Thiol-Enhanced Beers are the New Wine Contenders
With a combined 2024 at-home and out-of-home revenue of US $129.3 billion1, the US beer market continues to thrive at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8%2. At the same time, the combined overall value of wine amounted to US $61.2 billion3, stagnating over the past year and predicted to decline by up to 3%4.
Why the slow-down in wine sales? The lack of growth may be due to increased interest in ready-to-drink beverages, sober-curious consumers, and a trend toward low or no-alcohol drinks. In response, producers are looking for ways to revive interest in wine products and satisfy demands for low alcohol by volume (ABV).
Thiol Libre: Transforming Beer to Wine
What is Thiol Libre? Food and beverage manufacturers will be aware of thiazoles—potent flavor ingredients ideal for adding taste depth, complexity, and authenticity to product recipes. Thiazoles are savory, typically nutty, grassy, or herbaceous. Within these are thiols, a sulfur analog of alcohols. These volatile molecules are strong-smelling, with some being found to contribute positively to beverage aroma profiles at higher boiling points.
Taking advantage of thiols’ taste-enhancing qualities, producers have bred Thiol Libre—a yeast. The yeast helps liberate free aromatics (thiols) from hops to add layers of tropical fruit odor to beer. Thiol compounds offer diverse aromas, including guava, gooseberry, grapefruit, passionfruit, and Sauvignon Blanc wine. Et Voila! Beers that taste like wine and have a low ABV.
What? Wine-Flavored Beer?
Yes! Far from being incompatible, an arranged marriage between hops and grapes is a happy one. Grain is being used to make wine, and brewers are using wine grapes in their hopsy creations. Thanks to thiol-liberating yeasts such as Thiol Libre and innovative techniques such as mash hopping and incorporating grape pomace powder, you can reveal and celebrate fruity wine-like aromas in your beer product.
Mash hopping is the addition of hops during the mashing stage of the brewing process. It helps convert glutathione-bound thiols into cysteine-bound thiols for more aggressive thiol release. Grape pomace products, such as from Sauvignon Blanc variants, contain significant amounts of bound thiols. When included during the hot side of the wort process, this powder boosts yeast-enhanced bound thiol release, revealing a tropical, fruity Sauvignon Blanc aroma.
With hops-grape and thiol-enhanced beers already lower in alcohol content, brewers such as Connecticut’s Two Roads Brewing Company are providing theirs in ready-to-drink cans, such as their Sauvignon Blanc Gose. With their desire for beer and wine, novel taste sensations, responsibility, and convenience met, we predict happy users.
How to Liberate Thiols in Your Beer
To add novel wine-like beers to your portfolio, rely on Thiol Libre. It provides predictably robust IRC7 activity to generously liberate vinous thiols from your hops. Ensure you use hops that are heavy with bound thiols, such as Calypso, Saaz, Cascade, and Perle. Also, try Phantasm for its bound thiol precursor content—mash hop and whirlpool.
Then, play and have fun. Yeast and process experimentation can unlock fresh and unexpected flavors and taste combinations. Thiol biotransformation is already buzzing and may just be the next big thing in beer and wine.
Liberate Your Brand With Thiol Libre and 100% Natural Ingredients From Advanced Biotech
Enjoy boosted appeal to consumers with wine-flavored beers. At the same time, ensure your beverage is healthy, natural, and pure, with clean labels and traceable EU-certified components. Rely on Advanced Biotech’s responsibly sourced and produced flavor and odor ingredients to balance and accentuate the profiles of your thiol-enhanced beers. Browse our range of thiazoles, distillates, and other natural extracts today. Contact us to discuss your order or request samples.
1 https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/alcoholic-drinks/beer/united-states
2 https://www.sphericalinsights.com/reports/united-states-beer-market
3 https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/alcoholic-drinks/wine/united-states
4 https://sommelierschoiceawards.com/en/blog/insights-1/challenges-faced-by-the-wine-industry-in-2024-whats-the-reason-behind-the-decline-