more preferably 700 ppm to 1,500 ppm. In addition, in this specification, the so-called citric acid conversion amount is the amount converted from the acidity of each acidulant based on the acidity of citric acid. For example, the citric acid conversion amount equivalent to 100 ppm of lactic acid is 120 ppm, the citric acid conversion amount equivalent to 100 ppm of phosphoric acid is 200 ppm, and the citric acid conversion amount equivalent to 100 ppm of malic acid is 125 ppm for conversion.

[0063] The content of the acidulant in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage refers to the value calculated by analysis using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or the like.

[0064] In the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, a part of the raw materials can use hops.

[0065] When using hops, depending on the desired flavor, the commonly used granular hops, powdered hops, and hop extracts used in the manufacture of beer or the like can be appropriately selected for use. In addition, processed hop products such as isomerized hops and reduced hops can also be used. The hops used in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention contain these substances. In addition, the addition amount of hops is not particularly limited. Typically, it is about 0.0001 to 1% by weight based on the total amount of the beverage.

[0066] The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention can also use other raw materials as needed within the range that does not impair the effects of the present invention. For example, within the range that does not impair the effects of the present invention, sweeteners (including high-intensity sweeteners), bitter agents, flavorings, yeast extracts, coloring agents such as caramel pigments, plant-extracted saponin substances such as soy saponin or quillaia saponin, plant proteins and peptide-containing substances such as corn or soybeans, protein substances such as bovine serum albumin, seasonings such as dietary fiber or amino acids, and antioxidants such as ascorbic acid can be used as needed.

[0067] The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention can be made into a container-packed form. The form of the container is not restricted in any way and can be filled into sealed containers such as bottles, cans, barrels, or PET bottles to make a container-packed beverage.

[0068] The method for manufacturing the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention is not particularly limited. Iso-alpha acids and ethyl glucoside may be added as needed, and the contents of iso-alpha acids and ethyl glucoside may be adjusted to a specified range.

[0069] Furthermore, a method for manufacturing a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage including a step of adjusting the concentrations of iso-alpha acids and ethyl glucoside in such a manner that the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage contains 15 to 60 ppm of iso-alpha acids, 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-alpha acids to ethyl glucoside (iso-alpha acids / ethyl glucoside) is 6.0 or less, is the method for manufacturing the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention.

[0070] Furthermore, a method for improving the quality of the bitterness of a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage by making the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage contain 15 to 60 ppm of iso-alpha acids, 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and making the ratio of iso-alpha acids to ethyl glucoside (iso-alpha acids / ethyl glucoside) 6.0 or less, is the method for improving the quality of the bitterness of the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention.

[0071] In the method for manufacturing the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention and the method for improving the quality of the bitterness of the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention, more preferable concentration ranges and other preferable modes of iso-alpha acids and ethyl glucoside are the same as the concentration ranges and other preferable modes in the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage of the present invention.

[0072] Examples

[0073] Hereinafter, examples are shown to specifically illustrate the present invention, but the present invention is not limited by the following examples.

[0074] In the examples, ethyl-α-D-glucoside (hereinafter sometimes referred to as EG) is used as the ethyl glucoside. In the examples, pure water is used as the water.

[0075] As needed, commercially available non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverages are subjected to treatments such as addition of iso-alpha acids, addition of ethyl glucoside, and dilution with pure water, to prepare samples in which the contents of iso-alpha acids and ethyl glucoside are adjusted to specified values.

[0076] Regarding the bitterness and astringency of each sample, sensory evaluations are performed by two professional reviewers who are skilled in sensory evaluation. In the sensory evaluation, 10 mL of the sample is held in the mouth for 5 seconds for tasting and then spat out, and the intensities of the bitterness and astringency are evaluated. When evaluating different samples, rinse the mouth with water until the taste in the mouth disappears.

[0077] The bitterness and astringency are evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5 points according to the following evaluation criteria, with a scale of 0.5 points. Then, the average value of the scores of the professional reviewers is obtained.

[0078] Bitterness

[0079] 1 point: Strongly feel the remaining bitterness. Or can't feel the bitterness with good dissipation feeling at all.

[0080] 2 points: Feel the remaining bitterness. Or basically can't feel the bitterness with good dissipation feeling.

[0081] 3 points: Can't feel the remaining bitterness, and slightly feel the bitterness with good dissipation feeling.

[0082] 4 points: Can't feel the remaining bitterness, and feel the bitterness with good dissipation feeling.

[0083] 5 points: Can't feel the remaining bitterness, and strongly feel the bitterness with good dissipation feeling.

[0084] Astringency

[0085] 1 point: Feel it quite strongly

[0086] 2 points: Feel it strongly

[0087] 3 points: Feel it

[0088] 4 points: Slightly feel it

[0089] 5 points: Can't feel it at all

[0090] When conducting sensory evaluation, discuss among professional reviewers in advance. As the basic score, the astringency intensity of pure water (without isohumulone and ethyl glucoside) used for preparing the test sample is specified as 1 point, and the bitterness intensity is specified as 1 point.

[0091] [Table 1]

[0092]

[0093] In the range circled in Table 1, that is, when the content of isohumulone is 15 - 60 ppm, the content of ethyl glucoside is 5 - 50 ppm, and the ratio of isohumulone to ethyl glucoside (isohumulone / ethyl glucoside) is 6.0 or less, the bitterness score is 3.25 or more, and the astringency score is 3.25 or more, both are high evaluations.

[0094] In other ranges, the evaluations of bitterness or astringency are both low.

[0095] From this result, it can be known that by adjusting the content of isohumulone, the content of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of isohumulone to ethyl glucoside to the specified range, a non-alcoholic beer flavor beverage with improved bitterness quality and reduced astringency can be prepared.

[0096] In addition to this evaluation, commercially available non-alcoholic beer flavor beverages with relatively strong wort odor are subjected to treatments such as adding iso-α-acids, adding ethyl glucoside, and dilution with pure water as needed to prepare specimens with the contents of iso-α-acids and ethyl glucoside adjusted to specified values.

[0097] As a result, when the content of iso-α-acids is 20 ppm to 30 ppm and the content of ethyl glucoside is 10 ppm to 25 ppm, a reduction effect of wort odor can be seen.

[0098] Industrial Applicability

[0099] According to the present invention, a non-alcoholic beer flavor beverage with improved bitterness quality can be provided.

Claims

1. A non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, characterized in that, The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage contains 15 to 60 ppm of iso-α-acids, 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-α-acids to ethyl glucoside, i.e., iso-α-acids / ethyl glucoside, is 6.0 or less. The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage is a beer-flavored beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1%.

2. The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage according to claim 1, characterized in that, It contains 20 to 30 ppm of iso-α-acids and 10 to 25 ppm of ethyl glucoside.

3. A method for manufacturing an alcohol-free beer-flavored beverage, characterized in that, Adjust the concentrations of iso-α-acids and ethyl glucoside such that the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage contains 15 to 60 ppm of iso-α-acids, 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-α-acids to ethyl glucoside, i.e., iso-α-acids / ethyl glucoside, is 6.0 or less. The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage is a beer-flavored beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1%.

4. A method for improving the quality of the bitterness of a non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage, characterized in that, It is achieved by making the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage contain 15 to 60 ppm of iso-α-acids, 5 to 50 ppm of ethyl glucoside, and the ratio of iso-α-acids to ethyl glucoside, i.e., iso-α-acids / ethyl glucoside, is 6.0 or less. The non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage is a beer-flavored beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1%.

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