Beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage and method for producing same

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a low-purine, low-carbohydrate, beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage having good taste intensity, aftertaste, and beer-likeness. The present invention provides a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage having a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less, a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, and a malt usage ratio of 50% or more, wherein the alcohol concentration is 1.5 v / v% or more.

Description

Beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage and its manufacturing method REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application benefits from the priority of an earlier Japanese application, Patent Application No. 2023-108925 (filing date: June 30, 2023), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage and a method for producing the same, and more particularly to a beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage with reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations and a method for producing the same.

[0003] With the recent rise in health consciousness, there is a demand for beer-flavored beverages with reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations, and various technologies have been developed to achieve this.

[0004] It is said that purine compounds are present in beer, a fermented malt beverage, at approximately 4 to 10 mg / 100 mL. When ingested as food, purine compounds are decomposed into uric acid. Dietary restrictions for hyperuricemia may restrict the intake of purine compounds, but in addition to restrictions on foods with higher purine compound content, such as meat, eggs, and liver, fermented malt beverages such as beer may also be subject to dietary restrictions. For this reason, there is a demand for fermented malt beverages such as beer that contain reduced purine compounds.

[0005] Known techniques for reducing the purine compound concentration in fermented malt beverages such as beer include a technique in which nucleoside phosphorylase and / or nucleosidase is allowed to act on beer wort to decompose nucleosides in the wort and reduce the concentration of purine compounds (Patent Document 1). Another known technique for reducing the purine compound concentration in a fermented malt beverage is a technique in which, in the production process of a fermented malt beverage, a treatment is carried out in which purine compounds are adsorbed and removed using an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs purine compounds, in a step after the saccharification step and before the addition of hops, at a temperature range of 25°C or higher and lower than the temperature used in the saccharification step (Patent Document 2).

[0006] Furthermore, a technique using assimilable monosaccharides and assimilable disaccharides as sugar sources is known as a technique for stably producing a low-sugar beer-flavored fermented alcoholic beverage (Patent Document 3).Furthermore, a technique for producing a low-sugar beer-flavored beverage by a method with a significantly low risk of microbial contamination is known as a technique for using a carbohydrate raw material with an oligosaccharide content within a specific range (Patent Document 4).

[0007] International Publication No. 96 / 25483 JP 2004-290071 A JP 2009-131202 A JP 2012-157323 A

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a novel beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage that has reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations, yet has good flavor intensity, lingering aftertaste, and a beer-like taste.

[0009] The present inventors have found that, in a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations, by adjusting the alcohol concentration to a predetermined concentration, the purine and carbohydrate concentrations are reduced while still maintaining good flavor intensity, lingering flavor, and beer-like flavor. The present invention is based on this finding.

[0010] The present invention provides the following: [1] A beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a malt content of 50% or more, a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less, a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, and an alcohol concentration of 1.5 v / v% or more. [2] The beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage according to [1] above, having a purine concentration of 0.5 mg / 100 mL or less and a carbohydrate concentration of 0.5 g / 100 mL or less. [3] The beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage according to [1] or [2] above, having an alcohol concentration of 10.0 v / v% or less. [4] A method for producing a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a malt content of 50% or more, having a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less and a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, comprising a step of adding alcohol so that the alcohol concentration of the produced beverage is 1.5 v / v% or more. [5] A method for improving the flavor of a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less and a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, comprising a step of adding alcohol so that the alcohol concentration of the produced beverage is 1.5 v / v% or more. [6] The flavor improvement method according to [5] above, wherein the malt content of a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage is 50% or more.

[0011] According to the present invention, by adjusting the alcohol concentration of a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations to a predetermined level, it is possible to provide a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage that has reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations while still maintaining a strong flavor, a lingering aftertaste, and a beer-like flavor. Therefore, the present invention is advantageous in that it can meet a variety of consumer needs, such as health consciousness. Specific Description of the Invention

[0012] In the present invention, the term "beer taste" refers to the taste and aroma specific to beer that can be obtained when beer is produced in the usual manner, i.e., when beer is produced based on fermentation by yeast or the like.

[0013] In the present invention, "beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage" refers to a beverage fermented by yeast using a carbon source, a nitrogen source, water, and other ingredients, and includes beer, happoshu, and beverages obtained by adding alcohol to beer or happoshu that use malt as an ingredient (for example, a new genre of liqueur beverages classified as "Liqueur (sparkling) (2)" under the Liquor Tax Act). A preferred embodiment of a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage is a beer-taste fermented alcoholic beverage that uses malt and / or ungerminated barley as at least a portion of its ingredients (i.e., a beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage).

[0014] The beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention uses malt and / or ungerminated barley or wheat as at least a portion of its raw materials, and preferably uses at least malt (e.g., wheat malt, barley malt) as the barley-derived raw material. When the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention uses malt as at least a portion of its raw materials, the malt usage ratio can be, for example, 50% or more, 55% or less, 55% or more, 60% or less, 60% or more, 65% or more, 70% or less, 70% or more, 80% or less, 80% or more, 90% or less, 90% or more, 95% or more, or 100%, and these upper and lower limits can be arbitrarily combined. In this specification, the "malt usage ratio" refers to the ratio of the mass of malt to the mass of all raw materials excluding hops and brewing water. Furthermore, in the present invention, beer can be defined as a product obtained by fermenting malt, hops, water, and other certain auxiliary ingredients, or a product obtained by adding hops or certain auxiliary ingredients to this and fermenting it, and which meets the following two conditions (limited to products with an alcohol content of less than 20%:) - The malt ratio is 50 / 100 or more - The weight of the used fruit (including dried, boiled, or concentrated fruit juice) and certain flavorings does not exceed 5 / 100 of the weight of the malt (including products that do not use any flavorings) (see the Liquor Tax Act (Act No. 6 of 1953), which was amended by the "Act to Partially Amend the Income Tax Act, etc." (Act No. 4 of 2017), and came into effect on April 1, 2018).

[0015] The fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a beer taste of the present invention has a reduced purine concentration. Specifically, the upper limit of the purine concentration of the fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a beer taste of the present invention (not more than or lower than) is 3.5 mg / 100 mL, and the lower limit of the purine concentration of the fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a beer taste of the present invention is 3.4 mg / 100 mL, 3.3 mg / 100 mL, 3.2 mg / 100 mL, 3.1 mg / 100 mL, 3.0 mg / 100 mL, 2.9 mg / 100 mL, 2.8 mg / 100 mL, 2.7 mg / 100 mL, 2.6 mg / 100 mL, 2.5 mg / 100 mL, 2.4 mg / 100 mL, 2.3 mg / 100 mL, 2.2 mg / 100 mL, and the lower limit of the purine concentration of the fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a beer taste of the present invention ... The purine concentration can be 0.00mL, 2.1mg / 100mL, 2.0mg / 100mL, 1.9mg / 100mL, 1.8mg / 100mL, 1.7mg / 100mL, 1.6mg / 100mL, 1.5mg / 100mL, 1.4mg / 100mL, 1.3mg / 100mL, 1.2mg / 100mL, 1.1mg / 100mL, 1.0mg / 100mL, 0.9mg / 100mL, 0.8mg / 100mL, 0.7mg / 100mL, 0.6mg / 100mL, 0.5mg / 100mL, 0.4mg / 100mL, 0.3mg / 100mL, or 0.2mg / 100mL. Note that beverages with a purine concentration of less than 0.5mg / 100mL qualify as "zero purine beverages."

[0016] Purines can be measured by known methods, for example, by a method in which purines are detected using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography mass spectrometry) after hydrolysis with perchloric acid (see "Guide to Microanalysis of Purines in Alcoholic Beverages," Japan Food Research Center, General Incorporated Foundation, URL: http: / / www.jfrl.or.jp / item / nutrition / post-31.html). In this specification, "purine concentration" refers to the total amount of four purine bases: adenine, xanthine, guanine, and hypoxanthine.

[0017] The beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention is a low-carbohydrate beverage with a reduced carbohydrate concentration. Specifically, the upper limit of the carbohydrate concentration of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention (not more than or lower than) is 2.5 g / 100 mL, and the following ranges are also available: 2.4 g / 100 mL, 2.3 g / 100 mL, 2.2 g / 100 mL, 2.1 g / 100 mL, 2.0 g / 100 mL, 1.9 g / 100 mL, 1.8 ... The sugar concentration can also be 0.7g / 100mL, 1.6g / 100mL, 1.5g / 100mL, 1.4g / 100mL, 1.3g / 100mL, 1.2g / 100mL, 1.1g / 100mL, 1.0g / 100mL, 0.9g / 100mL, 0.8g / 100mL, 0.7g / 100mL, 0.6g / 100mL, 0.5g / 100mL, 0.4g / 100mL, 0.3g / 100mL, or 0.2g / 100mL. Drinks with a sugar concentration of less than 0.5g / 100mL qualify as "zero sugar drinks."

[0018] The carbohydrate concentration can be measured by known methods, and can be calculated by subtracting the amounts of water, protein, lipids, ash, and dietary fiber from the mass of the sample to be measured (see the Nutrition Labeling Standards (Consumer Affairs Agency Notification No. 9, December 16, 2009, partially revised)).

[0019] The beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention is characterized in that it has a predetermined alcohol concentration. Specifically, the lower limit of the alcohol concentration of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention (not less than or exceeding) is 1.5 v / v%, and may also be 1.6 v / v%, 1.7 v / v%, 1.8 v / v%, 1.9 v / v%, 2.0 v / v%, 2.1 v / v%, 2.2 v / v%, 2.3 v / v%, 2.4 v / v%, 2.5 v / v%, 2.6 v / v%, 2.7 v / v%, 2.8 v / v%, 2.9 v / v%, or 3.0 v / v%. Furthermore, the upper limit of the alcohol concentration of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention (i.e., equal to or less than or lower than) is, for example, 11.0 v / v%, 10.9 v / v%, 10.8 v / v%, 10.7 v / v%, 10.6 v / v%, 10.5 v / v%, 10.4 v / v%, 10.3 v / v%, 10.2 v / v%, 10.1 v / v%, 10.0 v / v%, 9.5 v / v%, 9.0 v / v%, 8 ... The alcohol concentration of the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 1.5 v / v% to 10.0 v / v%, preferably 3.0 v / v% to 5.0 v / v%, and can be, for example, 1.5 v / v% to 10.0 v / v%, and preferably 3.0 v / v% to 5.0 v / v%.

[0020] The alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) in a beverage can be measured by the method specified in the "National Tax Agency Prescribed Analysis Method."

[0021] The beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention is characterized by its good taste intensity, lingering flavor, and beer-likeness despite its reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations. Low-purine and low-sugar beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverages (particularly low-purine and low-sugar beers and happoshu) have had problems such as a perceived low taste intensity, a disharmony in the lingering flavor, and a poor taste balance due to the specific methods used to adjust the purine content and the carbohydrate content. The beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention has improved taste intensity, lingering flavor, and beer-likeness, thereby solving the above-mentioned problems of low-sugar beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverages. Here, "taste intensity" refers to the degree of beer-like taste. Furthermore, "lingering flavor" refers to the degree of lingering flavor after drinking. Furthermore, "beer-likeness" refers to a state in which the flavors expected to be found in beer, such as sweetness, bitterness, sourness, and umami, are balanced, and the beverage is easy to drink without any unpleasant flavors.

[0022] The beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be produced by any suitable production method, as long as the purine and carbohydrate concentrations are reduced to the desired levels and the beverage contains a desired alcohol concentration. For example, the beverage can be produced as follows. Specifically, a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage can be produced by adding fermentation yeast to wort prepared from brewing ingredients such as malt, hops, auxiliary materials, and brewing water, fermenting the resulting fermented liquid, storing the liquid at low temperature, and then removing the yeast through a filtration process. The purine and carbohydrate concentrations in a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage can be reduced according to known methods described below. Furthermore, a desired alcohol concentration can be achieved in a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage by, for example, adjusting (e.g., extending) the fermentation time, promoting saccharification in the saccharification process to increase the proportion of assimilable sugars, adding alcohol (e.g., brewer's alcohol) to the fermentation liquid, or diluting the fermentation liquid. In this manner, a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a reduced purine and carbohydrate concentration and a desired alcohol concentration can be produced.

[0023] The purine concentration in a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage can be reduced by known methods. Non-limiting examples of methods for reducing the purine concentration in a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage include a method in which a pre-fermentation solution or a fermentation solution is contacted with an adsorbent such as activated carbon or zeolite to reduce the purine content in the beverage (see JP 2003-169658 A, JP 2004-290071 A, JP 2004-290072 A, JP 2015-112090 A, etc.), and a method in which the purine content in a beverage is reduced using ingredients other than malt that contain less purine (e.g., soy protein, corn grits) (see JP 2014-117204 A, JP 2014-117205 A, etc.).

[0024] The carbohydrate concentration in a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage can be reduced by known methods. Non-limiting examples of methods for reducing the carbohydrate concentration in a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage include adding glucoamylase during the saccharification process, adding glucoamylase during the fermentation process (see Enzyme Utilization Technology Encyclopedia: From Basics and Analysis to Modification, Advanced Functionalization, and Industrial Use (edited by Makoto Komiyama, NTS Co., Ltd., 2010)), reducing carbohydrates by using liquid sugar containing a large amount of carbohydrates that can be assimilated by yeast to increase assimilation by yeast (see JP 2009-131202 A), and filtering wort during the saccharification process (see JP 2012-147780 A).

[0025] In the above production procedure, wort can be produced by conventional methods. For example, a mixture of brewing raw materials and brewing water is saccharified, filtered to obtain wort, and then hops are added to the wort, followed by boiling and cooling the boiled wort to prepare the wort. Wort can also be produced by adding commercially available enzyme preparations during the saccharification process. For example, protease preparations can be used for protein degradation, α-amylase preparations, glucoamylase preparations, pullulanase preparations, etc. for carbohydrate degradation, and β-glucanase preparations, cellulose-degrading enzyme preparations, etc. for cellulolysis, or a mixture of these preparations can also be used.

[0026] In the production of the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention, in addition to malt, other ingredients may be used, such as ungerminated barley (for example, ungerminated barley (including extracts), ungerminated wheat (including extracts)); rice, corn, koryang (red radish), potato, starch, sugars (for example, liquid sugar), fruit (for example, fruit juice, concentrated fruit juice), coriander or its seeds, spices or ingredients thereof (for example, pepper, cinnamon, Japanese pepper), herbs (for example, chamomile, sage, Brewing ingredients that can be used include: secondary ingredients such as oysters, kelp, seaweed, basil, vegetables (e.g., sweet potato, pumpkin), buckwheat or sesame, carbohydrate-containing substances (e.g., honey, brown sugar), salt, miso, flowers, tea, coffee, cocoa (including preparations of tea, coffee, and cocoa), and seafood (e.g., oysters, kelp, wakame seaweed, and bonito flakes); nitrogen sources such as protein hydrolysates and yeast extract; and other additives such as flavorings, colorants, foaming and foam retention improvers, water quality conditioners, and fermentation aids. The beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be made from at least malt and hops, in addition to brewing water, and in some cases can further include sugars, rice, corn, starch, and the like. It goes without saying that all-malt beer, a type of beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage, can be produced from malt, hops, and water.

[0027] In the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention, the ethyl acetate concentration can be, for example, 100 ppm or less, and from the viewpoint of improving flavor intensity, lingering flavor, and beer-likeness, it can be preferably 50 ppm or less, more preferably 40 ppm or less, and even more preferably 30 ppm or less. Furthermore, in the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention, the ethyl acetate concentration can be, for example, 1 ppm or more, 2 ppm or more, or 3 ppm or more. The ethyl acetate concentration of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage can be adjusted by known methods (e.g., using yeast with low ethyl acetate production ability, adjusting brewing conditions such as fermentation temperature, etc.).

[0028] The ethyl acetate concentration in the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be measured using a headspace gas chromatograph equipped with an FID as described in "8.22" of the BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (revised and expanded in 2013). For example, the ethyl acetate concentration can be measured by introducing the gas phase of a beer sample heated in a vial into a gas chromatograph equipped with an FID detector, reading the area of ​​ethyl acetate on the gas chromatogram, and calculating the amount of each component from the ratio to the area of ​​the internal standard (n-butanol). For more accurate concentration measurements, it is desirable to use a calibration curve prepared based on the measurements of several control samples with known concentrations.

[0029] The malic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be, for example, 20 to 120 ppm, preferably 30 to 100 ppm. The malic acid concentration in the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage can be measured by capillary electrophoresis as described in "8.24.2" of the BCOJ Beer Analysis Methods (revised and expanded in 2013).

[0030] In the present invention, the term "bitterness value (BU)" refers to a value measured according to the method described in Section 8.15 of the BCOJ Beer Analysis Methods (revised and expanded in 2013). Specifically, the bitterness value can be determined by adding an acid to a sample beverage, extracting it with isooctane, measuring the absorbance (275 nm) of the isooctane layer, and multiplying this measured value by 50.

[0031] The bitterness value (BU) of the beverage of the present invention is, for example, 2 to 60, and from the viewpoint of obtaining a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a more favorable flavor, it can be, for example, 3 to 30, preferably 4 to 25, more preferably 5 to 22, and even more preferably 5.5 to 20.

[0032] In the present invention, the method for adjusting the bitterness value (BU) is not particularly limited, but a preferred example is a method of adjusting the amount of hops and / or hop processed products used in the production of a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage and / or the boiling time. Generally, increasing the amount of hops and / or hop processed products used and / or the boiling time increases the concentration of iso-α acids and the like in the resulting beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage, thereby increasing the BU of the resulting beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage. Decreasing the amount of hops and / or hop processed products used and / or the boiling time decreases the concentration of iso-α acids and the like in the resulting beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage, thereby decreasing the BU of the resulting beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage. Examples of hops that can be used include fresh hops, hop pellets that have been crushed and processed into pellets, lupulin-rich hop pellets obtained by sieving lupulin grains during processing, and hop extracts from which lupulin's bitterness, essential oils, and the like have been extracted. Furthermore, examples of hop processed products that can be used include low hops, hexa hops, tetra hops, and isomerized hop extracts (iso hop extracts).

[0033] The pH of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be adjusted to 2.0 or higher and 7.0 or lower, preferably 2.3 or higher and 5.0 or lower, more preferably 3.0 or higher and 4.7 or lower, and most preferably 3.5 or higher and 4.5 or lower. The pH of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention can be adjusted using a pH adjuster. The pH of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage can be measured using a commercially available pH meter (e.g., HORIBA Scientific benchtop pH meter, Horiba Advanced Techno Co., Ltd.).

[0034] The beverage provided by the present invention can be provided as a bottled beverage after being subjected to a step of adding carbon dioxide gas as needed, and further subjected to steps such as a filling step and a sterilization step. Sterilization may be carried out before or after filling into the container. Furthermore, if the pH of the beverage is adjusted to less than 4, the beverage can be filled directly without going through the sterilization step to produce a bottled beverage.

[0035] The container used for the beverage of the present invention may be any container that is normally used for filling beverages, such as a metal can, a barrel, a plastic bottle (e.g., a PET bottle or cup), a paper container, a bottle, or a pouch container, but metal cans, barrels, plastic bottles (e.g., a PET bottle), or a bottle are preferred.

[0036] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for producing a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage containing 50% or more malt, having a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less (preferably 0.5 mg / 100 mL or less) and a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less (preferably 0.5 g / 100 mL or less), the method comprising a step of adding alcohol so that the alcohol concentration of the produced beverage is 1.5 v / v% or more. The production method of the present invention improves the flavor of the produced beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage. Here, "improved flavor" or "flavor-improved" for a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage means that the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage has a good flavor intensity, lingering flavor, and beer-like flavor despite having reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations. The production method of the present invention can be carried out in accordance with the above and other descriptions of the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage of the present invention.

[0037] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage containing alcohol as an active ingredient and having reduced purine and carbohydrate concentrations. The flavor improving method of the present invention can be carried out according to the description of the beer-taste fermented malt alcoholic beverage and the method for producing the same of the present invention.

[0038] The present invention will be described in more detail based on the following examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples.

[0039] Measurement of Alcohol Concentration The alcohol concentration (ethanol concentration) was measured according to the method described in the "National Tax Agency Specified Analysis Method."

[0040] Purine concentrations were measured as follows: Purine concentrations were detected using LC-MS / MS (liquid chromatography mass spectrometry) after hydrolysis with perchloric acid (see "Guide to Microanalysis of Purines in Alcoholic Beverages," Japan Food Research Laboratories, URL: http: / / www.jfrl.or.jp / item / nutrition / post-31.html).

[0041] Carbohydrate concentration analysis: Measurement of carbohydrate concentration based on the Nutrition Labeling Standard was performed according to the method described in the 5th Edition of the Japanese Standard Tables of Food Composition Analysis Manual. That is, the carbohydrate concentration was calculated by subtracting the amounts of water, protein, lipid, ash, and dietary fiber from the mass of the sample beverage.

[0042] Example 1: Preparation and evaluation of beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverages In Example 1, tasting samples of beer-flavored beverages were prepared and evaluation tests were conducted on each sample.

[0043] (1) Method A. Preparation of Test Samples Wort was obtained by saccharifying malt using an enzyme and filtering the resulting wort. Hops and liquid sugar containing primarily assimilable sugars were added to the resulting wort, and the mixture was boiled at 100°C. The wort was then allowed to stand to separate the coagulated protein (trube), and then cooled to obtain a pre-fermentation solution. Bottom-fermenting yeast was added to the resulting pre-fermentation solution, and main fermentation and post-fermentation were carried out to obtain a fermented liquor. The resulting fermented liquor was stored at low temperature to terminate the fermentation, and then filtered to obtain a clear, beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage (malt usage ratio: 53%). This beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage was then diluted to obtain a base beverage (Test Group 1 shown in Table 2), and brewing ethanol (95%) was added to the base beverage to prepare test samples for Test Groups 2 to 7, each having an alcohol concentration shown in Table 2.

[0044] The test was conducted by four trained panelists. The evaluation criteria for flavor intensity, aftertaste, and beer-likeness are shown in Table 1. The score for each evaluation item in Test Plot 1 was set at 2.50, and Test Plots 2 to 7 were evaluated based on the sensory evaluation of Test Plot 1.

[0045]

[0046] (2) Results The results are shown in Table 2. When the alcohol concentration was at a predetermined concentration, good results were obtained, with scores of 3.0 or higher for flavor intensity, lingering flavor, and beer-likeness.

[0047]

Claims

1. A beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage having a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less and a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, a malt usage ratio of 50% or more, and an alcohol concentration of 1.5 v / v% or more.

2. A beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage as described in claim 1, having a purine concentration of 0.5 mg / 100 mL or less and a carbohydrate concentration of 0.5 g / 100 mL or less.

3. A beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage according to claim 1 or 2, having an alcohol concentration of 10.0 v / v % or less.

4. A method for producing a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage with a malt usage ratio of 50% or more, having a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less and a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, the method including a step of adding alcohol so that the alcohol concentration of the produced beverage is 1.5 v / v% or more.

5. A method for improving the flavor of a beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage having a purine concentration of 3.5 mg / 100 mL or less and a carbohydrate concentration of 2.5 g / 100 mL or less, the flavor improving method including a step of adding alcohol so that the alcohol concentration of the produced beverage is 1.5 v / v% or more.

6. The method for improving flavor according to claim 5, wherein the malt content of the beer-flavored fermented malt alcoholic beverage is 50% or more.

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