Beer-flavored beverages

Abstract

To provide a beer-flavored beverage (beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverage) having an excellent mildness typical of a beer-flavored beverage. [Solution] A beer-flavored beverage containing ethyl acetate and ethanol, wherein the ethyl acetate content is 1 mg / L or more and 80 mg / L or less, and the ethanol content is 0.005 v / v% or more and less than 0.75 v / v%.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the market for beer-taste beverages (beer-taste non-alcoholic beverages) with an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v% has expanded. In addition, various methods for producing beer-taste non-alcoholic beverages with flavor characteristics reminiscent of beer-taste beverages have been disclosed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for producing a low-alcohol beer-like beverage, which is characterized by diluting beer and / or happoshu to an alcohol concentration of less than 1 v / v% and blending additives that impart visual and flavor characteristics resembling beer. In addition, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for producing an unfermented beer-taste beverage, which comprises blending raw materials so that the ethyl acetate content in the beverage is adjusted to within the range of 1 to 15 mg / L and / or the isoamyl acetate content in the beverage is adjusted to within the range of 0.5 to 10 mg / L, and adding a bitter component. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2004 / 018612 [Patent Document 2] JP 2017-216891 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the effect of combining trace amounts of ethanol and ethyl acetate on the flavor of beer-flavored beverages was not previously known.

[0005] The present invention aims to provide a beer-taste beverage (a non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage) that has an excellent mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present inventors have found that a beer-taste non-alcoholic beverage containing a specific amount of ethyl acetate and a specific amount of ethanol has an improved mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. The present invention is based on this novel finding.

[0007] The present invention relates to a beer-taste beverage containing ethyl acetate and ethanol, wherein the ethyl acetate content is equal to or greater than 1 mg / L and equal to or less than 80 mg / L, and the ethanol content is equal to or greater than 0.005 v / v% and less than 0.75 v / v%.

[0008] The beer-taste beverage according to the present invention contains a combination of a specific amount of ethyl acetate and a specific amount of ethanol, and therefore has an excellent mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage.

[0009] The beer-taste beverage may have a propylene glycol and glycerin content of at least 0 mg / L and at most 9000 mg / L, respectively, which will further enhance the effects of the present invention.

[0010] The beer-taste beverage may have a propylene glycol content of more than 0 mg / L and not more than 9,000 mg / L, or a glycerin content of more than 0 mg / L and not more than 9,000 mg / L, which will result in a beer-taste beverage that exhibits a significantly superior mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, as well as a moderate alcoholic feel and a crispness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage.

[0011] In the beer-taste beverage, the ethyl acetate content may be at least 25 mg / L, which will result in a beer-taste beverage that is significantly superior in terms of the mildness characteristic of beer-taste beverages, as well as a significantly superior moderate alcoholic flavor characteristic of beer-taste beverages.

[0012] The ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage may be less than 0.50 v / v%, or may be 0.05 v / v% or more and less than 0.50 v / v%, resulting in a beer-taste beverage that has an excellent mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage and also has an appropriate alcoholic taste characteristic of a beer-taste beverage.

[0013] The present invention also relates to a method for improving the mildness of a beer-taste beverage, which comprises adding ethyl acetate to the beer-taste beverage in an amount of 1 mg / L or more and 80 mg / L or less, and adding ethanol to the beer-taste beverage in an amount of 0.005 v / v% or more and less than 0.75 v / v%. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a beer-taste beverage (a non-alcoholic beer-taste beverage) that has an excellent mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. According to the present invention, it is also possible to provide a method for improving the mildness of a beer-taste beverage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment.

[0016] [Beer-flavored beverages] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains ethyl acetate and ethanol, with the ethyl acetate content being between 1 mg / L and 80 mg / L and the ethanol content being between 0.005% v / v and less than 0.75% v / v. Because the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains a combination of a specific amount of ethyl acetate and a specific amount of ethanol, it has an excellent mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage.

[0017] In this specification, the term "beer-taste beverage" refers to a beverage that has a beer-like flavor. The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment is a non-alcoholic beverage (beer-taste non-alcoholic beverage) with an alcohol content of less than 1 v / v%. In this specification, alcohol refers to ethanol unless otherwise specified.

[0018] The ethyl acetate content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be 1 mg / L or more and 80 mg / L or less. From the viewpoint of further improving the mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, the ethyl acetate content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be 2 mg / L or more, 3 mg / L or more, 4 mg / L or more, 5 mg / L or more, 6 mg / L or more, 7 mg / L or more, 8 mg / L or more, 9 mg / L or more, 10 mg / L or more, 15 mg / L or more, 20 mg / L or more, 25 mg / L or more, 30 mg / L or more, or 35 mg / L or more. From the same viewpoint, the ethyl acetate content of the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment may be 75 mg / L or less, 70 mg / L or less, 65 mg / L or less, 60 mg / L or less, 55 mg / L or less, 50 mg / L or less, 45 mg / L or less, or 40 mg / L or less.

[0019] The ethyl acetate content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 3 mg / L or more and 80 mg / L or less. When the ethyl acetate content is within this range, in addition to the mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, the beer-taste beverage is also excellent in a moderate alcoholic feeling characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. From the viewpoint of the mildness and alcoholic feeling, the ethyl acetate content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 5 mg / L or more and 70 mg / L or less, 10 mg / L or more and 60 mg / L or less, 25 mg / L or more and 55 mg / L or less, 30 mg / L or more and 50 mg / L or less, 35 mg / L or more and 45 mg / L or less, or 35 mg / L or more and 40 mg / L or less.

[0020] The ethyl acetate content in a beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by the method described in "8.22 Low-boiling point aroma components" in the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Methods (published by the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the International Technical Committee [Analysis Committee] of the Beer Brewers Association, revised and expanded in 2013).

[0021] The ethyl acetate content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be adjusted, for example, by adding ethyl acetate so that the content falls within the above-mentioned range when producing a beer-taste beverage by a conventional method, by appropriately selecting the types of raw materials or yeast that result in a high or low ethyl acetate content, by controlling the amount of ethyl acetate produced by controlling the brewing conditions (e.g., fermentation temperature and fermentation period, etc.), or by any combination of these. In the method of adding ethyl acetate, for example, ethyl acetate itself may be added, or a flavoring composition containing ethyl acetate may be added.

[0022] The ethanol content (alcohol content) of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.005 v / v% or more and less than 0.75 v / v%. From the viewpoint of further improving the mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, the ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.01 v / v% or more, 0.02 v / v% or more, 0.03 v / v% or more, 0.04 v / v% or more, 0.05 v / v% or more, 0.06 v / v% or more, 0.07 v / v% or more, 0.08 v / v% or more, 0.09 v / v% or more, or 0.10 v / v% or more. From the same viewpoint, the ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.70 v / v% or less, 0.60 v / v% or less, 0.50 v / v% or less, less than 0.50 v / v%, 0.40 v / v% or less, or 0.30 v / v% or less.

[0023] The ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.04 v / v% or more and less than 0.50 v / v%. When the ethanol content is within this range, in addition to the mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, the beer-taste beverage also has an excellent moderate alcoholic feel characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. From the standpoint of the mildness and alcoholic feel, the ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be 0.05 v / v% or more and less than 0.50 v / v%, 0.06 v / v% or more and less than 0.50 v / v%, 0.08 v / v% or more and less than 0.50 v / v%, or 0.10 v / v% or more and less than 0.50 v / v%.

[0024] The ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, from 0.005 v / v% to less than 0.50 v / v%, or from 0.005 v / v% to less than 0.05 v / v%. If the ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment is within this range, the mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage is sufficiently enhanced, and the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be prepared as a beer-taste beverage with a low alcohol content.

[0025] The ethanol content (alcohol content) of a beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, based on the vibration density meter method described in the National Tax Agency's prescribed analytical method (instruction) "3 Sake 3-4 Alcohol content."

[0026] The ethanol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be adjusted to fall within the above range, for example, by adding alcohol, or by removing alcohol from a fermented liquid obtained by brewing, or by using a combination of these. There is no particular limit to the alcohol added, and it may be, for example, distilled alcohol (e.g., raw material alcohol, spirits, vodka), or a fermented liquid obtained by brewing. There is no particular limit to the method for removing alcohol from a fermented liquid obtained by brewing, and it may be carried out according to a conventional method such as distillation or dialysis.

[0027] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain propylene glycol. When the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains propylene glycol, the propylene glycol content is preferably more than 0 mg / L and not more than 9000 mg / L. When the propylene glycol content is within this range, the beer-taste beverage has a significantly excellent mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, and also has an appropriate alcoholic feel and a crispness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. From a similar standpoint, the propylene glycol content may be 10 mg / L or more, 20 mg / L or more, 30 mg / L or more, 40 mg / L or more, 50 mg / L or more, 60 mg / L or more, 70 mg / L or more, 80 mg / L or more, 90 mg / L or more, or 100 mg / L or more, and may be 8000 mg / L or less, 7000 mg / L or less, 6000 mg / L or less, 5000 mg / L or less, 4000 mg / L or less, 3000 mg / L or less, or 2000 mg / L or less.

[0028] The propylene glycol content in a beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by GC-MS.

[0029] The propylene glycol content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be adjusted, for example, by adding propylene glycol. The propylene glycol added may be propylene glycol itself, or a flavoring composition, food additive, or the like that contains propylene glycol.

[0030] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain glycerin. When the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment contains glycerin, the glycerin content is preferably more than 0 mg / L and not more than 9000 mg / L. If the glycerin content is within this range, the beer-taste beverage will have a significantly excellent mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, as well as an appropriate alcoholic feel and a crispness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. From a similar viewpoint, the glycerin content may be 10 mg / L or more, 20 mg / L or more, 30 mg / L or more, 40 mg / L or more, 50 mg / L or more, 60 mg / L or more, 70 mg / L or more, 80 mg / L or more, 90 mg / L or more, or 100 mg / L or more, and may be 8000 mg / L or less, 7000 mg / L or less, 6000 mg / L or less, 5000 mg / L or less, 4000 mg / L or less, 3000 mg / L or less, or 2000 mg / L or less.

[0031] The glycerin content of a beer-taste beverage can be measured, for example, by GC-MS.

[0032] The glycerin content of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be adjusted, for example, by adding glycerin. The glycerin added may be glycerin itself, or a flavoring composition, food additive, or the like that contains glycerin.

[0033] When the beer-taste beverage according to the present embodiment contains at least one selected from propylene glycol and glycerin, the total content of propylene glycol and glycerin (when only one of them is contained, the content) is preferably more than 0 mg / L and less than 9000 mg / L. The total content of propylene glycol and glycerin (when only one of them is contained, the content) may be 10 mg / L or more, 20 mg / L or more, 30 mg / L or more, 40 mg / L or more, 50 mg / L or more, 60 mg / L or more, 70 mg / L or more, 80 mg / L or more, 90 mg / L or more, or 100 mg / L or more, and may be 8000 mg / L or less, 7000 mg / L or less, 6000 mg / L or less, 5000 mg / L or less, 4000 mg / L or less, 3000 mg / L or less, or 2000 mg / L or less.

[0034] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain a barley raw material as a raw material. In this specification, the barley raw material refers to barley or a processed barley product. Examples of barley include barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, and oats. Examples of processed barley include barley extract, malt, and malt extract. Barley extract is obtained by extracting barley extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from barley. Malt is obtained by germinating barley. Malt extract is obtained by extracting extract components containing sugar and nitrogen from malt.

[0035] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may or may not contain hops as an ingredient. Hops include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract, as well as hop processed products such as low hops, hexahops, tetrahops, and iso-hop extracts.

[0036] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may have a malt ratio (the ratio of malt to the ingredients other than water and hops) of 0% by weight or more and 100% by weight or less. The malt ratio may be 10% by weight or more, 20% by weight or more, 30% by weight or more, 40% by weight or more, 50% by weight or more, 60% by weight or more, 65% by weight or more, 66% by weight or more, 67% by weight or more, 70% by weight or more, 80% by weight or more, 90% by weight or more, 95% by weight or more, 99% by weight or more, or 100% by weight. The malt ratio may also be less than 100% by weight, 90% by weight or less, 95% by weight or less, 90% by weight or less, 80% by weight or less, 70% by weight or less, 60% by weight or less, or 50% by weight or less.

[0037] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may contain colorants, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavors, salts, and the like that are typically blended into beverages, provided that the effects of the present invention are not impaired. Examples of colorants include caramel color, gardenia color, fruit juice color, vegetable color, and synthetic color. Examples of sweeteners include high-fructose glucose liquid sugar, 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, cyclamate, dulcin, stevia, glycyrrhizin, thaumatin, monellin, aspartame, and alitame. Examples of antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, and polyphenols. Examples of the acidulant 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, monosodium succinate, disodium succinate, sodium acetate, DL-tartaric acid, L-tartaric acid, DL-sodium tartrate, L-sodium tartrate, sodium lactate, glacial acetic acid, fumaric acid, monosodium fumarate, and DL-sodium malate. Examples of the salts include table salt, potassium acid phosphate, calcium acid phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, and ammonium sulfate.

[0038] The bitterness value (BU) of the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be, for example, 0.0 or more and 50.0 or less. The BU of the beer-taste 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-taste 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 Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the International Technical Committee of Brewers Association of Japan (Analysis Committee), revised and expanded in 2013). The bitterness value can be appropriately set within the above range, for example, by adjusting the type and amount of raw material used.

[0039] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be either non-sparkling or sparkling. Here, non-sparkling refers to a beverage that has a gas pressure of 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm) at 20°C. 2 ) at 20°C, and foaming is when the gas pressure is less than 0.049 MPa (0.5 kg / cm 2 ) or more. For foaming, the upper limit of the gas pressure is 0.294 MPa (3.0 kg / cm 2 ) may be acceptable.

[0040] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment can be provided in a container. Any container that can be sealed can be used, and so-called can containers or barrel containers made of metal (such as aluminum or steel). Glass containers, PET bottle containers, paper containers, pouch containers, etc. can also be used as the container. There is no particular limit to the capacity of the container, and any container currently in circulation can be used. Note that it is preferable to use a metal container, as it is possible to completely block gas, moisture, and light and maintain stable quality at room temperature for a long period of time.

[0041] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment may be produced, for example, by mixing ingredients (a blending method) or through fermentation using yeast or the like.

[0042] A production method according to one embodiment includes, for example, a blending step of blending water, ethyl acetate, alcohol (e.g., raw material alcohol, distilled alcohol such as spirits and vodka, fermented liquid obtained by brewing), and, as necessary, propylene glycol, glycerin, and / or various additives (e.g., colorants, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts, etc.) in a raw material tank. The blending step can be carried out according to a conventional method, except that the contents of ethyl acetate and ethanol, and, as necessary, propylene glycol and glycerin are adjusted to fall within the above-mentioned ranges. Ethyl acetate may be blended as it is, or may be blended as a flavoring composition containing ethyl acetate or a food additive.

[0043] The production method according to this embodiment may further include a filtration step of filtering the mixed liquid obtained by mixing the components in the blending step, a first sterilization step of sterilizing the filtrate filtered in the filtration step, a filling step of filling a container such as a bottle, a can, or a plastic bottle with the sterilized filtrate sterilized in the first sterilization step, and a second sterilization step of sterilizing the container together with the filtrate filled in the filling step.

[0044] In the blending step, the components may be mixed while being stirred with a stirrer or the like so that they are well mixed. In addition, the filtration step may be performed, for example, with a general filter or strainer. The first sterilization step may be performed by plate sterilization from the viewpoint of processing speed, etc., and as long as a similar process can be performed, it is applicable without being limited thereto. The filling step may be filled in a clean room that maintains a degree of cleanliness to the extent that is usually performed in the manufacture of beverages. The second sterilization step may be performed by heating the filtrate together with the container at a predetermined temperature and for a predetermined time. The first or second sterilization step may be a non-heating sterilization step. Examples of the non-heating sterilization step include ultraviolet (UV) sterilization. It is also possible to perform non-sterilization filling without performing a sterilization step.

[0045] In another embodiment, the production method includes, for example, a brewing step, a fermentation step, and an alcohol content adjustment step.

[0046] In the preparation process, a pre-fermentation liquid is obtained using raw materials and preparation water (water used in the preparation process). In other words, the preparation process is a process for preparing a pre-fermentation liquid to be used in fermentation. The preparation process may include, in this order, a boiling process for boiling a sugar-containing liquid, a removing process for removing solids in the raw material liquid, and a cooling process for cooling the raw material liquid.

[0047] In the boiling step, the sugar-containing liquid is boiled to obtain a boiled liquid (sugar-containing liquid after boiling). The sugar-containing liquid contains components that can be fermented into alcohol by yeast. Examples of sugar-containing liquids include wort and syrup. Wort is an unfermented liquid obtained through saccharification of the above-mentioned barley raw material. Wort can be obtained, for example, through a step of mixing a raw material such as the above-mentioned barley raw material with water, a step of saccharifying the liquid containing the raw material and water by a conventional method to obtain a saccharified liquid, and a step of filtering the saccharified liquid.

[0048] In the boiling step, hops may be added to the raw material liquid. Examples of the hops to be added include dried hops, hop pellets, and hop extract. The hops may be processed hop products such as low hops, hexa hops, tetra hops, and iso hop extract.

[0049] In the removing step, the solids in the post-boiling liquid are removed to obtain a refined liquid. The removing step can be carried out, for example, by precipitating the insoluble solids contained in the post-boiling liquid. Examples of the solids include thermal coagulation produced in the boiling step, and hop residues when hops are added in the boiling step. The removing step may be carried out in a whirlpool. In the cooling step, the refined liquid is cooled to a temperature at which fermentation by yeast is possible to obtain a pre-fermentation liquid.

[0050] In the fermentation process, the pre-fermentation liquid is fermented with yeast to obtain a post-fermentation liquid. In the fermentation process, yeast is added to perform alcoholic fermentation. More specifically, yeast is inoculated into the pre-fermentation liquid and fermented to obtain a post-fermentation liquid containing alcohol produced by the yeast.

[0051] The alcohol content adjustment step is a step of adjusting the ethanol content to within the above range. Since the beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment has a low alcohol content, the alcohol content may be adjusted, for example, by shortening the fermentation period in the fermentation step to suppress alcohol production, or the alcohol content may be adjusted by removing or reducing the alcohol after fermentation is performed in the same manner as in ordinary beer or other beer-taste beverages in the fermentation step. There are no particular limitations on the method for removing or reducing the alcohol, and it may be carried out according to a conventional method such as distillation or dialysis.

[0052] The production method according to the present embodiment may include a step of filtering the post-fermentation liquid as a post-fermentation step following the fermentation step. By carrying out the filtration step, insoluble solids, yeast, etc. can be removed from the post-fermentation liquid.

[0053] In the production method according to this embodiment, other post-fermentation processes may be performed, such as heating (sterilization) the post-fermentation liquid (or the post-fermentation liquid after the filtration process) or adding various additives (e.g., colorants, sweeteners, high-intensity sweeteners, antioxidants, acidulants, flavorings, salts).

[0054] The ethyl acetate content can be adjusted, for example, by adding ethyl acetate to the raw material liquid. In this specification, the raw material liquid refers to the liquid that is the base of the beer-taste beverage. The raw material liquid includes liquids used or produced in each process (e.g., sugar-containing liquid, boiled liquid, refined liquid, pre-fermentation liquid, and post-fermentation liquid). The ethyl acetate content may also be adjusted by a method of appropriately selecting the type of raw material or yeast that increases or decreases the ethyl acetate content, or a method of controlling the amount of ethyl acetate produced by controlling the brewing conditions (e.g., fermentation temperature and fermentation period, etc.).

[0055] In the production method according to the present embodiment, when the alcohol content adjustment step is carried out by removing or reducing the alcohol content after fermentation to produce alcohol in the same manner as in the production of ordinary beer or other beer-flavored beverages, it is preferable to adjust the ethyl acetate content after the alcohol content adjustment. For example, the ethyl acetate content may be adjusted by adding ethyl acetate to the raw material liquid from which the alcohol has been removed or reduced.

[0056] The ethyl acetate added to the raw material liquid may be ethyl acetate itself, or may be a flavor composition or food additive containing ethyl acetate.

[0057] [Method for improving the mildness of beer-flavored beverages] The beer-taste beverage according to this embodiment has the effect of improving the mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage. Thus, one embodiment of the present invention provides a method for improving the mildness of a beer-taste beverage (the mildness characteristic of a beer-taste beverage), which comprises adding ethyl acetate in an amount of 1 mg / L or more and 80 mg / L or less, and adding ethanol in an amount of 0.005 v / v% or more and less than 0.75 v / v%. Specific aspects of the method according to this embodiment can be the same as the specific aspects of the beer-taste beverage described above, without any restrictions. EXAMPLES

[0058] The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, although the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

[0059] [Test Example 1] [Preparation of beer-taste beverages] Ethyl acetate, propylene glycol, glycerin, spirits (alcohol content: 65.5%) and water were mixed to the compositions shown in Tables 1 to 3 and filled into containers to prepare the beer-flavored beverages (beer-flavored non-alcoholic beverages) of Test Examples 1-1 to 1-5, Test Examples 2-1 to 2-6, and Test Examples 3-1 to 3-8.

[0060] [Sensory evaluation] The prepared beer-taste beverages were subjected to a sensory evaluation for the evaluation items of "mildness typical of a beer-taste beverage (hereinafter simply referred to as "mildness")" and "moderate alcoholic feel typical of a beer-taste beverage (hereinafter simply referred to as "alcoholic feel")". In addition, the beer-taste beverages of Test Examples 3-1 to 3-8 were also subjected to a sensory evaluation for the evaluation item of "sharpness typical of a beer-taste beverage (hereinafter simply referred to as "sharpness")". The sensory evaluation was carried out by a panel of five selected members with discriminating abilities. All evaluation items were rated on a five-point scale from 1 to 5, and the average of the scores was used as the evaluation score.

[0061] "Mildness typical of a beer-taste beverage" refers to a smooth, mellow sensation on the palate while maintaining the satisfying taste typical of a beer-taste beverage, with higher scores indicating a stronger feeling of this. "Moderate alcoholic taste typical of a beer-taste beverage" refers to a sensation of being free of any alcoholic or pungent odor and of feeling moderately intoxicated as a non-alcoholic beer, with higher scores indicating a stronger feeling of this. "Crispness typical of a beer-taste beverage" refers to a sensation of being refreshing and cool, with no aftertaste such as unpleasant flavors remaining in the mouth, with higher scores indicating a stronger feeling of this. The results are shown in Tables 1 to 3.

[0062] For "mildness" and "alcohol sensation," the scores for the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 1-1 were fixed at 1 point and 1 point, respectively, and other beer-taste beverages were evaluated based on these. For "sharpness," the score for the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 3-1 was fixed at 3 points, and other beer-taste beverages were evaluated based on this. For "mildness," beer-taste beverages with an evaluation score of 2.7 or higher were considered to pass.

[0063] [Table 1]

[0064] [Table 2]

[0065] [Table 3]

[0066] As shown in Tables 1 and 2, the beer-taste beverages of Test Examples 1-2 to 1-4 and Test Examples 2-2 to 2-5, which have an ethyl acetate content of 1 mg / L or more and 80 mg / L or less, and an ethanol content of 0.005 v / v% or more and less than 0.75 v / v%, were excellent in the mildness characteristic of beer-taste beverages. Among them, the beer-taste beverages of Test Examples 1-3 to 1-4 and Test Examples 2-2 to 2-5, which have an ethanol content of 0.04 v / v% or more, were scored 3 or more in the "alcohol sensation" evaluation, and were excellent in not only the mildness characteristic of beer-taste beverages, but also in the moderate alcohol sensation characteristic of beer-taste beverages. Among them, the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 2-5, which has an ethyl acetate content of 25 mg / L or more, was remarkably excellent in both the mildness characteristic of beer-taste beverages and the moderate alcohol sensation characteristic of beer-taste beverages.

[0067] As shown in Table 3, the beer-flavored beverages of Test Examples 3-2 to 3-3 and 3-6 to 3-7, which further contained propylene glycol or glycerin in addition to ethyl acetate and ethanol and had a content of 9000 mg / L or less, exhibited a remarkably excellent mildness typical of a beer-flavored beverage, as well as a moderate alcohol taste typical of a beer-flavored beverage and a crispness typical of a beer-flavored beverage.

[0068] [Test Example 2] [Preparation of beer-taste beverages] Ethyl acetate, spirits (alcohol content: 65.5%, fructose glucose liquid sugar, acidulant, bitterness, caramel color and water were mixed to obtain the composition shown in Table 4, and the gas pressure was increased to 2.3 kg / cm with carbonated water. 2 The beer-taste beverages (beer-taste non-alcoholic beverages) of Test Examples 4-1 to 4-3 were prepared by pouring the mixture into containers.

[0069] The prepared beer-taste beverages were subjected to sensory evaluation in the same manner as in Test Example 1. For "mildness" and "alcoholic sensation," the scores for the beer-taste beverage of Test Example 1-1 were fixed at 1 point and 1 point, respectively, and the other beer-taste beverages were evaluated based on these scores. The results are shown in Table 4.

[0070] [Table 4]

[0071] As shown in Table 4, the beer-flavored beverages of Test Examples 4-2 to 4-3, in which the ethyl acetate content was between 1 mg / L and 80 mg / L and the ethanol content was between 0.005 v / v% and less than 0.75 v / v%, had an excellent mildness characteristic of beer-flavored beverages, even when they contained various additives.

Claims

1. Contains ethyl acetate and ethanol, The content of the ethyl acetate is 1 mg / L or more and 80 mg / L or less, The ethanol content is 0.005 v / v% or more and less than 0.75 v / v%, The glycerin content is 100 mg / L or more and 9000 mg / L or less, A beer-flavored beverage having a propylene glycol content of 30 mg / L or more and 9,000 mg / L or less.

2. A beer-flavored beverage as described in claim 1, wherein the ethyl acetate content is 10 mg / L or more.

3. A beer-flavored beverage as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ethanol content is less than 0.50 v / v%.

4. A beer-flavored beverage described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ethanol content is equal to or greater than 0.05 v / v% and less than 0.50 v / v%.

5. A beer-flavored beverage described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the propylene glycol content is 50 mg / L or more.

6. A method for improving the mildness of a beer-flavored beverage, comprising: adding to the beer-flavored beverage ethyl acetate ranging from 1 mg / L to 80 mg / L, ethanol ranging from 0.005% to less than 0.75 v / v%, glycerin ranging from 100 mg / L to 9,000 mg / L, and propylene glycol ranging from 30 mg / L to 9,000 mg / L.

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