We’ve just launched a new special release beer where we got experimental with thiols, so we wanted to talk more about the science behind this.
What are Thiols?
Thiols are highly aroma-active compounds derived from hops that can give very intense fruit flavours ranging from blackcurrants, grapefruit, to sweet and tropical passionfruit. The occurrence of thiols in hops was only discovered in the early 2000s and the data in this regard is scarce in the beer brewing industry. However, wine makers have known about them for decades, with thiols being prominent in Sauvignon blanc and Riesling – think fresh, clean aromas of white grape, lychee, and gooseberry.
Thiols are present as background notes in many beers but must be “unlocked” to utilise their full aroma potential.
What did we do?
For our brand new beer, released today, 8th November, we have worked with our yeast supplier, WHC Labs, to utilise a yeast that does just that – it unlocks these wine-like aroma compounds from the hops and malt. We’ve therefore been able to use a very basic malt base, and “mash hopped” to build on the amount of thiols present.
Using hops so early in the brewing process at well below boiling temperatures may seem counterintuitive, but it turns out that using hops in the mash provides an opportunity to convert thiol precursors into a form that makes it possible for the final beer to generate rich, tropical aromas.
What’s the beer called?
You know us – we simply can’t resist a solid pun opportunity – so, meet Thioly Cyrus – a limited release we’re really proud of. We’d love you to taste it and let us know what you think.