With winds pushing huge amounts of smoke into portions Oregon, Washington and Idaho from numerous massive fires burning in the region, fears of smoke taint on hops have again returned this year.
Most studied in wine grapes, smoke taint has been shown to have undesirable effects on grapes and wine. Industry and academic researchers are increasingly looking at ways to measure and mitigate smoke taint in hops and the downstream impacts on beer.
In light of this concern, the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) is giving a webinar “A Discussion on Hop Smoke,” presented by Dr. Glen Fox (UC Davis), Stacey Williams and Justin Alexander (New Belgium Brewing), and Tiffany Pitra (Yakima Chief Hops). This collaborative webinar will discuss their latest findings and remaining challenges to be overcome. Smoke taint is an industry-wide issue requiring an industry-wide effort, and the speakers invite dialogue and new collaborations with experts in this field.
Attendees will learn common smoke flavor compounds that taint hops and beer, available methods to measure smoke taint in hops and beer (chemistry and sensory), advice for managing hops and beer quality when faced with smoke taint and other topics.
The broadcast date is August 12, 2021, 2:00 pm -3:00 pm Central.
For more information and to register, go here.