Changes

Forms of '''Tetrahydropyridines''' (abbreviated and often referred to generically by brewers as '''THP'''), specifically 2-acetyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine and 2-acetyl-1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyridine (abbreviated ATHP or ACTPY), 2-ethyltetrahydropyridine (abbreviated ETHP or ETPY), and 2-acetylpyrroline (abbreviated ACPY or APY) <ref name="Snowdon"></ref>, which are classified as a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketone ketone] and a cyclic [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imine imine] <ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6-Acetyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine "6-Acetyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine". Wikipedia. Retrieved 07/22/2016. ]</ref>, are commonly attributed to the "mousy", "urine" (in high amounts) Cheerios® or Cap'n Crunch® (in low amounts), "breakfast cereal", or more generically, "cracker biscuit" flavor in sour beers. The flavor is detected towards the end of the swallow, and the aftertaste can remain for a few minutes. 30% of winemakers are not able to detect the flavor of THP in wine (we do not know if this statistic is reflected in sour beer, but some people have reported not being able to taste THP in sour beer) <ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=8yegCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT1784&lpg=PT1784&dq=oxford+companion+to+wine+Once+detected,+the+taint+renders+the+wine+undrinkable+and+worsens+in+the+glass,+but+as+many+as+30%25+of+winemakers+are+unable+to+detect+it.&source=bl&ots=-3o-uaZUgX&sig=ET7jldMp3Xdk61FknJ54k4P40CQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjsiZ7bxNPaAhVO8WMKHQHaBgMQ6AEIKTAA#v=onepage&q=oxford%20companion%20to%20wine%20Once%20detected%2C%20the%20taint%20renders%20the%20wine%20undrinkable%20and%20worsens%20in%20the%20glass%2C%20but%20as%20many%20as%2030%25%20of%20winemakers%20are%20unable%20to%20detect%20it.&f=false Jancis Robinson. "The Oxford Companion to Wine". Oxford University Press. Sep 17, 2005. Pg 483.]</ref>. The low pH of sour beer or wine makes it harder to detect the flavor and often impossible to detect the aroma. An increase in pH is needed in order to detect the flavor of THP, and the mouth's salivary pH serves that purpose when tasting beer or wine with THP. For example, as the mouth's pH adjusts back up after swallowing a sip of sour beer or wine, the THP becomes detectable in the aftertaste. This effect on sensory detection by low pH might also explain why some people are better at detecting it since people have different pH's on the surface of their tongues and saliva <ref name="Snowdon">[http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf0528613 Mousy Off-Flavor: A Review. Eleanor M. Snowdon, Michael C. Bowyer, Paul R. Grbin, and Paul K. Bowyer. 2006.]</ref>. Diacetyl is sometimes mistakenly indicated as a potential cause of "mousy" flavors in sour beers, however, tetrahydropyridines are the accepted cause. The flavor tends to age out of sour beers after 2-6 months in the fermenter, kegs, or bottles (although aging periods as long as possibly 8-12 months have been reported on MTF <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1447796001915276/?comment_id=1447826811912195&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D MTF thread about how long THP takes to age out with comment by Mark Trent. 10/24/2016.]</ref>). The exact mechanism for how THP ages out of beer is not fully understood, and it is unknown whether cold or room temperature storage speeds up the breakdown process. It is more likely that room temperature storage will result in faster breakdown of THP, and anecdotes from MTF members seem to support this <ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1451857101509166/ MTF discussion regarding THP degredation under room temperature versus refrigeration temperatures. 10/28/2016.]</ref><ref>[http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/cheerios-character-after-bottling-504468/#post6516169 Tonsmeire, Michael. Homebrewtalk.com post 1. 11/21/2014. Retrieved 3/10/2015.]</ref><ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/1972251579469713/?comment_id=1972290999465771&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D Tariq Ahmed and Shane Martin. Milk The Funk thread about THP aging out of cider at room temperature. 01/30/2018.]</ref><ref>[https://www.facebook.com/groups/MilkTheFunk/permalink/2069944559700414/?comment_id=2070067719688098&reply_comment_id=2070405472987656&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R3%22%7D Ryan Sandlin. Milk The Funk Facebook gropu thread on THP aging out after 90 days of room temperature storage. 04/23/2018.]</ref>. Many brewers have noticed that pitching rehydrated wine yeast at packaging reduces the amount/duration of this flavor in kegs and bottles <ref>[http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f127/cheerios-character-after-bottling-504468/#post6522207 Tonsmeire, Michael. Homebrewtalk.com post 2. 11/21/2014. Retrieved 3/10/2015.]</ref>.