Beer Quality: Freshness

In this third course of the Beer Quality Series on beer freshness, led by distinguished professor Charles Bamforth, Ph.D, you will learn about beer flavor preconceptions, expectations, and causes of flavor instability. You'll also learn about the science of flavor change and the study and process impacts of flavor stability. In addition, you will review light instability and how it can lead to skunking.

• Getting Started & Beer Freshness
• In this first module, we examine the importance of flavor stability. We do this, in part by reviewing a study asking consumers if they can differentiate between fresh and stale beer and if it matters to them. We'll review how imported and domestic beer flavor is perceived by consumers, discuss the importance of delivering a consistent flavor, and understand how chemical changes affect beer flavor. We'll also go into how flavor changes are assessed.
• The Science of Flavor Change
• In this module, we look at various chemical processes that change flavor. We'll also review how carbonyl compounds interact with proteins to change flavor and discuss strategies for minimizing flavor change.
• Flavor Instability
• In this module, we'll focus on using senses to assess flavor and typical methods of reporting flavor. We'll also review some of the tools that can be used to measure flavor instability and continue our discussion of the processes in beer production that can affect flavor.
• Critical Control Points & Light Instability
• In this module, we'll discuss how to prioritize when improving the shelf life of your beer and consider the susceptibility of beer to light.