East Japan Students Use Math-Devised Hops Chart To Brew Beer

A group of volunteer students headed by a professor in the east Japan prefecture of Chiba has created a craft beer with a method to visualize the aromas and characteristics of different hops using mathematics and informatics, Nobuyuki Mashimo reported for Mainichi Shimbun.

Photo Insert: Based on data regarding hops' characteristics, Chiba University Graduate School of Science professor Manabu Hagiwara developed a chart that uses mathematics to analyze each one.

On Jan. 25, the team headed by Chiba University Graduate School of Science professor Manabu Hagiwara began making beer using recipes based on the method at the brewery "Narashino craft beer mugi no ie" in the Chiba Prefecture city of Narashino.

The beer is expected to be completed in February, and in addition to selling it at the brewery, they also intend to enter it in national craft beer contests.

In 2021, Hagiwara came up with the idea of creating a craft beer for the 100th anniversary of the city of Chiba's establishment. The beer sold in July 2021 was brewed by specialists based on the views of students. This time though, he took on the challenge of having the students come up with the recipe, too.

Amid the work, Hagiwara turned his attention to the hops that dictate a beer's bitterness and aroma. Based on data regarding hops' characteristics, he developed a chart that uses mathematics to analyze each one.

Rather than just separating them by major characteristics like fruitiness and spiciness, it goes further into what kind of flavors they resemble, including nuts, white pepper, mint, and other ingredients. The chart then makes all these flavors visible at once.

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