By Dwight B. West, Albert F. Lautenbach and Donald D. Brumstead
J. E. Siebel Sons' Co., Inc., Chicago
Published in October 1965

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Synopsis:

The extent of knowledge of the many flavor components of beer has increased greatly in the past few years. The use of the several new systems of physical separations has been the greatest single stimulus to the study of scores of normal beer flavor constituents and to the elucidation of some abnormal flavor components. It has previously been demonstrated that a flavor component may be completely normal when present in a limited concentration but cause an abnormal flavor when present in higher concentration.

This paper will report on the initial stages of an investigation of what is apparently a large group of related compounds whose presence in beer in above minimal concentrations causes abnormal flavors. During the past few years our beer taste panel has occasionally noted the presence of abnormal flavor characteristics which were best described as "medicinal" or "phenol-like." On at least three occasions, in the past two years, this offtaste has been of such intensity as to cause customer complaints and withdrawal of beer from the market. Subsequent investigation of these beers disclosed the presence of abnormal amounts of phenolic- and chlorophenolic-type compounds. A method of analysis developer by us is described later in this paper.

It should be stated at this point that the references in this paper to phenolic compounds pertain only to relatively volatile phenols. Fairly complex and generally nonvolatile polyphenols such as tan pins, cyanins, anthocyanogens, catechins flavonols, etc. do not fall within the immediate field of study. However, there is at present limited evidence that hydrolysis or decomposition products of these more complex polyphenols do make a notable contribution to the volatile-phenol picture.