13,703
edits
Changes
Hops
,no edit summary
Historically, there have been two studies published on the phenomenon of hops releasing glycolytic enzymes that break down starches during dry hopping: [http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2018/03/why-dry-hop.html Brown and Morris (1893)] and [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/j.2050-0416.1941.tb06070.x Janicki et al. (1941)]. More recently, several researchers and brewers have revisited this phenomenon. Brown and Morris (1893) discovered that hops could break down maltodextrin, but failed to identify the enzymes from the hop plant material and hypothesized (probably incorrectly) that tannins were inhibiting the enzymes. Janicki et al. (1941) came to similar conclusions regarding the enzymes and tannin inhibitors, and they also concluded that the enzyme activity was independent of hop variety, geography, age, storage conditions, pH values between 4.1 and 4.8, and that one or more additional unknown factors were at play <ref name="Kirkendall_2018" />.
More recent studies have shown that there is a difference in this enzymatic power between different hop varieties. [https://www.asbcnet.org/publications/journal/vol/2017/Pages/ASBCJ-2017-2257-01.aspx Cibaka et al. (2017)] reported an increase in ABV when dry hopping with Amarillo and Sorachi Ace hops, but not when dry hopping with Citra or Hallertau Blanc. Interestingly, they also found that Mosaic hops resulted in the opposite effect and it ; the Mosaic dry hopped beer dropped from 4% ABV to 3.6% ABV. It was hypothesized (probably possibly incorrectly) that Mosaic hops might release some sort of unidentified molecule that inhibits yeast fermentation/growth or viability <ref name="Kirkendall_2018" />.
Kirkendall et al. (2018) found that hop varieties also have a varying ability to ferment dextrins. They reported the following ABV increases when dry hopped in a pale ale at one pound per barrel: Centennial hops (+0.27%), Citra (+0.12%), Simcoe (+0.33%), Cascade (+0.49%) and Amarillo (+0.49%). Prolonged contact with Centennial hops (42 days) increased the ABV even more so and resulted in a nearly 1% ABV increase. Rousing the hops into suspension hastened the increase in ABV compared to samples that were left still. From their results, it appears as though contact with hops during dry hopping continues the breakdown of starches and dextrins into fermentable sugars. They also concluded that dry hopping at a temperature that is too cold for the yeast strain in the beer to ferment resulted in no change in ABV. They compared the enzymatic activity of Centennial hops that were stored at -20°C versus room temperature storage and found that there was no significant difference, indicating that the unidentified enzymes are relatively stable <ref name="Kirkendall_2018" />.