Date of Award

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

First Advisor

Dr. Richard Martoglio

Second Advisor

Dr. Jeffrey Hansen

Third Advisor

Dr. Pedar Foss

Abstract

This interdisciplinary project is designed to explore both the compositional qualities of beer during the brewing process and its impact on society from a cultural, economic, and social viewpoint. Comparing various styles of beer against each other in a historical, societal, and chemical lens allows for a deeper understanding of what creates a beer’s identity, and what makes it different from other styles. Here we analyzed two different styles of beer, a bock lager and a saison ale, in order to determine their chemical composition through their developmental stages to their final product. Based on previously published research and extended laboratory testing, methods were designed to run Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy on an array of beer samples in order to identify compounds present. This analysis reveals variations in chemical compositions between saisons and bocks and relates them to stereotypical flavor, body, and aroma profiles in order to get a complete understanding of their impact on the beer. Additionally, differences were seen between a beer's boil and final product, resulting in a better understanding of beer's development. Compounds in each style were identified by reference to established research results, creating evidence-backed assumptions of what each NMR peak represents. Since results from these findings are limited, the compounds possible to identify are therefore limited as well. Carbon NMR baselines were established by use of HSQC, a potential tool in future beer analysis. Humulones were discovered to be a major factor in a beer's identity, a deep historical analysis as well as extraction methods were conducted in order to analyze this. Connecting this chemical analysis to each style’s history as well as beer’s history as a whole provides a consumer with a deeper knowledge about the product they are consuming and why it is the way it is.

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