Beer-taste beverage and method for producing the same, and method for giving beer-taste beverage voluminous bitterness

Abstract

To provide a beer-taste beverage that gives sufficiently voluminous bitterness with a malt ratio and a carbohydrate content being reduced, and also has discomfort sourness reduced and gives a mild natural sweetness.SOLUTION: A beer-taste beverage has a malt ratio of less than 50 mass%, a carbohydrate content of 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, an ethyl acetate content of 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and an isoamyl acetate content of 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage, a method for producing the same, and a method for imparting a volume of bitterness to the beer-taste beverage.

Background Art

[0002] Due to the recent increasing health consciousness, the demand for beer-taste beverages with a low sugar content (for example, sugar-free beer-taste beverages) has been increasing. Therefore, methods for improving the flavor of beer-taste beverages with a low sugar content have been studied. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a low-sugar fermented beverage or a fermentation broth suitable as a raw material for producing the same, the method including: 1) a step of mixing the following components with water to prepare a fermentation stock solution: a) a sugar source containing a saccharified solution, b) an amino acid source containing leucine or a leucine residue sufficient to produce an amount of isoamyl acetate defined in the following (2) by fermentation, and c) hop and / or yeast extract as desired; and 2) a step of fermenting the fermentation stock solution with brewing yeast, wherein, at that time, (A) the amount of non-volatile substances (referred to as true extract) in the fermentation product supernatant is reduced to less than 4.0% by weight, preferably less than 2.5% by weight, and (B) fermentation is carried out until the isoamyl acetate in the fermentation product supernatant exceeds 2.0 ppm and is less than 10.0 ppm to obtain a fermentation broth, and if desired, yeast removal is carried out.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Beer-taste beverages with low carbohydrate content and low malt usage ratio (malt ratio) had the problems that the volume of bitterness was not sufficient, the sour taste was prominent, and the sweet taste was less noticeable. The inventors have found that in a beer-taste beverage with both the malt ratio and the carbohydrate content reduced, by adjusting the ethyl acetate content and the isoamyl acetate content within a specific range, a beer-taste beverage can be obtained in which the volume of bitterness is sufficiently felt, the unpleasant sour taste is reduced, and a pleasant natural sweet taste is felt. The present invention is based on this finding, and aims to provide a beer-taste beverage that, while having a low malt ratio and carbohydrate content, sufficiently feels the volume of bitterness, reduces the unpleasant sour taste, and feels a pleasant natural sweet taste.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage having a malt ratio of less than 50% by mass, a carbohydrate content of 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, an ethyl acetate content of 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and an isoamyl acetate content of 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less.

[0006] In the beer-taste beverage according to the present invention, since the ethyl acetate content and the isoamyl acetate content are within a specific range, even though the malt ratio and the carbohydrate content are low, the volume of bitterness is sufficiently felt, the unpleasant sour taste is reduced, and a pleasant natural sweet taste is felt.

[0007] The above beer-taste beverage may have a carbohydrate content of 0.3 g / 100 mL or more and 1.0 g / 100 mL or less. Even when the carbohydrate content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present invention is reduced to within the above range, the above-described effects are achieved.

[0008] The present invention also relates to a method for producing a beer-taste beverage, which includes adjusting the malt ratio to less than 50% by mass, adjusting the carbohydrate content to 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, adjusting the ethyl acetate content to 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and adjusting the isoamyl acetate content to 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less.

[0009] Since the production method according to the present invention includes adjusting the malt ratio, the carbohydrate content, the ethyl acetate content, and the isoamyl acetate content within specific ranges respectively, it is possible to obtain a beer-taste beverage in which, even though the malt ratio and the carbohydrate content are low, the volume of bitterness is sufficiently felt, an unpleasant sour taste is reduced, and a gentle natural sweetness is felt.

[0010] The present invention can also be regarded as a method for imparting a volume of bitterness to a beer-taste beverage, which includes adjusting the malt ratio to less than 50% by mass, adjusting the carbohydrate content to 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, adjusting the ethyl acetate content to 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and adjusting the isoamyl acetate content to 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beer-taste beverage in which, even though the malt ratio and the carbohydrate content are low, the volume of bitterness is sufficiently felt, an unpleasant sour taste is reduced, and a gentle natural sweetness is felt.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, the modes for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0013] 〔Beer-Taste Beverage〕 The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment has a malt ratio of less than 50% by mass, a saccharide content of 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, an ethyl acetate content of 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and an isoamyl acetate content of 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less. The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment has an ethyl acetate content and an isoamyl acetate content within a specific range, so that even though the malt ratio and the saccharide content are low, the volume of bitterness can be sufficiently felt, an unpleasant sour taste is reduced, and a gentle natural sweetness can be felt.

[0014] In this specification, "beer - flavored beverage" means a beverage having a beer - like aroma. The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be a beer - flavored alcoholic beverage with an alcohol content of 1 v / v% or more, or a non - alcoholic beer - flavored beverage with an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v%. In this specification, alcohol means ethanol unless otherwise specified.

[0015] Examples of beer - flavored alcoholic beverages include, but are not limited to, fermented liquors, other brewed liquors, and liqueurs as defined by the Liquor Tax Act (Act No. 8 of 2020). The beer - flavored alcoholic beverage according to this embodiment is not limited to those exemplified above.

[0016] The alcohol content of the beer - flavored alcoholic beverage is not particularly limited and may be, for example, 1 v / v% or more, 2 v / v% or more, 3 v / v% or more, 4 v / v% or more, or 5 v / v% or more. Also, the alcohol content of the beer - flavored alcoholic beverage may be, for example, 20 v / v% or less, 15 v / v% or less, 10 v / v% or less, 9 v / v% or less, 8 v / v% or less, 7 v / v% or less, 6 v / v% or less, 5 v / v% or less, 4 v / v% or less, or 3 v / v% or less.

[0017] A non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage is a beer-taste beverage that substantially contains no alcohol. The alcohol content of the non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage may be less than 1 v / v%, may be 0.5 v / v% or less, may be 0.1 v / v% or less, and may even be less than 0.005 v / v% (0.00 v / v%).

[0018] The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, based on the vibrating densitometer method described in the "3 Sake 3-4 Alcohol Content" of the National Tax Agency's Prescribed Analytical Method (Ordinance).

[0019] The ethyl acetate content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less. The ethyl acetate content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may, for example, be 25 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, may be 30 mg / L or more and 60 mg / L or less, may be 35 mg / L or more and 55 mg / L or less, and may be 40 mg / L or more and 50 mg / L or less, since the effects according to the present invention become more remarkable.

[0020] The ethyl acetate content in the beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by the method described in "8.22 Low-Boiling Aroma Components" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewing Federation [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision).

[0021] The ethyl acetate content in the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be adjusted, for example, by a method of adding ethyl acetate so that the content falls within the above range when producing the beer-taste beverage by a conventional method, a method of appropriately selecting raw material types that increase or decrease the content of ethyl acetate, a method of controlling the production amount of ethyl acetate by controlling brewing conditions (e.g., fermentation temperature, etc.), a method of using ethyl acetate-high-producing yeast, and a method of arbitrarily combining these. In the method of adding ethyl acetate, ethyl acetate itself may be added, or a flavor composition, raw material, etc. containing ethyl acetate may be added.

[0022] The content of isoamyl acetate in the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less. Since the effect according to the present invention becomes more remarkable, the content of isoamyl acetate in the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 3.0 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less, may be 3.5 mg / L or more and 6.5 mg / L or less, may be 4.0 mg / L or more and 6.0 mg / L or less, or may be 4.5 mg / L or more and 5.5 mg / L or less.

[0023] The content of isoamyl acetate in the beer - flavored beverage can be measured, for example, by the method described in "8.22 Low - boiling - point aroma components" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewing Association [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision).

[0024] The content of isoamyl acetate in the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be adjusted, for example, by a method of adding isoamyl acetate so that the content is within the above range when producing the beer - flavored beverage by a conventional method, a method of appropriately selecting raw material types such that the content of isoamyl acetate becomes higher or lower, a method of controlling the production amount of isoamyl acetate by controlling brewing conditions (for example, fermentation temperature, etc.), a method of using yeast with high isoamyl acetate - producing ability, and a method of arbitrarily combining these. In the method of adding isoamyl acetate, the addition of isoamyl acetate may be, for example, adding isoamyl acetate itself, or adding a flavor composition, raw material, etc. containing isoamyl acetate.

[0025] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain wheat raw materials as raw materials. In this specification, wheat raw materials refer to wheat or processed wheat products. Examples of wheat include barley, wheat, rye, crow wheat, oats, pearl barley, and emmer wheat. Examples of processed wheat products include wheat extract, malt, and malt extract. Wheat extract is obtained by extracting wheat extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from wheat. Malt is obtained by germinating wheat. As malt, colored malt (for example, caramel malt, crystal malt, black malt, chocolate malt, coffee malt, etc.) produced by performing drying or roasting during the production of malt at a relatively high temperature (for example, about 120°C) and charring may be used. Malt extract is obtained by extracting extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from malt.

[0026] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain hops as raw materials. Hops include, for example, dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extracts, and also include hop processed products such as low - alpha hops, hexahops, tetra hops, and isomerized hop extracts.

[0027] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment has a malt ratio (the ratio of malt in raw materials other than water and hops) of less than 50% by mass. The malt ratio may be 5% by mass or more, 10% by mass or more, 15% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, or 45% by mass or more. Also, the malt ratio may be 45% by mass or less, 40% by mass or less, 35% by mass or less, 30% by mass or less, 25% by mass or less, less than 25% by mass, 20% by mass or less, 15% by mass or less, or 10% by mass or less.

[0028] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may contain saccharides as raw materials. Examples of saccharides include liquid sugar and powdered sugars such as granulated sugar. When using saccharides, the usage ratio of saccharides (the ratio in raw materials other than water and hops) may be, for example, 10% by mass or more, 15% by mass or more, 20% by mass or more, 25% by mass or more, 30% by mass or more, 35% by mass or more, or 40% by mass or more. Also, the usage ratio of saccharides (the ratio in raw materials other than water and hops) may be, for example, less than 100% by mass, 95% by mass or less, 90% by mass or less, 85% by mass or less, 80% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, or 60% by mass or less.

[0029] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may contain water-soluble dietary fiber as a raw material. Water-soluble dietary fiber is dietary fiber soluble in water. Dietary fiber is an indigestible component in food that is not digested by human digestive enzymes. Examples of water-soluble dietary fiber may include indigestible dextrin, indigestible glucan, and other indigestible polysaccharides. The water-soluble dietary fiber may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When using water-soluble dietary fiber, the usage ratio of water-soluble dietary fiber (the ratio in raw materials other than water and hops) may be, for example, 1% by mass or more, 2% by mass or more, 3% by mass or more, 4% by mass or more, or 5% by mass or more. Also, the usage ratio of water-soluble dietary fiber (the ratio in raw materials other than water and hops) may be, for example, 10% by mass or less, 9% by mass or less, 8% by mass or less, 7% by mass or less, or 6% by mass or less.

[0030] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may contain bitter agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavors, salts, etc. that are usually blended in beverages, as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of bitter agents include, in addition to the above-mentioned hops, isohumulone, caffeine, gentiana extract, peptides, theobromine, naringin, nigaaki extract, niga yomogi extract, cinchona extract, etc. Examples of coloring agents include caramel pigment, gardenia pigment, fruit juice pigment, vegetable pigment, and synthetic pigment. Examples of sweeteners include fructose glucose syrup, glucose, galactose, mannose, fructose, lactose, sucrose, maltose, glycogen, and starch. Examples of high-intensity sweeteners include neotame, acesulfame K, sucralose, saccharin, sodium saccharin, disodium glycyrrhizinate, tichloro, zurutin, stevia, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, monellin, aspartame, and alitame. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenol. Examples of acidulants include phosphoric acid, lactic acid, DL-malic acid, citric acid, adipic acid, trisodium citrate, glucono-delta-lactone, gluconic acid, potassium gluconate, sodium gluconate, succinic acid, sodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L-tartaric acid, sodium DL-tartrate, sodium L-tartrate, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, sodium fumarate, and sodium DL-malate. Examples of salts include sodium chloride, potassium acid phosphate, calcium acid phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate.

[0031] The carbohydrate content of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be 2.0 g / 100 mL or less. The carbohydrate content of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 1.8 g / 100 mL or less, 1.6 g / 100 mL or less, 1.4 g / 100 mL or less, 1.2 g / 100 mL or less, 1.0 g / 100 mL or less, 0.9 g / 100 mL or less, 0.8 g / 100 mL or less, 0.7 g / 100 mL or less, 0.6 g / 100 mL or less, or even "zero carbohydrates" in the nutrition labeling standard, that is, 0.5 g / 100 mL or less. The carbohydrate content of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, more than 0 g / 100 mL, 0.1 g / 100 mL or more, 0.2 g / 100 mL or more, 0.3 g / 100 mL or more, 0.4 g / 100 mL or more. The carbohydrate content can be adjusted according to the types and amounts of raw materials used, etc.

[0032] In this specification, "carbohydrates" refers to carbohydrates based on the Food Nutrition Labeling Standard (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Notification No. 176 of 2003). Specifically, carbohydrates refer to what remains after removing protein, lipid, dietary fiber, ash, moisture, and alcohol from food. The carbohydrate content in the beer - flavored beverage is calculated by subtracting the amounts of protein, lipid, dietary fiber, ash, moisture, and alcohol from the weight of the beer - flavored beverage. The amounts of protein, lipid, ash, and moisture are measured by the methods listed in the nutrition labeling standard. The amount of alcohol can be measured together with the amount of moisture. Specifically, the amount of protein is measured by the method for quantitative determination of total nitrogen (protein) by the modified Dumas method, the amount of lipid is measured by the ether extraction method, chloroform - methanol mixed solution extraction method, Gerber method, acid decomposition method, or 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 - added ashing method, direct ashing method, or sulfuric acid - added ashing method, and the amounts of moisture and alcohol can be measured by the Karl Fischer method, drying aid method, vacuum heating drying method, atmospheric pressure heating drying method, or plastic film method.

[0033] The bitterness value (BU) of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.0 or more and 50.0 or less. The BU of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 40.0 or less, 30.0 or less, 20.0 or less, or 15.0 or less, and may be 1.0 or more, 2.0 or more, 3.0 or more, 4.0 or more, 5.0 or more, or 10.0 or more. The bitterness value of the beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be measured by the method described in "8.15 Bitterness value" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewing Association [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision). The bitterness value can be appropriately set within the above range, for example, by adjusting the types and amounts of raw materials used.

[0034] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment may be non - foaming or foaming. Here, non - foaming means that the gas pressure at 20°C is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm 2 ), and foaming means that the gas pressure at 20°C is 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm 2 ) or more. When it is foaming, the upper limit of the gas pressure may be about 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg / cm 2 ).

[0035] The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. The container may be any that can be sealed, and so - called can containers or barrel containers made of metal (such as aluminum or steel) can be applied. Also, glass containers, PET bottle containers, paper containers, pouch containers, etc. can be applied as the container. The capacity of the container is not particularly limited, and any currently in circulation can be applied. In view of the fact that it is possible to completely block gas, moisture, and light rays and maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long time, it is preferable to apply a metal container.

[0036] 〔Manufacturing method of beer - flavored beverage〕 The beer - flavored beverage according to this embodiment can be produced by a production method including, for example, adjusting the malt ratio of the beer - flavored beverage to less than 50% by mass, adjusting the carbohydrate content in the beer - flavored beverage to 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, adjusting the ethyl acetate content in the beer - flavored beverage to 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and adjusting the isoamyl acetate content in the beer - flavored beverage to 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less. The production method may, for example, mix raw materials to produce a beer - flavored beverage (method by blending), or may produce a beer - flavored beverage through fermentation by yeast or the like (fermentation method).

[0037] A production method according to one embodiment (method by blending) includes, for example, a blending step of blending water, ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, and, if necessary, alcohol (for example, raw material alcohol, distilled alcohol such as spirits and vodka, fermentation broth obtained by brewing) and / or various additives (for example, bitter agents, coloring agents, sweeteners, high - intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavors, salts, water - soluble dietary fibers, etc.) and other raw materials such as wort into a raw material tank. The blending step can be carried out according to a conventional method, except for adjusting the malt ratio, carbohydrate content, ethyl acetate content, and isoamyl acetate content within the above - mentioned ranges. Ethyl acetate may be blended as ethyl acetate itself, or as a flavor composition, food additive, or raw material containing ethyl acetate. Isoamyl acetate may be blended as isoamyl acetate itself, or as a flavor composition, food additive, raw material, etc. containing isoamyl acetate.

[0038] The production method according to this embodiment may further include a filtration step of filtering the mixed liquid obtained by mixing each component in the blending step, a first sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filtered in the filtration step, a filling step of filling the sterilized filtrate sterilized in the first sterilization step into containers such as bottles, cans, and PET bottles, and a second sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filled into the containers together with the containers.

[0039] For the mixing process, it may be mixed while stirring with a stirrer or the like so that each component is well mixed. Also, the filtration process can be carried out, for example, by a general filter or strainer. From the viewpoint of processing speed and the like, the first sterilization process may be carried out by plate sterilization, and as long as the same processing can be carried out, it is applicable without being limited thereto. The filling process may be carried out in a clean room maintained at a cleanliness level usually maintained in the production of beverages. The second sterilization process can be carried out by heating the filtered liquid together with the container at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined time. The first or second sterilization process may be a non-heat sterilization process. Examples of the non-heat sterilization process include ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. It is also possible to carry out aseptic filling without performing a sterilization process.

[0040] The production method (fermentation method) in other embodiments includes, for example, a charging process and a fermentation process.

[0041] The charging process is a process of preparing a pre-fermentation liquid used for fermentation. The charging process may be, for example, a process of obtaining a pre-fermentation liquid using raw materials and charging water (water used in the charging process). The charging process may also, for example, include a boiling process of boiling a sugar-containing liquid, a removing process of removing solids in the raw material liquid, and a cooling process of cooling the raw material liquid in this order.

[0042] In the boiling process, the sugar-containing liquid is boiled to obtain a post-boiling liquid (sugar-containing liquid after boiling). The sugar-containing liquid contains components capable of alcoholic fermentation by yeast. Examples of the sugar-containing liquid include wort and syrup. Wort is a liquid obtained through saccharification of the above-mentioned wheat raw materials and the like and is unfermented. Wort can be obtained, for example, through a process of mixing the above-mentioned raw materials such as wheat raw materials and water, a process of saccharifying the liquid containing the raw materials and water by a conventional method to obtain a saccharified liquid, and a process of filtering the saccharified liquid.

[0043] In the boiling step, hops may be added to the raw material liquid. As the hops to be added, for example, dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extracts can be used. The hops may be processed hop products such as low hops, hexahops, tetra hops, and isomerized hop extracts.

[0044] In the removal step, the solid content in the post-boiling liquid is removed to obtain a purified liquid. The removal step can be carried out, for example, by precipitating the insoluble solid content contained in the post-boiling liquid. Examples of the solid content include heat coagulants generated in the boiling step and hop dregs when hops are added in the boiling step. The removal step may be carried out in the whirlpool. In the cooling step, the purified liquid is cooled to a temperature at which fermentation by yeast is possible to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid.

[0045] The fermentation step is a step of fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast. Through the fermentation step, a post-fermentation liquid obtained by fermenting the pre-fermentation liquid with yeast is obtained. In the fermentation step, alcoholic fermentation is carried out by yeast. More specifically, yeast is inoculated into the pre-fermentation liquid and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast.

[0046] In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, as a post-fermentation step after the fermentation step, a step of aging and cooling the post-fermentation liquid and a step of filtering the post-fermentation liquid may be provided. By carrying out the filtering step, insoluble solid content, yeast, etc. can be removed from the post-fermentation liquid.

[0047] In the manufacturing method according to this embodiment, as other post-fermentation steps, heating (sterilization), addition of various additives (for example, bittering agents, coloring agents, sweetening agents, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts, water-soluble dietary fibers), etc. may be carried out on the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the filtering step).

[0048] The adjustment of the ethyl acetate content can be carried out, for example, by adding ethyl acetate to the raw material liquid. In this specification, the raw material liquid means the liquid that serves as the basis for the beer - flavored beverage. The raw material liquid includes the liquids used or produced in each step (for example, the sugar - containing liquid, the liquid after boiling, the purified liquid, the liquid before fermentation, the liquid after fermentation). The adjustment of the ethyl acetate content can also be carried out, for example, by appropriately selecting the type of raw material such that the ethyl acetate content becomes higher or lower, a method of controlling the brewing conditions (for example, fermentation temperature, etc.) to control the production amount of ethyl acetate, a method using yeast with high ethyl acetate - producing ability, and a method of arbitrarily combining these to adjust the ethyl acetate content.

[0049] The adjustment of the isoamyl acetate content can be carried out, for example, by adding isoamyl acetate to the raw material liquid. Also, the adjustment of the isoamyl acetate content can be carried out by appropriately selecting the type of raw material such that the isoamyl acetate content becomes higher or lower, a method of controlling the brewing conditions (for example, fermentation temperature, etc.) to control the production amount of isoamyl acetate, a method using yeast with high isoamyl acetate - producing ability, and a method of arbitrarily combining these.

[0050] 〔Method for imparting bitterness volume to beer - flavored beverage〕 The present invention described above can also be regarded as a method for imparting bitterness volume to a beer - flavored beverage, which includes adjusting the malt ratio to less than 50% by mass, adjusting the sugar content to 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, adjusting the ethyl acetate content to 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and adjusting the isoamyl acetate content to 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less. As specific aspects and the like in this method, the above - described aspects can be applied without limitation.

Examples

[0051] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically based on examples. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0052] [Test Example 1: Production and Evaluation of Beer-Taste Beverage] (Production of Beer-Taste Beverage) Using malt (malt ratio less than 50% by mass), saccharides (proportion in raw materials other than water and hops 40% by mass or more), hops, and water-soluble dietary fiber, a pre-fermentation liquid was obtained by a conventional method. Beer yeast was added to the pre-fermentation liquid and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. After adding alcohol to the post-fermentation liquid, this was filtered to obtain the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 1-1 (alcohol content 4.34 v / v%, ethyl acetate content 14.9 mg / L, isoamyl acetate content 2.0 mg / L, saccharide content 0.39 g / 100 mL, BU 22.6). Next, ethyl acetate and / or isoamyl acetate were added to the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 1-1 to the concentrations shown in Table 1 to obtain the beer-taste beverages of Test Examples 1-2 to 1-10.

[0053] The saccharide content in the beer-taste beverage was measured by the following method. First, the amounts of moisture, alcohol, protein, and ash in the measurement sample were measured respectively. The total weight of moisture and alcohol was measured by the normal-pressure heating drying method. The protein amount was measured by the quantitative method of total nitrogen (protein) by the modified Dumas method. The ash amount was measured by the direct ashing method. Assuming the lipid amount in the measurement sample to be 0 g / 100 mL, the value obtained by subtracting the amounts of moisture, alcohol, protein, ash, and dietary fiber from the weight of the measurement sample was calculated as the saccharide content (g / 100 mL) of the measurement sample.

[0054] The ethyl acetate content and isoamyl acetate content of the beer-taste beverage were measured by the method described in "8.22 Low-Boiling Aroma Components" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Japan Brewing Association, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Beer Brewing Federation [Analysis Committee], 2013 Supplement and Revision).

[0055] (Sensory Evaluation) For the obtained beer-taste beverage, a sensory evaluation was conducted on the evaluation items of "unpleasant sourness", "volume of bitterness", and "gentle natural sweetness". The sensory evaluation was carried out by 4 selected panelists with discriminative ability. All evaluation items were evaluated on a 5-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average value was used as the evaluation score.

[0056] For "unpleasant sourness", the higher the score, the stronger the feeling of unpleasant sourness. That is, the lower the score of unpleasant sourness, the more favorable it feels. For "volume of bitterness", the higher the score, the stronger the feeling of the volume of bitterness. For "gentle natural sweetness", the higher the score, the stronger the feeling of gentle natural sweetness (not only the simple sweetness intensity but also the soft sweetness). Incidentally, the scores of "unpleasant sourness", "volume of bitterness", and "gentle natural sweetness" of the beer-taste beverage in Test Example 1-1 were fixed at 5 points, 1 point, and 1 point respectively, and other beer-taste beverages were evaluated based on this. The results are shown in Table 1.

[0057]

Table 1

[0058] As shown in Table 1, even for a beer-taste beverage with a low malt ratio and sugar content, when the ethyl acetate content is in the range of 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and the isoamyl acetate content is in the range of 2.5 mg / L or more and 7.0 mg / L or less, the "unpleasant sourness" is reduced, and the "volume of bitterness" and "gentle natural sweetness" can be fully felt.

Claims

1. A beer-flavored beverage having a malt ratio of less than 50% by mass, a carbohydrate content of 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, an ethyl acetate content of 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and an isoamyl acetate content of 3.5 mg / L or more and 6.5 mg / L or less.

2. 2. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, having a carbohydrate content of 0.3 g / 100 mL or more and 1.0 g / 100 mL or less.

3. 3. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1 or 2, which contains malt as an ingredient.

4. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which has a bitterness value (BU) of 10.0 or more.

5. A method for producing a beer-taste beverage, comprising adjusting the malt ratio to less than 50 mass%, adjusting the carbohydrate content to 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, adjusting the ethyl acetate content to 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and adjusting the isoamyl acetate content to 3.5 mg / L or more and 6.5 mg / L or less.

6. The method for producing a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage according to claim 5 , except for the method for producing a beer-flavored alcoholic beverage, characterized in that a saccharified liquid consisting essentially of monosaccharides and disaccharides is added as a sugar source to a pre-fermentation liquid to carry out fermentation.

7. A method for imparting volume of bitterness to a beer-flavored beverage, comprising adjusting the malt ratio to less than 50 mass%, adjusting the carbohydrate content to 2.0 g / 100 mL or less, adjusting the ethyl acetate content to 20 mg / L or more and 65 mg / L or less, and adjusting the isoamyl acetate content to 3.5 mg / L or more and 6.5 mg / L or less.

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