Chinese researchers found that certain components of beer were affected by temperature, with certain flavors disappearing at high temperatures.
Ever wonder why beer tastes better when it's ice cold? Researchers in China looked into it and may have found the answer.
So it seems that the reason beer tastes better at a lower temperature has to do with the unique molecular properties of alcohol.
Research published earlier this month found a correlation between the properties of ethanol-water concentrations and alcohol volumes of various popular beverages. When examining ethanol-water mixtures at different concentrations, the researchers found that the molecular aggregates exhibited structural transitions at certain percentages of ethanol – and these transitions corresponded to the ranges seen in alcoholic beverages.
In fact, the researchers found that when these structural transitions were affected by temperature, their flavor profile changed. "Our work demonstrates that the distribution of alcohol content and the appropriate drinking temperature for various alcoholic beverages are not based on experience, but on scientific explanations around ethanol-water molecular clusters in solutions," the team explained.
The team then tested the ethanol-water mixtures at different temperatures, from 5 to 40 degrees Celsius. They found that the critical points of the alcoholic beverage were affected by temperature, with some critical points disappearing at certain temperatures.
At lower temperatures, the tasters could better distinguish the differences between the beers and understood the taste of the beer better.
Source: gazzetta.gr
