b'Beer Science is Still BrewingHERES A QUESTIONto ponder. When didadded to compensate for the sweet taste of malt but civilization begin? When was it that we reachedturned out to have value in the control of undesirable a sufficiently high level of cultural and technologicalmicrobes. There are many compounds present in hops, development to call ourselves civilized?Of course,including some which have oestrogen-like effects and looking at the world today, some would argue that wehave been blamed for breast growth in excessive drink-still have a way to go, but others point to beer as theers. But it is one specific compound, iso-humulone, first product of civilization. And they may be right. which seems of importance in the problem of "light The Sumerians living 5,000 years ago in what is nowstruck flavor." Light cleaves the molecule to produce Iran are commonly believed to represent the world\'s firstan active fragment that then reacts with some sul-civilization. And they were into beer. In a big way. Theyphur compounds found in beer to form the offensive brewed at least 16 varieties, all from barley. We know this3-methyl-2-buten-1-thiol.JOE SCHWARCZ because a piece of Sumerian pottery found in 1992, har- Is there a solution to this problem? Sure, there is. The Director, McGillbored a yellowish residue that turned out to be calciumsame way that we can protect our skin with sunscreens University Office foroxalate, a signature of beer brewed from barley. that filter out the most damaging wavelengths of sun-Science and Society,The ancient Egyptians also raised barley and devel- light, we can also filter out the rays that damage beer. Montreal, QC, Canada.oped pure yeasts to make beer. They even learned toBuilding protection directly into the beer bottles is the seal beer in jars to prevent a secondary fermentation. Insolution. And that is why beer is sold in brown bottles! the Middle Ages beer was an extremely popular bever- The wavelengths of light that cause the skunky smell age. Fermentation yields an acidic brew that is not con- are filtered out by the brown pigment.ducive to the growth of bacteria, so beer was certainlyHow can we then have beer in clear bottles? safer than the untreated, dirty water that most peopleChemical ingenuity has made this nuance possible. were forced to drink. There was concern about theThrough the process of hydrogenation, much as for adulteration of beer. As early as the 11th century, Edwardmargarines, the molecular structure of iso-humulone the Confessor employed "ale testers" to check on thecan be slightly altered to make it stable to light. The work of brewers. And the world\'s oldest consumergolden color of beer can now be enjoyed without protection law was formulated to protect the purityhaving to open the bottle. of beer. In 1516, Count William IV of Bavaria issued theA study published in the British Medical Journal Purity Law which allowed only barley, hops and waterexamined the beer drinking habits of a group of people in beer. It is still in force in Germany! Then, Louis Pasteurwho had had a heart attack as well as of a group ran-changed brewing from an art to a science when hedomly selected from the Czech population. The Czech determined to make French beer as good as GermanRepublic is especially appropriate for such a study in 1870. He discovered that the spoilage of beer wasbecause it is predominantly beer-drinking country. due to the presence of microorganisms foreign to thePerhaps surprisingly, in both groups, the lowest risk for nature of the true beer yeast. heart attack was found in men who drank about nine Unwanted microbes are not the only enemy of theto twenty pints a week. Their risk was a third of that brewers art. The scent of 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol canseen in the men who never drank beer. But if they drank be most disturbing. Unless youre a skunk. In that casemore, the protection was lost, and problems appeared! its a welcome commodity because it effectively wardsDark beer seems to be especially protective. It was off predators. But you certainly dont want it in youreven found to reduce the potential harm caused by the beer. How does it get in there? Skunks arent to blame,notorious heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) that light is! It may be hard to believe that light can alterform when food is heated to a high temperature. Serving the flavor of beer, but it most assuredly can. Hops, ordark beer at a barbecue is a good idea. Maybe Benjamin more specifically the blossoms of the female hop plant,Franklin was on to something when he said that Beer is are the secret to the taste of beer. They were originallyproof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.SW58/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2020'