Abstract
The growing demand for gluten-free, low- and non-alcoholic beer, has led to increased research into the incorporation of non-traditional cereal substrates in the brewing process, such as the pseudocereal quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa, Willd.). This study investigates the brewing potential of three quinoa varieties - white, red, and black - as adjuncts for the development of health-oriented and diversifying beer assortments. Three unconventional quinoa-based mashes were formulated using Pilsner barley malt, quinoa varieties, and acid barley malt at proportions of 54:40:6 % (w·w-1). The ratio of cereal ingredients to mashing water was 1:4.5. The mashing protocol involved a stepwise temperature increase of 1 °C·min-1, with rests at 45 °C for 30 minutes, 63 °C for 20 minutes, 72 °C for 30 minutes, and 78 °C for 10 minutes. Boiled malt worts with Amarillo hop pellets for 30BU were fermented with lager and top yeasts culture. The mashing, lautering, and fermentation performance of the purpose quinoa-based brewing matrices were briefly monitored according to the Analytica-EBC methods. The results demonstrated that the studied quinoa varieties could represent alternative substrates to conventional brewing mashes and revealed distinct technological characteristics and varying brewing behaviors among the quinoa varieties, indicating that each variety may influence the brewing process differently.