JP2024071239A - Beer-taste beverage - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a beer-taste beverage that combines a proper level of stimulation with the typical taste of the beer-taste beverage.SOLUTION: An beer-taste beverage has an alcohol level of 8.0 (v/v)% or more, with the total content of (A) one or more compounds being 2 mass ppb or more, which are selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfurylalcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and vanillin, and the total content of (B) one or more compounds being 2 mass ppb or more, which are selected from the group consisting of myrcene, limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexene-1-ol, 1-octane-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, caryophyllene oxide and eugenol.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

The present invention relates to a beer-flavored beverage.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, methods and devices for producing a beer beverage by mixing a malt-based concentrate with carbonated water or the like have been known.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a beer beverage production method for producing a malt-based fermented beverage by mixing a malt-based fermented beverage concentrate with a carbonated liquid diluent, and a beer beverage dispenser device.

Publication No. WO2018/100071

Beer-taste concentrates that are intended to be diluted, such as the malt-based concentrate in Patent Document 1, are designed to have a higher alcohol content and original extract concentration than ordinary beer-taste beverages. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for such high-concentration beverages to be consumed without dilution, and the inventors of the present invention were faced with the problem that simply providing a high-concentration concentrate as is would result in an excessively dry taste due to the high alcohol content, compromising drinkability.
Under these circumstances, there has been a demand for a beer-flavored beverage that has an appropriate stimulating sensation and a taste that resembles a beer-flavored beverage.

As a result of extensive research, the present inventors discovered that the above problems could be solved by adjusting the amounts of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol within specific ranges, and thus completed the present invention.
That is, the present invention includes the following aspects.
[1]
the total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and vanillin is 2 ppb by mass or more,
the total content of one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of myrcene, limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol is 2 ppb by mass or more;
A beer-flavored beverage having an alcohol content of 8.0 (v/v)% or more.
[2]
The beer-taste beverage according to [1], wherein the 2-acetylfuran content is 2 ppb by mass or more and the β-citronellol content is 2 ppb by mass or more.
[3]
The beer-taste beverage according to [1] or [2], wherein the combined content of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol is 4 ppb by mass or more.
[4]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the ratio of the alcohol content (unit: (v/v) %) to the total content of compound (A) and compound (B) (unit: ppb by mass) [alcohol content/(compound (A) + compound (B))] is 0.25 or less.
[5]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the malt ratio is 50% by mass or more.
[6]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [5], having an alcohol content of 25.0 (v/v)% or less.
[7]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [6], which has a color of 15.0 EBC or more.
[8]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [7], which has a bitterness value of 15.0 BUs or more.
[9]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the original extract concentration is 11.0% by mass or more.
[10]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [9], wherein the beer-taste beverage is a fermented beer-taste beverage.
[11]
The beer-taste beverage according to any one of [1] to [10], wherein the raw materials do not contain ethanol or an ethanol-containing composition.
[12]
For a beer-flavored beverage having an alcohol content of 8.0 (v/v)% or more,
The total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and vanillin is 2 ppb by mass or more, and A method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste beverage, comprising adjusting the total content of one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of menthene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol to 2 ppb by mass or more.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a beer-taste beverage with an appropriate stimulating sensation is provided. In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a beer-taste beverage with a taste characteristic of a beer-taste beverage is provided. In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a beer-taste beverage in which the excessive dryness caused by a high alcohol content is suppressed is provided.

1. Beer-taste beverage In this specification, the term "beer-taste beverage" refers to an alcohol-containing carbonated beverage that has a beer-like flavor. In other words, unless otherwise specified, the beer-taste beverage in this specification includes any carbonated beverage that has a beer flavor.
Therefore, the term "beer-flavored beverage" includes not only beer, a malt fermented beverage made from malt, hops, and water, which are fermented with yeast, and fermented beer-flavored beverages, but also carbonated beverages to which beer flavorings containing esters, higher alcohol, lactones, etc. have been added, as well as other happoshu (low-malt beer) and sparkling liqueurs as defined by Japan's Liquor Tax Act.

Furthermore, the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be a fermented beer-taste beverage that has undergone a fermentation process using yeast, or it may be a non-fermented beer-taste beverage that has not undergone a fermentation process.
The fermented beer-taste beverage may be an ale beer-taste beverage brewed through a fermentation process using a top-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces, etc.), a lager beer-taste beverage or a pilsner beer-taste beverage brewed through a fermentation process using a bottom-fermenting yeast (Saccharomyces, etc.), or a blend of these beer-taste beverages. Furthermore, "fermentation" as used herein may be alcoholic fermentation, which produces alcohol, or non-alcoholic fermentation, which does not produce alcohol.
In addition, the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be a malt-based beer-taste beverage that uses malt (e.g., barley malt, wheat malt, etc.) as an ingredient, or a malt-free beer-taste beverage that does not use malt. An example of a malt-based beer-taste beverage is a barley malt beer-taste beverage.
Furthermore, the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be a barley-based beer-taste beverage that uses barley (e.g., barley, wheat, etc.) as an ingredient, or a barley-free beer-taste beverage that does not use barley. An example of a barley-based beer-taste beverage is a barley-based beer-taste beverage.

A beer-taste beverage in one embodiment of the present invention has a total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of compounds listed in Group (I) below of 2 ppb by mass or more, a total content of one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of compounds listed in Group (II) below of 2 ppb by mass or more, and an alcohol content of 8.0 (v/v)% or more.
Group (I): 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and vanillin.
Group (II): myrcene, limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide and eugenol.

When the alcohol content is designed to be high in order to improve the stimulating sensation, the high alcohol content tends to result in a dry taste and a beverage that is difficult to drink. As a result of extensive research by the present inventors into this problem, it has been found that even when the alcohol content is designed to be high, such as 8.0 (v/v)% or more, the taste of a beer-taste beverage can be improved by adjusting the total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of the compounds in group (I) above and one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of the compounds in group (II) above within a respective predetermined range, and thus the excessive dryness caused by the high alcohol content is less likely to be felt.
In this specification, the term "a taste reminiscent of a beer-taste beverage" refers to a well-balanced aroma and flavor of the fragrant taste of barley and the refreshing aroma of hops.

Compounds that can be selected as compound (A) are one or more selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and vanillin, and it is preferable that compound (A) contains at least 2-acetylfuran.
By containing the above compound, the fragrant taste of barley can be improved.

Compounds that can be selected as compound (B) are one or more selected from the group consisting of myrcene, limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol, and it is preferable that compound (B) contains at least β-citronellol.
By containing the above compound, the refreshing aroma of hops can be improved.

In addition, the total content of compound (A) is 2 ppb by mass or more, but from the viewpoint of improving the fragrant taste of barley, it is preferable that the total content be 4 ppb by mass or more, 6 ppb by mass or more, 8 ppb by mass or more, 10 ppb by mass or more, 12 ppb by mass or more, 14 ppb by mass or more, 16 ppb by mass or more, 18 ppb by mass or more, 20 ppb by mass or more, 22 ppb by mass or more, 24 ppb by mass or more, 26 ppb by mass or more, 28 ppb by mass or more, 30 ppb by mass or more, 32 ppb by mass or more, 34 ppb by mass or more, 36 ppb by mass or more, 38 ppb by mass or more, 40 ppb by mass or more, 42 ppb by mass or more, 44 ppb by mass or more, 46 ppb by mass or more, 48 ppb by mass or more. , 50 mass ppb or more, 52 mass ppb or more, 54 mass ppb or more, 56 mass ppb or more, 58 mass ppb or more, 60 mass ppb or more, 62 mass ppb or more, 64 mass ppb or more, 66 mass ppb or more, 68 mass ppb or more, 70 mass ppb or more, 72 mass ppb or more, 74 mass ppb or more, 76 mass ppb or more, 78 mass ppb or more, 80 mass ppb or more, 82 mass ppb or more, 84 mass ppb or more, 86 mass ppb or more, 88 mass ppb or more, 90 mass ppb or more, 92 mass ppb or more, 94 mass ppb or more, 96 mass ppb or more, 98 mass ppb or more, or 100 mass ppb or more.
On the other hand, the total content of the compound (A) may be 300 mass ppm or less, 150 mass ppm or less, 1 mass ppm (1000 mass ppb) or less, 900 mass ppb or less, 500 mass ppb or less, 450 mass ppb or less, 400 mass ppb or less, 350 mass ppb or less, 340 mass ppb or less, 330 mass ppb or less, 320 mass ppb or less, 310 mass ppb or less, 300 mass ppb or less, 290 mass ppb or less, 280 mass ppb or less, 270 mass ppb or less, 260 mass ppb or less, 250 mass ppb or less, 240 mass ppb or less, 230 mass ppb or less, 220 mass ppb or less, 210 mass ppb or less, or 200 mass ppb or less.

In addition, the total content of compound (B) is 2 ppb by mass or more, but from the viewpoint of improving the refreshing aroma of hops, it is preferable that the total content be 3 ppb by mass or more, 4 ppb by mass or more, 5 ppb by mass or more, 6 ppb by mass or more, 7 ppb by mass or more, 8 ppb by mass or more, 9 ppb by mass or more, 10 ppb by mass or more, 11 ppb by mass or more, 12 ppb by mass or more, 13 ppb by mass or more, 14 ppb by mass or more, 15 ppb by mass or more, 16 ppb by mass or more, 17 ppb by mass or more, 18 ppb by mass or more, 19 ppb by mass or more, 20 ppb by mass or more, 21 ppb by mass or more, 22 ppb by mass or more, 23 ppb by mass or more, 24 ppb by mass or more, 25 ppb by mass or more, 26 ppb by mass or more, 27 ppb by mass or more, 28 ppb by mass or more, 29 ppb by mass or more, 30 ppb by mass or more, pb or more, 31 mass ppb or more, 32 mass ppb or more, 33 mass ppb or more, 34 mass ppb or more, 35 mass ppb or more, 36 mass ppb or more, 37 mass ppb or more, 38 mass ppb or more, 39 mass ppb or more, 40 mass ppb or more, 41 mass ppb or more, 42 mass ppb or more, 43 mass ppb or more, 44 mass ppb or more, 45 mass ppb or more, 46 mass ppb or more, 47 mass ppb or more, 48 mass ppb or more, 49 mass ppb or more, 50 mass ppb or more, 51 mass ppb or more, 52 mass ppb or more, 53 mass ppb or more, 54 mass ppb or more, 55 mass ppb or more, 56 mass ppb or more, 57 mass ppb or more, 58 mass ppb or more, 59 mass ppb or more, or 60 mass ppb or more.
On the other hand, the total content of the compound (B) may be 3000 mass ppb or less, 2500 mass ppb or less, 2000 mass ppb or less, 1500 mass ppb or less, 1000 mass ppb or less, 500 mass ppb or less, 450 mass ppb or less, 400 mass ppb or less, 350 mass ppb or less, 300 mass ppb or less, 250 mass ppb or less, 200 mass ppb or less, 190 mass ppb or less, 180 mass ppb or less, 170 mass ppb or less, 160 mass ppb or less, 150 mass ppb or less, 140 mass ppb or less, 130 mass ppb or less, 120 mass ppb or less, 110 mass ppb or less, or 100 mass ppb or less.

The contents of the compounds of the above groups (I) and (II) can be measured by known methods using equipment such as HPLC or GC-MS depending on the type of the compounds.
Furthermore, the compounds of groups (I) and (II) above may be contained in the raw materials of the beer-taste beverage, or may be added separately during the production process (e.g., as a purified product), or may be generated during the production process.

The content of the compounds constituting group (I) can be adjusted by appropriately setting the addition of dilution water or carbonated water and the amount of dilution water, the addition of refined products, the type of raw materials containing the compounds (wheat, malt, corn grits, sugar liquid, yeast extract, soybeans, peas, refined linalool, etc.), the amount of raw materials, the enzyme reaction time in the brewing process (the wort production process from the addition of raw materials such as malt to the addition of yeast), the pH in the brewing process, the amount of acid added when adjusting the pH, the timing of pH adjustment (during brewing, during fermentation, at the completion of fermentation, before beverage filtration, after beverage filtration, etc.), the set temperature and holding time of each temperature range when preparing wort (including saccharification), the original extract concentration of the pre-fermentation liquid, the original extract concentration in the fermentation process, the fermentation conditions (oxygen concentration, aeration conditions, yeast variety, amount of yeast added, yeast proliferation number, timing of yeast removal, fermentation temperature, fermentation time, pressure setting, carbon dioxide concentration, etc.), the addition of spirits, brewing alcohol, etc.

The content of the compounds constituting group (II) can be controlled, for example, by adjusting the amount of the refined product added, or by adjusting the variety of raw material (e.g., hops) that contains a high content of the compound, the amount used, and the timing of adding the raw material.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-acetylfuran that can be selected as compound (A) is 2 ppb by mass or more, but from the viewpoint of improving the fragrant taste of barley, it can be set to 4 ppb by mass or more, 6 ppb by mass or more, 8 ppb by mass or more, 10 ppb by mass or more, 12 ppb by mass or more, 14 ppb by mass or more, 16 ppb by mass or more, 18 ppb by mass or more, 20 ppb by mass or more, 22 ppb by mass or more, 24 ppb by mass or more, 26 ppb by mass or more, 28 ppb by mass or more, 30 ppb by mass or more, 32 ppb by mass or more, 34 ppb by mass or more, 36 ppb by mass or more, 38 ppb by mass or more, 40 ppb by mass or more, 42 ppb by mass or more, 44 ppb by mass or more, 46 ppb by mass or more, or more, 48 mass ppb or more, 50 mass ppb or more, 52 mass ppb or more, 54 mass ppb or more, 56 mass ppb or more, 58 mass ppb or more, 60 mass ppb or more, 62 mass ppb or more, 64 mass ppb or more, 66 mass ppb or more, 68 mass ppb or more, 70 mass ppb or more, 72 mass ppb or more, 74 mass ppb or more, 76 mass ppb or more, 78 mass ppb or more, 80 mass ppb or more, 82 mass ppb or more, 84 mass ppb or more, 86 mass ppb or more, 88 mass ppb or more, 90 mass ppb or more, 92 mass ppb or more, 94 mass ppb or more, 96 mass ppb or more, 98 mass ppb or more, or 100 mass ppb or more.
On the other hand, the content of 2-acetylfuran may be 500 mass ppb or less, 450 mass ppb or less, 400 mass ppb or less, 350 mass ppb or less, 340 mass ppb or less, 330 mass ppb or less, 320 mass ppb or less, 310 mass ppb or less, 300 mass ppb or less, 290 mass ppb or less, 280 mass ppb or less, 270 mass ppb or less, 260 mass ppb or less, 250 mass ppb or less, 240 mass ppb or less, 230 mass ppb or less, 220 mass ppb or less, 210 mass ppb or less, or 200 mass ppb or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of β-citronellol that can be selected as compound (B) is 2 ppb by mass or more, but from the viewpoint of improving the refreshing aroma of hops, it is preferable that the content be 3 ppb by mass or more, 4 ppb by mass or more, 5 ppb by mass or more, 6 ppb by mass or more, 7 ppb by mass or more, 8 ppb by mass or more, 9 ppb by mass or more, 10 ppb by mass or more, 11 ppb by mass or more, 12 ppb by mass or more, 13 ppb by mass or more, 14 ppb by mass or more, 15 ppb by mass or more, 16 ppb by mass or more, 17 ppb by mass or more, 18 ppb by mass or more, 19 ppb by mass or more, 20 ppb by mass or more, 21 ppb by mass or more, 22 ppb by mass or more, 23 ppb by mass or more, 24 ppb by mass or more, 25 ppb by mass or more, 26 ppb by mass or more, 27 ppb by mass or more, 28 ppb by mass or more, 29 ppb by mass or more, ppb or more by mass, 30 ppb or more by mass, 31 ppb or more by mass, 32 ppb or more by mass, 33 ppb or more by mass, 34 ppb or more by mass, 35 ppb or more by mass, 36 ppb or more by mass, 37 ppb or more by mass, 38 ppb or more by mass, 39 ppb or more by mass, 40 ppb or more by mass, 41 ppb or more by mass, 42 ppb or more by mass, 43 ppb or more by mass, 44 ppb or more by mass, 45 ppb or more by mass It is preferable that the concentration is 46 mass ppb or more, 47 mass ppb or more, 48 mass ppb or more, 49 mass ppb or more, 50 mass ppb or more, 51 mass ppb or more, 52 mass ppb or more, 53 mass ppb or more, 54 mass ppb or more, 55 mass ppb or more, 56 mass ppb or more, 57 mass ppb or more, 58 mass ppb or more, 59 mass ppb or more, or 60 mass ppb or more.
On the other hand, the content of β-citronellol may be 300 ppb by mass or less, 250 ppb by mass or less, 200 ppb by mass or less, 190 ppb by mass or less, 180 ppb by mass or less, 170 ppb by mass or less, 160 ppb by mass or less, 150 ppb by mass or less, 140 ppb by mass or less, 130 ppb by mass or less, 120 ppb by mass or less, 110 ppb by mass or less, or 100 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the beer-taste beverage of the present invention, the total content of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol is 4 ppb by mass or more. From the viewpoint of enhancing the fragrant taste of barley and the refreshing aroma of hops, the total content of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol may be increased to 8 ppb by mass or more, 10 ppb by mass or more, 12 ppb by mass or more, 14 ppb by mass or more, 16 ppb by mass or more, 18 ppb by mass or more, 20 ppb by mass or more, 22 ppb by mass or more, 24 ppb by mass or more, 26 ppb by mass or more, 28 ppb by mass or more, 30 ppb by mass or more, 32 ppb by mass or more, 34 ppb by mass or more, 36 ppb by mass or more, It is preferable that the concentration is 38 mass ppb or more, 40 mass ppb or more, 42 mass ppb or more, 44 mass ppb or more, 46 mass ppb or more, 48 mass ppb or more, 50 mass ppb or more, 52 mass ppb or more, 54 mass ppb or more, 56 mass ppb or more, 58 mass ppb or more, 60 mass ppb or more, 62 mass ppb or more, 64 mass ppb or more, 66 mass ppb or more, 68 mass ppb or more, 70 mass ppb or more, 72 mass ppb or more, 74 mass ppb or more, 76 mass ppb or more, 78 mass ppb or more, or 80 mass ppb or more.
On the other hand, the total content of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol may be 500 ppb by mass or less, 450 ppb by mass or less, 400 ppb by mass or less, 350 ppb by mass or less, 300 ppb by mass or less, 250 ppb by mass or less, 200 ppb by mass or less, or 150 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-methylpyrazine that may be selected as compound (A) may be 0.5 mass ppb or more, 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.5 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, 4.0 mass ppb or more, 4.5 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 5.5 mass ppb or more, 6.0 mass ppb or more, 6.5 mass ppb or more, or 7.0 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of 2-methylpyrazine may be 100 ppb by mass or less, 90 ppb by mass or less, 80 ppb by mass or less, 70 ppb by mass or less, 60 ppb by mass or less, 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, or 15 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine that may be selected as compound (A) may be 0.1 mass ppb or more, 0.3 mass ppb or more, 0.5 mass ppb or more, 0.7 mass ppb or more, 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.3 mass ppb or more, or 1.5 mass ppb or more.
The content of 2,5-dimethylpyrazine may be 20 ppb by mass or less, 19 ppb by mass or less, 18 ppb by mass or less, 17 ppb by mass or less, 16 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, 14 ppb by mass or less, 13 ppb by mass or less, 12 ppb by mass or less, 11 ppb by mass or less, 10 ppb by mass or less, 9.0 ppb by mass or less, 8.0 ppb by mass or less, 7.0 ppb by mass or less, 6.0 ppb by mass or less, 5.0 ppb by mass or less, 4.0 ppb by mass or less, or 3.0 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2,3-dimethylpyrazine that may be selected as compound (A) may be 0.01 mass ppb or more, 0.05 mass ppb or more, 0.1 mass ppb or more, 0.3 mass ppb or more, 0.5 mass ppb or more, 0.7 mass ppb or more, or 1.0 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of 2,3-dimethylpyrazine may be 15 ppb by mass or less, 10 ppb by mass or less, 9.0 ppb by mass or less, 8.0 ppb by mass or less, 7.0 ppb by mass or less, 6.0 ppb by mass or less, 5.0 ppb by mass or less, 4.0 ppb by mass or less, 3.0 ppb by mass or less, or 2.0 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine that may be selected as compound (A) may be 0.01 ppb by mass or more, 0.05 ppb by mass or more, 0.1 ppb by mass or more, 0.3 ppb by mass or more, 0.5 ppb by mass or more, 0.7 ppb by mass or more, or 1.0 ppb by mass or more.
In addition, the content of 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine may be 15 ppb by mass or less, 10 ppb by mass or less, 9.0 ppb by mass or less, 8.0 ppb by mass or less, 7.0 ppb by mass or less, 6.0 ppb by mass or less, 5.0 ppb by mass or less, 4.0 ppb by mass or less, 3.0 ppb by mass or less, or 2.0 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of furfural that may be selected as compound (A) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 7.0 mass ppb or more, 9.0 mass ppb or more, 11 mass ppb or more, or 13 mass ppb or more.
The furfural content may be 100 ppb by mass or less, 90 ppb by mass or less, 80 ppb by mass or less, 70 ppb by mass or less, 60 ppb by mass or less, 50 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, or 25 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of pyrrole that can be selected as compound (A) may be 5.0 mass ppb or more, 6.0 mass ppb or more, 7.0 mass ppb or more, 8.0 mass ppb or more, 9.0 mass ppb or more, 10 mass ppb or more, 12 mass ppb or more, 14 mass ppb or more, 16 mass ppb or more, 18 mass ppb or more, 20 mass ppb or more, 22 mass ppb or more, 24 mass ppb or more, 26 mass ppb or more, or 28 mass ppb or more.
The pyrrole content may be 100 ppb by mass or less, 90 ppb by mass or less, 80 ppb by mass or less, 70 ppb by mass or less, 60 ppb by mass or less, 55 ppb by mass or less, 50 ppb by mass or less, or 45 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-acetylpyrazine that may be selected as compound (A) may be 0.01 mass ppb or more, 0.03 mass ppb or more, 0.05 mass ppb or more, 0.07 mass ppb or more, 0.10 mass ppb or more, 0.12 mass ppb or more, 0.14 mass ppb or more, 0.16 mass ppb or more, 0.18 mass ppb or more, or 0.20 mass ppb or more.
The content of 2-acetylpyrazine may be 5.0 ppb by mass or less, 4.0 ppb by mass or less, 3.0 ppb by mass or less, 2.0 ppb by mass or less, 1.5 ppb by mass or less, 1.0 ppb by mass or less, or 0.5 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of furfuryl alcohol that may be selected as compound (A) may be 1000 mass ppb or more, 1500 mass ppb or more, 2000 mass ppb or more, 2100 mass ppb or more, 2200 mass ppb or more, 2300 mass ppb or more, 2400 mass ppb or more, 2500 mass ppb or more, or 2600 mass ppb or more.
The content of furfuryl alcohol may be 10,000 mass ppb or less, 8,000 mass ppb or less, 6,000 mass ppb or less, 5,500 mass ppb or less, 5,000 mass ppb or less, 4,800 mass ppb or less, 4,600 mass ppb or less, 4,400 mass ppb or less, or 4,200 mass ppb or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-methoxyphenol that may be selected as compound (A) may be 0.1 mass ppb or more, 0.3 mass ppb or more, 0.5 mass ppb or more, 0.7 mass ppb or more, 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.3 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, or 2.5 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of 2-methoxyphenol may be 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, 10 ppb by mass or less, 9.0 ppb by mass or less, 8.0 ppb by mass or less, 7.0 ppb by mass or less, 6.0 ppb by mass or less, 5.0 ppb by mass or less, 4.0 ppb by mass or less, or 3.0 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-acetylpyrrole that may be selected as compound (A) may be 10 ppb by mass or more, 50 ppb by mass or more, 100 ppb by mass or more, 110 ppb by mass or more, 120 ppb by mass or more, 130 ppb by mass or more, 140 ppb by mass or more, 150 ppb by mass or more, 200 ppb by mass or more, 210 ppb by mass or more, 220 ppb by mass or more, 230 ppb by mass or more, or 240 ppb by mass or more.
The content of 2-acetylpyrrole may be 1000 ppb by mass or less, 900 ppb by mass or less, 800 ppb by mass or less, 700 ppb by mass or less, 600 ppb by mass or less, 500 ppb by mass or less, or 400 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of maltol that may be selected as compound (A) may be 200 mass ppb or more, 300 mass ppb or more, 400 mass ppb or more, 500 mass ppb or more, 600 mass ppb or more, 700 mass ppb or more, 800 mass ppb or more, 900 mass ppb or more, 1000 mass ppb or more, 1500 mass ppb or more, 2000 mass ppb or more, 2100 mass ppb or more, 2200 mass ppb or more, 2300 mass ppb or more, 2400 mass ppb or more, or 2500 mass ppb or more.
The content of maltol may be 10,000 mass ppb or less, 8,000 mass ppb or less, 6,000 mass ppb or less, 5,500 mass ppb or less, 5,000 mass ppb or less, 4,800 mass ppb or less, 4,600 mass ppb or less, 4,400 mass ppb or less, 4,200 mass ppb or less, or 4,100 mass ppb or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of furaneol that may be selected as compound (A) may be 10 ppm by mass or more, 20 ppm by mass or more, 30 ppm by mass or more, 40 ppm by mass or more, 50 ppm by mass or more, 60 ppm by mass or more, 70 ppm by mass or more, or 80 ppm by mass or more.
The content of furaneol may be 500 ppm by mass or less, 450 ppm by mass or less, 400 ppm by mass or less, 350 ppm by mass or less, 300 ppm by mass or less, 250 ppm by mass or less, 200 ppm by mass or less, 180 ppm by mass or less, 160 ppm by mass or less, or 140 ppm by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol that may be selected as compound (A) may be 50 ppb by mass or more, 100 ppb by mass or more, 150 ppb by mass or more, 200 ppb by mass or more, 250 ppb by mass or more, 300 ppb by mass or more, 350 ppb by mass or more, 400 ppb by mass or more, 450 ppb by mass or more, 500 ppb by mass or more, 550 ppb by mass or more, 600 ppb by mass or more, or 650 ppb by mass or more.
In addition, the content of 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol may be 5000 mass ppb or less, 4500 mass ppb or less, 4000 mass ppb or less, 3500 mass ppb or less, 3000 mass ppb or less, 2500 mass ppb or less, 2000 mass ppb or less, 1500 mass ppb or less, or 1200 mass ppb or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural that may be selected as compound (A) may be 50 ppb by mass or more, 100 ppb by mass or more, 150 ppb by mass or more, 200 ppb by mass or more, 250 ppb by mass or more, 300 ppb by mass or more, 350 ppb by mass or more, 400 ppb by mass or more, 450 ppb by mass or more, 500 ppb by mass or more, or 550 ppb by mass or more.
In addition, the content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural may be 5000 mass ppb or less, 4500 mass ppb or less, 4000 mass ppb or less, 3500 mass ppb or less, 3000 mass ppb or less, 2500 mass ppb or less, 2000 mass ppb or less, 1500 mass ppb or less, or 1000 mass ppb or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of vanillin that may be selected as compound (A) may be 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, 4.0 mass ppb or more, 4.5 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 5.5 mass ppb or more, 6.0 mass ppb or more, 6.5 mass ppb or more, 7.0 mass ppb or more, 7.5 mass ppb or more, 8.0 mass ppb or more, 8.5 mass ppb or more, or 9.0 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the vanillin content may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, or 15 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of myrcene that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.5 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, 4.0 mass ppb or more, 4.5 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 5.5 mass ppb or more, 6.0 mass ppb or more, 6.5 mass ppb or more, 7.0 mass ppb or more, or 7.5 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the myrcene content may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, or 10 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of limonene that can be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.5 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, or 4.0 mass ppb or more.
The limonene content may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, or 10 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of γ-terpinene that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.5 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, 4.0 mass ppb or more, or 4.5 mass ppb or more.
The content of γ-terpinene may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, or 10 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of O-cymene that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.5 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, 4.0 mass ppb or more, or 4.5 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of O-cymene may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, or 10 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of cis-3-hexen-1-ol that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.3 mass ppb or more, 2.5 mass ppb or more, 2.7 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.3 mass ppb or more, or 3.5 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of cis-3-hexen-1-ol may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, or 10 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 1-octan-3-ol that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.3 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 1.7 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.3 mass ppb or more, or 2.5 mass ppb or more.
The content of 1-octan-3-ol may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, 10 ppb by mass or less, or 5.0 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of linalool oxide that may be selected as compound (B) may be 5.0 mass ppb or more, 10 mass ppb or more, 20 mass ppb or more, 30 mass ppb or more, 35 mass ppb or more, 40 mass ppb or more, 45 mass ppb or more, 50 mass ppb or more, 55 mass ppb or more, 60 mass ppb or more, or 65 mass ppb or more.
The content of linalool oxide may be 500 mass ppb or less, 450 mass ppb or less, 400 mass ppb or less, 350 mass ppb or less, 300 mass ppb or less, 250 mass ppb or less, 200 mass ppb or less, or 150 mass ppb or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of linalool that may be selected as compound (B) may be 10 mass ppb or more, 20 mass ppb or more, 30 mass ppb or more, 40 mass ppb or more, 50 mass ppb or more, 60 mass ppb or more, 70 mass ppb or more, 80 mass ppb or more, 90 mass ppb or more, or 100 mass ppb or more.
The linalool content may be 500 mass ppb or less, 450 mass ppb or less, 400 mass ppb or less, 350 mass ppb or less, 300 mass ppb or less, 250 mass ppb or less, 200 mass ppb or less, or 180 mass ppb or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-undecanone that can be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 10 mass ppb or more, 20 mass ppb or more, 30 mass ppb or more, 35 mass ppb or more, 40 mass ppb or more, 45 mass ppb or more, or 50 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of 2-undecanone may be 500 ppb by mass or less, 450 ppb by mass or less, 400 ppb by mass or less, 350 ppb by mass or less, 300 ppb by mass or less, 250 ppb by mass or less, 200 ppb by mass or less, 150 ppb by mass or less, or 100 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of methyl geranate that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 10 mass ppb or more, 12 mass ppb or more, 14 mass ppb or more, 16 mass ppb or more, 18 mass ppb or more, 20 mass ppb or more, 22 mass ppb or more, 24 mass ppb or more, 26 mass ppb or more, or 28 mass ppb or more.
The content of methyl geranate may be 400 ppb by mass or less, 350 ppb by mass or less, 300 ppb by mass or less, 250 ppb by mass or less, 200 ppb by mass or less, 150 ppb by mass or less, 100 ppb by mass or less, or 50 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of trans-β-farnesene that may be selected as compound (B) may be 10 ppb by mass or more, 20 ppb by mass or more, 30 ppb by mass or more, 40 ppb by mass or more, 50 ppb by mass or more, 60 ppb by mass or more, 70 ppb by mass or more, 80 ppb by mass or more, 90 ppb by mass or more, 100 ppb by mass or more, or 110 ppb by mass or more.
In addition, the content of trans-β-farnesene may be 500 ppb by mass or less, 450 ppb by mass or less, 400 ppb by mass or less, 350 ppb by mass or less, 300 ppb by mass or less, 250 ppb by mass or less, 200 ppb by mass or less, or 190 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of α-humulene that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, 4.0 mass ppb or more, 4.5 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 5.5 mass ppb or more, 6.0 mass ppb or more, 6.5 mass ppb or more, 7.0 mass ppb or more, 7.5 mass ppb or more, or 8.0 mass ppb or more.
The α-humulene content may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, or 15 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of α-terpineol that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 10 mass ppb or more, 12 mass ppb or more, 14 mass ppb or more, 16 mass ppb or more, 18 mass ppb or more, 20 mass ppb or more, 22 mass ppb or more, 24 mass ppb or more, 26 mass ppb or more, or 28 mass ppb or more.
The α-terpineol content may be 400 ppb by mass or less, 350 ppb by mass or less, 300 ppb by mass or less, 250 ppb by mass or less, 200 ppb by mass or less, 150 ppb by mass or less, 100 ppb by mass or less, or 50 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of nerol that may be selected as compound (B) may be 10 ppb by mass or more, 50 ppb by mass or more, 100 ppb by mass or more, 150 ppb by mass or more, 200 ppb by mass or more, 250 ppb by mass or more, 300 ppb by mass or more, or 350 ppb by mass or more.
The nerol content may be 2000 ppb by mass or less, 1500 ppb by mass or less, 1000 ppb by mass or less, 900 ppb by mass or less, 800 ppb by mass or less, 700 ppb by mass or less, or 650 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of geraniol that may be selected as compound (B) may be 10 ppb by mass or more, 20 ppb by mass or more, 30 ppb by mass or more, 40 ppb by mass or more, 50 ppb by mass or more, 60 ppb by mass or more, 70 ppb by mass or more, 80 ppb by mass or more, or 90 ppb by mass or more.
The geraniol content may be 500 ppb by mass or less, 450 ppb by mass or less, 400 ppb by mass or less, 350 ppb by mass or less, 300 ppb by mass or less, 250 ppb by mass or less, 200 ppb by mass or less, or 150 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of 2-tetradecanone that may be selected as compound (B) may be 0.1 mass ppb or more, 0.3 mass ppb or more, 0.5 mass ppb or more, 0.7 mass ppb or more, 1.0 mass ppb or more, or 1.3 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of 2-tetradecanone may be 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, 10 ppb by mass or less, 9.0 ppb by mass or less, 8.0 ppb by mass or less, 7.0 ppb by mass or less, 6.0 ppb by mass or less, 5.0 ppb by mass or less, 4.0 ppb by mass or less, 3.0 ppb by mass or less, or 2.5 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of β-ionone that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 3.0 mass ppb or more, 3.5 mass ppb or more, 4.0 mass ppb or more, 4.5 mass ppb or more, 5.0 mass ppb or more, 5.5 mass ppb or more, 6.0 mass ppb or more, 6.5 mass ppb or more, or 7.0 mass ppb or more.
In addition, the content of β-ionone may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 45 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 35 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, or 15 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of nerolidol that may be selected as compound (B) may be 10 ppb by mass or more, 50 ppb by mass or more, 100 ppb by mass or more, 150 ppb by mass or more, 200 ppb by mass or more, 210 ppb by mass or more, or 220 ppb by mass or more.
The nerolidol content may be 1000 ppb by mass or less, 900 ppb by mass or less, 800 ppb by mass or less, 700 ppb by mass or less, 600 ppb by mass or less, 500 ppb by mass or less, or 400 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of potassium olefin oxide that may be selected as compound (B) may be 1.0 mass ppb or more, 1.3 mass ppb or more, 1.5 mass ppb or more, 1.7 mass ppb or more, 2.0 mass ppb or more, 2.3 mass ppb or more, 2.5 mass ppb or more, or 2.8 mass ppb or more.
The content of potassium olefin oxide may be 50 ppb by mass or less, 40 ppb by mass or less, 30 ppb by mass or less, 25 ppb by mass or less, 20 ppb by mass or less, 15 ppb by mass or less, 10 ppb by mass or less, or 5.0 ppb by mass or less.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the content of eugenol that may be selected as compound (B) may be 0.01 mass ppb or more, 0.05 mass ppb or more, 0.10 mass ppb or more, 0.15 mass ppb or more, 0.20 mass ppb or more, 0.25 mass ppb or more, 0.30 mass ppb or more, 0.35 mass ppb or more, 0.40 mass ppb or more, 0.45 mass ppb or more, or 0.50 mass ppb or more.
The eugenol content may be 5.0 ppb by mass or less, 4.0 ppb by mass or less, 3.0 ppb by mass or less, 2.0 ppb by mass or less, 1.5 ppb by mass or less, or 1.0 ppb by mass or less.

From the standpoint of providing a beverage with an appropriate stimulating sensation, the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention has an alcohol content (ethanol content (v/v)%) of 8.0 (v/v)% or more, but may also have an alcohol content of 9.0 (v/v)% or more, 10.0 (v/v)% or more, 10.3 (v/v)% or more, 10.5 (v/v)% or more, 10.8 (v/v)% or more, 11.0 (v/v)% or more, 11.2 (v/v)% or more, 11.5 (v/v)% or more, 11.8 (v/v)% or more, 12.0 (v/v)% or more, 12.2 (v/v)% or more, 12.5 (v/v)% or more, 12.8 (v/v)% or more, 13.0 (v/v)% or more, 13.2(v/v)% or more, 13.5(v/v)% or more, 13.8(v/v)% or more, 14.0(v/v)% or more, 14.3(v/v)% or more, 14.5(v/v)% or more, 14.8(v/v)% or more, 15.0(v/v)% or more, 15.5(v/v)% or more, 16.0(v/v)% or more, 16.5(v/v)% or more, 17.0(v/v)% or more, 17.5(v/v)% or more, 18.0(v/v)% or more, 18.5(v/v)% or more, 19.0(v/v)% or more, 19.5(v/v)% or more, or 20.0(v/v)% or more.
On the other hand, the alcohol content may be 50.0 (v/v)% or less, 45.0 (v/v)% or less, 40.0 (v/v)% or less, 35.0 (v/v)% or less, 30.0 (v/v)% or less, 25.0 (v/v)% or less, 24.5 (v/v)% or less, 24.0 (v/v)% or less, 23.5 (v/v)% or less, 23.0 (v/v)% or less, 22.5 (v/v)% or less, 22.0 (v/v)% or less, 21.5 (v/v)% or less, 21.0 (v/v)% or less, 20.5 (v/v)% or less, or 20.0 (v/v)% or less.

In this specification, the alcohol content is expressed as a percentage based on volume/volume ((v/v)%). The alcohol content of a beverage can be measured by any known method, for example, according to "8.3 alcohol" in "Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method, 2013 Revised and Enlarged (Edited by International Technical Committee (Analysis Committee) of the Brewers Association of Japan, Published by the Brewing Society of Japan).
In addition, the alcohol content can be adjusted by the addition of dilution water or carbonated water and the amount added if added, the type of raw material (barley, malt, corn grits, sugar liquid, etc.), the amount of raw material, the type of enzyme, the amount of enzyme added, the timing of enzyme addition, saccharification time in the brewing tank, protein decomposition time in the brewing tank, pH in the brewing tank, pH during the brewing process (the wort production process from the addition of malt to before the addition of yeast), the amount of acid added when adjusting the pH, the timing of pH adjustment (during brewing, during fermentation, at the completion of fermentation, before beverage filtration, after beverage filtration, etc.), and the temperature ranges when preparing the wort (including during saccharification). The set temperature and holding time, original extract concentration of the pre-fermentation liquid, original extract concentration in the fermentation process, fermentation conditions (oxygen concentration, aeration conditions, yeast variety, amount of yeast added, number of yeast growths, timing of yeast removal, fermentation temperature, fermentation time, pressure setting, carbon dioxide concentration, amount of enzyme added, type of enzyme, timing of enzyme addition, etc.), addition of ethanol, addition of ethanol composition (raw material alcohol, shochu, awamori, whiskey, brandy, vodka, rum, tequila, gin and other spirits (distilled alcohol), brewed alcohol, etc.), etc. can be appropriately set.

The beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may or may not contain spirits (distilled alcohol) derived from grains as an alcohol component in order to adjust the alcohol content to fall within the above range. From the perspective of producing a beer-taste beverage that has a good taste and resembles beer, it is preferable that the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is a beverage that does not contain spirits. In other words, the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention does not contain ethanol or an ethanol-containing composition as an ingredient.

In the present invention, the alcohol content is adjusted to 8.0 (v/v)% or more to provide a beverage with an appropriate stimulating sensation, while the total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of the compounds in Group (I) above, and one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of the compounds in Group (II) above, is adjusted to within a predetermined range, thereby improving the taste that is characteristic of a beer-taste beverage and preventing the beverage from becoming too dry due to the high alcohol content, while providing a beverage that combines an appropriate stimulating sensation with a taste that is characteristic of a beer-taste beverage.

In the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the alcohol content (unit: (v/v) %) to the total content of compound (A) and compound (B) (unit: mass ppb) [alcohol content/(compound (A) + compound (B))] is preferably 0.50 or less, 0.45 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.35 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.29 or less, 0.28 or less, 0.27 or less, 0.26 or less, or 0.25 or less, from the standpoint of suppressing an excessively dry taste that is unsuitable for a beer-taste beverage.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of improving the sensation of stimulation, the ratio may be 0.01 or more, 0.02 or more, 0.03 or more, 0.04 or more, 0.05 or more, 0.06 or more, 0.07 or more, or 0.08 or more.

In the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the alcohol content (unit: (v/v) %) to the combined content of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol (unit: mass ppb) [alcohol content/(2-acetylfuran+β-citronellol)] is preferably 0.50 or less, 0.45 or less, 0.40 or less, 0.35 or less, 0.30 or less, 0.29 or less, 0.28 or less, 0.27 or less, 0.26 or less, or 0.25 or less, from the standpoint of suppressing an excessively dry taste that is unsuitable for a beer-taste beverage.
On the other hand, from the viewpoint of improving the sensation of stimulation, the ratio may be 0.01 or more, 0.02 or more, 0.03 or more, 0.04 or more, 0.05 or more, 0.06 or more, 0.07 or more, or 0.08 or more.

From the standpoint of providing a good taste and improving the taste characteristic of a beer-taste beverage, the original extract (O-Ex) concentration of the beer-taste beverage in one embodiment of the present invention is 11.0 mass% or more, 11.5 mass% or more, 12.0 mass% or more, 12.5 mass% or more, 13.0 mass% or more, 13.5 mass% or more, 14.0 mass% or more, 14.5 mass% or more, 15.0 mass% or more, 15.5 mass% or more, 16.0 mass% or more, 16.5 mass% or more, 17.0 mass% or more, % by mass or more, 17.5% by mass or more, 18.0% by mass or more, 18.5% by mass or more, 19.0% by mass or more, 19.5% by mass or more, 20.0% by mass or more, 21.0% by mass or more, 22.0% by mass or more, 22.5% by mass or more, 23.0% by mass or more, 23.5% by mass or more, 24.0% by mass or more, 24.5% by mass or more, 25.0% by mass or more, 25.5% by mass or more, 26.0% by mass or more, 26.5% by mass or more, or 27.0% by mass or more.
Furthermore, from the standpoint of producing a beer-taste beverage with little undesirable grain odor, the original extract (O-Ex) concentration of the beer-taste beverage may be 50.0% by mass or less, 49.0% by mass or less, 48.0% by mass or less, 47.0% by mass or less, 46.0% by mass or less, 45.0% by mass or less, 44.0% by mass or less, 43.0% by mass or less, 42.0% by mass or less, 41.0% by mass or less, 40.0% by mass or less, 39.0% by mass or less, 38.0% by mass or less, 37.0% by mass or less, 36.0% by mass or less, 35.0% by mass or less, 34.0% by mass or less, 33.0% by mass or less, 32.0% by mass or less, 31.0% by mass or less, or 30.0% by mass or less.

The original extract concentration can be adjusted by appropriately setting the addition of dilution water or carbonated water and the amount added if added, the type of raw materials (barley, malt, corn grits, sugar liquid, etc.), the amount of raw materials, the wort filtration time, the wort filtration pH, the boiling time, the boiling temperature, the amount of spirits added, the amount of brewer's alcohol added, etc.
The original extract of the beer-taste beverage according to the present invention can be measured, for example, by the method described in the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Brewing Society of Japan, a public interest incorporated foundation, edited by the International Technical Committee (Analysis Committee) of the Beer Brewers Association, revised and expanded in 2013).

From the viewpoint of improving flavor, the pH of the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is preferably 2.0 or more, 2.2 or more, 2.4 or more, 2.6 or more, 2.8 or more, 3.0 or more, 3.1 or more, 3.2 or more, 3.3 or more, 3.4 or more, 3.5 or more, 3.6 or more, 3.7 or more, 3.8 or more, 3.9 or more, 4.0 or more, 4.1 or more, 4.2 or more, 4.3 or more, 4.4 or more, 4.5 or more, or 4.6 or more, and is preferably 5.4 or less, 5.2 or less, 5.0 or less, 4.9 or less, 4.8 or less, 4.7 or less, 4.6 or less, 4.55 or less, or 4.5 or less, and may be 4.0 or less or less than 4.0.
The pH can be adjusted by appropriately setting the addition of dilution water or carbonated water and the amount of dilution water or carbonated water added, the type of raw material (wheat, malt, corn grits, sugar liquid, etc.), the amount of raw material, the type of enzyme, the amount of enzyme added, the timing of enzyme addition, saccharification time in the brewing tank, proteolysis time in the brewing tank, the pH in the brewing tank, the pH in the brewing process (the wort production process from the addition of malt to the addition of yeast), the type of acid used in pH adjustment (lactic acid, phosphoric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, etc.), the amount of acid used in pH adjustment, the timing of pH adjustment (during brewing, during fermentation, at the completion of fermentation, before beverage filtration, after beverage filtration, etc.), the set temperature and holding time for each temperature range when preparing wort (including during saccharification), the original extract concentration of the pre-fermentation liquid, the original extract concentration in the fermentation process, the fermentation conditions (oxygen concentration, aeration conditions, yeast variety, amount of yeast added, yeast growth number, timing of yeast removal, fermentation temperature, fermentation time, pressure setting, carbon dioxide concentration, etc.), cooling timing, cooling temperature, cooling time, etc.

From the viewpoint of providing a satisfying beer-taste beverage, the color of the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be 15.0 EBC or more, 16.0 EBC or more, 17.0 EBC or more, 18.0 EBC or more, 19.0 EBC or more, 20.0 EBC or more, 21.0 EBC or more, 22.0 EBC or more, 23.0 EBC or more, 24.0 EBC or more, 25.0 EBC or more, 30.0 EBC or more, 35.0 EBC or more, or 40.0 EBC or more.
Furthermore, from the viewpoint of providing a beer-taste beverage with a light drinking experience, the color of the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be 100 EBC or less, 95.0 EBC or less, 90.0 EBC or less, 85.0 EBC or less, 80.0 EBC or less, 75.0 EBC or less, 70.0 EBC or less, 65.0 EBC or less, 60.0 EBC or less, 55.0 EBC or less, 50.0 EBC or less, 45.0 EBC or less, or 40.0 EBC or less.

In this specification, "color" can be measured by the measurement method described in "8.8 Color" of the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the International Technical Committee (Analysis Committee) of the Brewers Association of Japan, revised and expanded in 2013). Note that "color" is specified by the color unit (EBC unit) defined by the European Brewery Convention. The smaller the value, the lighter and brighter the beverage, and conversely, the larger the value, the darker and darker the beverage.
The color of the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention can be controlled, for example, by adjusting the type of barley or malt used, or, when two or more types of barley or malt are used in combination, the blending ratio, etc. It can also be adjusted by controlling the amount of food additives such as caramel color, cacao color, safflower color, and colored sugar solution, etc.

From the perspective of providing a satisfying beer-taste beverage, the bitterness value of the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be 15.0 BUs or more, 16.0 BUs or more, 17.0 BUs or more, 18.0 BUs or more, 19.0 BUs or more, 20.0 BUs or more, 21.0 BUs or more, 22.0 BUs or more, 23.0 BUs or more, 24.0 BUs or more, 25.0 BUs or more, 26.0 BUs or more, 28.0 BUs or more, 30.0 BUs or more, 32.0 BUs or more, 34.0 BUs or more, 36.0 BUs or more, 38.0 BUs or more, 40.0 BUs or more, or 42.0 BUs or more.
Furthermore, from the standpoint of providing a beer-taste beverage with a light drinking experience, the bitterness value of the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be 100 BUs or less, 95.0 BUs or less, 90.0 BUs or less, 85.0 BUs or less, 80.0 BUs or less, 75.0 BUs or less, 70.0 BUs or less, 65.0 BUs or less, 60.0 BUs or less, 55.0 BUs or less, 50.0 BUs or less, or 45.0 BUs or less.
In this specification, the term "bitterness value" refers to an index of bitterness caused by iso-α acids such as isohumulone. The bitterness value can be measured according to the method described in "BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (revised version, November 1, 2004) 8.15 Bitterness Value". Specifically, an acid is added to a degassed sample, followed by extraction with isooctane, and the absorbance of the resulting isooctane layer is measured at 275 nm using isooctane as a control, and the bitterness value (BUs) can be obtained by multiplying the absorbance by a factor. The bitterness value depends on the content of iso-α acids, which are bitter components contained in large amounts in hops. Therefore, by controlling the amount of hops used, a beer-flavored beverage having a predetermined bitterness value can be produced.

The beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is suitable for packaging. Examples of containers include bottles, plastic bottles, cans (including bottle-shaped cans), and kegs. A preferred embodiment of the container is a recorkable container. Specific examples include recorkable bottles, plastic bottles, and cans (e.g., bottle-shaped cans).

1.1 Raw Materials The beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention uses barley as a raw material. The barley used as a raw material refers to barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pearl barley, oats, and other types of barley, and may be of any origin or variety. When making a beer-taste beverage using malt, malt obtained by germinating and drying the seeds of these types of barley and removing the roots can be used. When making a beer-taste beverage that does not substantially use malt, a barley extract obtained by extracting these types of barley can be used.
In one embodiment of the present invention, it is preferable to use barley (including extracts from barley such as barley extract) or barley malt. Barley is one of the most commonly used barley as a raw material for beer-flavored beverages in Japan. There are various types of barley, such as two-row barley and six-row barley, and any of these may be used. The barley or malt (including barley extract and malt extract) may be one type, or two or more types may be used in combination. When using colored malt, different types of colored malt may be appropriately combined, or one type of colored malt may be used.
The beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may be a beverage that uses hops as an ingredient, or may be a beverage that does not use hops. In addition, sweeteners, water-soluble dietary fiber, bittering agents or bitterness imparting agents, antioxidants, flavorings, acidulants, salts, etc. may be used.

The malt used in one embodiment of the present invention preferably has a modification of 80% or more. If the modification is less than 80%, the viscosity of the wort increases, the turbidity increases, and the production efficiency of the wort filterability, beverage filterability, etc. deteriorates. Therefore, it is preferable to use malt with a modification of 80% or more. In the examples and comparative examples described below, malt with a modification of 80% or more was used. The modification is as described in MEBAK Raw Materials Barley Adjuncts Malt Hops And Hop Products Published by the Chairman Dr. It can be measured by the method described in 3.1.3.8 Modification and Homogeneity (Calcofluor Carlsberg Method-EBC) of Fritz Jacob Self-published by MEBAK 85350 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany 2011.
In the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention, the malt used is preferably selected appropriately depending on the desired color, and the malt selected may be a single type or two or more types may be selected in combination.

The malt ratio (the ratio of all malts used) in the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is preferably more than 30% by mass, 35% by mass or more, 40% by mass or more, 45% by mass or more, 50% by mass or more, 55% by mass or more, 60% by mass or more, 65% by mass or more, 66% by mass or more, more than 66% by mass, 66.6% by mass or more, 67% by mass or more, 68% by mass or more, 69% by mass or more, 70% by mass or more, 71% by mass or more, 72% by mass or more, 73% by mass or more, 74% by mass or more, 75% by mass or more, 76% by mass or more, % or more, 77% by mass or more, 78% by mass or more, 79% by mass or more, 80% by mass or more, 81% by mass or more, 82% by mass or more, 83% by mass or more, 84% by mass or more, 85% by mass or more, 86% by mass or more, 87% by mass or more, 88% by mass or more, 89% by mass or more, 90% by mass or more, 91% by mass or more, 92% by mass or more, 93% by mass or more, 94% by mass or more, 95% by mass or more, 96% by mass or more, 97% by mass or more, 98% by mass or more, 99% by mass or more, or 100% by mass. By increasing the malt ratio, a beer-taste beverage in which the rich flavor derived from malt is more strongly felt can be produced.
On the other hand, from the perspective of producing a beer-taste beverage that is less likely to impart an inappropriate feeling of fullness, the malt ratio in the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is preferably less than 100% by mass, 99% or less by mass, 98% or less by mass, 97% or less by mass, 96% or less by mass, 95% or less by mass, 94% or less by mass, 93% or less by mass, 92% or less by mass, 91% or less by mass, 90% or less by mass, 89% or less by mass, 88% or less by mass, 87% or less by mass, 86% or less by mass, 85% or less by mass, 84% or less, 83% or less, 82% or less, 81% or less by mass, It may be 80% by mass or less, 79% by mass or less, 78% by mass or less, 77% by mass or less, 76% by mass or less, 75% by mass or less, 74% by mass or less, 73% by mass or less, 72% by mass or less, 71% by mass or less, 70% by mass or less, 69% by mass or less, 68% by mass or less, 67% by mass or less, less than 67% by mass, 66.6% by mass or less, 66% by mass or less, 65% by mass or less, 64% by mass or less, 63% by mass or less, 62% by mass or less, 61% by mass or less, 60% by mass or less, 59% by mass or less, 50% by mass or less, or less than 50% by mass.
In this specification, the malt ratio means a value calculated in accordance with the Liquor Tax Act and the Interpretation Notice of Liquor-related Administrative Laws and Regulations, etc., which came into effect on April 1, 2018.

When the malt ratio is suppressed, it is preferable to increase the amount of raw materials (carbon source, nitrogen source) other than malt that can be assimilated by yeast. Examples of carbon sources of raw materials that can be assimilated by yeast include monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, and their sugar solutions, and examples of nitrogen sources include yeast extract, soy protein, malt, soybeans, yeast extract, peas, wheat malt, ungerminated grains, and decomposition products thereof. Examples of ungerminated grains include ungerminated barley, wheat, rye, oats, oats, pearl barley, oats, rice (white rice, brown rice, etc.), corn, sorghum, potatoes, beans (soybeans, peas, etc.), buckwheat, sorghum, millet, barnyard millet, etc. Also, starch obtained from these grains and extracts thereof may be used.

Examples of the form of hops used in one embodiment of the present invention include pelleted hops, powdered hops, hop extract, etc. In addition, the hops used may be processed hop products such as isomerized hops and reduced hops.
The amount of hops added may be adjusted as appropriate, but is preferably 0.0001 to 1% by mass based on the total amount of the beverage. Furthermore, a beer-flavored beverage using hops as an ingredient contains iso-α acid, which is a component derived from hops.

Examples of sweeteners include commercially available saccharified solutions obtained by decomposing grain-derived starch with acids or enzymes, sugars such as sucrose and commercially available starch syrup, sugars of three or more sugars, sugar alcohols, isomerized sugar, natural sweeteners such as stevia, and artificial sweeteners.
These sugars may be in the form of a liquid such as a solution, or a solid such as a powder.
There are also no particular limitations on the type of raw grain for starch, the method of purifying starch, and the conditions for hydrolysis with enzymes or acids. For example, sugars with a higher ratio of maltose may be used by appropriately setting the conditions for hydrolysis with enzymes or acids. In addition, sucrose, fructose, glucose, mannose, arabinose, galactose, xylose, rhamnose, ribose, fucose, lactose, maltose, trehalose, maltotriose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, isomaltose, isomaltotriose, isomaltotetraose, isomaltopentaose, lactosucrose, 4'-galactosyl lactose, 1-kestose, nystose, fructofuranosyl nystose, raffinose, stachyose, xylobiose, xylotriose, panose, and solutions (sugar solutions) thereof may also be used. Examples of artificial sweeteners include aspartame, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K), sucralose, and neotame. These sweeteners may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The alcohol content can be increased by further adding sugar that can be assimilated by yeast (assimilated sugar) as a raw material other than malt.

Examples of water-soluble dietary fiber include resistant dextrin, polydextrose, hydrolyzed guar gum, pectin, glucomannan, alginic acid, laminarin, fucoidin, carrageenan, etc., and from the viewpoint of versatility such as stability and safety, resistant dextrin or polydextrose is preferred.

In beer-taste beverages, the bitterness is preferably imparted by hops or the like, but a bittering agent or bitterness imparting agent may also be used.
The bittering agent or bitterness imparting agent is not particularly limited, and can be any agent that is used as a bitterness imparting agent in ordinary beer or happoshu, such as rose wax, lychee, Phellodendron amplexicaule, juniper nut, sage, Mayflower, Ganoderma lucidum, bay laurel, Ganoderma lucidum, mulberry, citrus extract, bitter perilla extract, coffee extract, tea extract, bitter melon extract, lotus germ extract, Aloe arborescens extract, rose wax extract, lychee extract, laurel extract, sage extract, caraway extract, Artemisia absinthium extract, absinthin, alginic acid, gallic acid, and the like.

There are no particular limitations on the antioxidant, and any antioxidant that is used in regular beer or happoshu can be used, such as ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, and catechin.

As the flavoring, a general beer flavoring can be used. Beer flavorings are used to impart a beer-like flavor, and include brewing components generated by fermentation. Therefore, when alcohol fermentation is involved in the production process of a beer-flavored beverage, there is little need to add a beer flavoring separately, but a beer flavoring may be added as desired.
Examples of beer flavorings include esters and higher alcohols, and specific examples thereof include isoamyl acetate, ethyl acetate, n-propanol (e.g., 1-propanol), isobutanol, acetaldehyde, ethyl caproate, ethyl caprylate, isoamyl propionate, linalool, geraniol, citral, 4-vinyl guaiacol (4-VG), 4-methyl-3-pentenoic acid, 2-methyl-2-pentenoic acid, 1,4-cineole, 1,8-cineole, 2,3-diethyl-5-methylpyrazine, γ-decanolactone, γ-undecane, and the like. Calactone, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl n-butyrate, myrcene, citral, limonene, maltol, ethyl maltol, phenylacetic acid, furaneol, furfural, methional, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol, 3-methyl-2-butanethiol, diacetyl, ferulic acid, geranic acid, geranyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, octanoic acid, decanoic acid, 9-decenoic acid, nonanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid, propanoic acid, 2-methylpropanoic acid, γ-butyrolactone, 2-aminoacetophenone, 3-phenanthroline, Ethyl nylpropionate, 2-ethyl-4-hydroxy-5-methyl-3(2H)-furanone, dimethyl sulfone, 3-methylcyclopentane-1,2-dione, 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, hexanal, hexanol, cis-3-hexenal, 1-octen-3-ol, β-eudesmol, 4-mercapto-4-methylpentan-2-one, β-caryophyllene, β-myrcene, furfuryl alcohol, 2- Examples of the alkyl esters include ethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2-methylbutyl acetate, isoamyl alcohol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, phenylacetaldehyde, 1-phenyl-3-buten-1-one, trans-2-hexenal, nonanal, phenethyl alcohol, nerol, methyl p-toluate, 1,2,3,5-tetramethylbenzene, triethyl citrate, tributyl citrate, diethyl tartrate, dibutyl malate, perillaldehyde, methylheptenone, lemon myrtle, and cinnamaldehyde.

The acidulant is not particularly limited as long as it is a substance having a sour taste, but for example, phosphoric acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, phytic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, glucono-delta-lactone, or a salt thereof can be used.
Among these acidulants, phosphoric acid, citric acid, gluconic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, malic acid, phytic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid or their salts are preferred, phosphoric acid, malic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid or their salts are more preferred, and phosphoric acid, malic acid, citric acid, lactic acid or their salts are particularly preferred. These acidulants may be used alone or in combination of two or more. The acidulant is not limited to the acidulant approved as a food additive, but may be derived from raw materials such as malt, produced by adjusting various process conditions, produced by yeast, or added from the outside as an additive.
The content of the acidulant in the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is preferably 500 to 10,000 ppm by mass, more preferably 1,000 to 9,000 ppm by mass, and even more preferably 2,000 to 8,000 ppm by mass.

Examples of preservatives include benzoic acid, benzoates such as sodium benzoate, benzoic acid esters such as propyl paraoxybenzoate and butyl paraoxybenzoate, and dimethyl dicarbonate. In addition, commercially available preparations such as Strong Sunplazer (a mixture of sodium benzoate and butyl benzoate, manufactured by San-Ei Gen F.F.I. Co., Ltd.) may be used as preservatives. These preservatives may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The amount of preservative blended in the beer-taste beverage in one embodiment of the present invention is preferably 5 to 1,200 ppm by mass, more preferably 10 to 1,100 ppm by mass, even more preferably 15 to 1,000 ppm by mass, and even more preferably 20 to 900 ppm by mass.

Examples of salts include sodium chloride, potassium acid phosphate, acid calcium phosphate, ammonium phosphate, magnesium sulfate, calcium sulfate, potassium metabisulfite, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, potassium chloride, monosodium citrate, disodium citrate, and trisodium citrate.
These salts may be used alone or in combination of two or more kinds.

1.2 Carbon Dioxide Gas The beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention may or may not contain dissolved carbon dioxide gas.
The carbon dioxide gas contained in the beer-taste beverage may be carbon dioxide gas contained in the raw materials, or may be dissolved by mixing with carbonated water or adding carbon dioxide gas.
The beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention undergoes alcoholic fermentation, and therefore the carbon dioxide gas produced in this fermentation process can be used as is, although the amount of carbon dioxide gas may be adjusted by adding carbonated water as appropriate.

When the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention contains dissolved carbon dioxide gas, the carbon dioxide gas concentration is preferably 0.30 (w/w)% or more, more preferably 0.35 (w/w)% or more, even more preferably 0.40 (w/w)% or more, even more preferably 0.42 (w/w)% or more, particularly preferably 0.45 (w/w)% or more, and is preferably 0.80 (w/w)% or less, more preferably 0.70 (w/w)% or less, even more preferably 0.60 (w/w)% or less, even more preferably 0.57 (w/w) or less, particularly preferably 0.55 (w/w)% or less, and may also be 0.54 (w/w)% or less, 0.53 (w/w)% or less, 0.52 (w/w)% or less, 0.51 (w/w)% or less, or 0.50 (w/w)% or less.

When the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is a bottled beverage, the carbon dioxide pressure of the bottled beverage may be appropriately adjusted within the range that results in the above-mentioned carbon dioxide concentration, but the carbon dioxide pressure may be 5.0 kg/ ^cm2 or less, 4.5 kg/ ^cm2 or less, or 4.0 kg/ ^cm2 or less, or 0.20 kg/ ^cm2 or more, 0.50 kg/ ^cm2 or more, or 1.0 kg/ ^cm2 or more, and any combination of these upper and lower limits may be used. For example, the carbon dioxide pressure may be 0.20 kg/ ^cm2 or more and 5.0 kg/ ^cm2 or less, 0.50 kg/ ^cm2 or more and 4.5 kg/ ^cm2 or more, or 1.0 kg/ ^cm2 or more and 4.0 kg/ ^cm2 or less.
In this specification, the gas pressure refers to the gas pressure inside a container, unless otherwise specified.
The pressure can be measured by a method well known to those skilled in the art, for example, by fixing a sample at 20°C to an internal gas pressure gauge, opening the stopcock of the internal gas pressure gauge to release the gas, closing the stopcock again, swinging the internal gas pressure gauge, and reading the value when the needle reaches a certain position, or by using a commercially available gas pressure measuring device.

1.3 Other Additives Various additives may be added to the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention as necessary, provided the additives do not impair the effects of the present invention.
Such additives include, for example, colorants, foam-forming agents, fermentation promoters, yeast extracts, protein substances such as peptide-containing substances, and flavorings such as amino acids.
The coloring agent is used to give the beverage a beer-like color, and caramel coloring can be used. The foam-forming agent is used to form a beer-like foam in the beverage or to maintain the foam in the beverage, and can be appropriately selected from plant-extracted saponin substances such as soybean saponin and quillaja saponin, plant proteins such as corn and soybeans, peptide-containing substances such as collagen peptides, yeast extracts, raw materials originating from milk, and the like.
The fermentation promoter is used to promote fermentation by yeast, and examples thereof include yeast extract, bran components such as rice or wheat, vitamins, and mineral agents, which may be used alone or in combination.

2. Method for Producing Beer-Taste Beverage There are no particular limitations on the method for producing the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention, and the beverage can be produced in the same manner as for typical beer-taste beverages, but examples of such methods include a method having at least the following steps (I) and (II).
Step (I): A step of adjusting the alcohol content to 8.0 (v/v)%.
Step (II): the total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and vanillin, and myrcene, A step of confirming and/or adjusting the total content of one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol.
The order of steps (I) and (II) is not particularly limited, and steps (I) and (II) may be carried out simultaneously.
Furthermore, the method for producing the beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be a method that involves a fermentation step, or a method that does not involve a fermentation step.
Below, we will explain a method for producing a fermented beer-taste beverage through a fermentation process, and a method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage without going through a fermentation process.

2.1 Method for Producing Fermented Beer-Taste Beverage One embodiment of the method for producing a fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention includes a method that involves a fermentation step using yeast, and may, for example, include the following steps (1) and (2).
Step (1): A step of obtaining a pre-fermentation liquid by subjecting a raw material to at least one of saccharification, boiling, and solid content removal treatments.
Step (2): A step of adding yeast to the pre-fermentation liquid and carrying out fermentation.

Furthermore, in one embodiment of the method for producing a fermented beer-taste beverage of the present invention, the above steps (I) and (II) can each be carried out at one or more of the following (i) to (iii) times.
(i): Simultaneously with at least one of steps (1) and (2); (ii): Between steps (1) and (2); (iii): After step (2). Each step in the method for producing a fermented beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

2.1.1 Step (1)
Step (1) is a step of obtaining a pre-fermentation liquid by performing at least one of a saccharification treatment, a boiling treatment, and a solid content removal treatment using various raw materials.
For example, when malt is used as the various raw materials, water and the various raw materials including malt are charged into a brewing kettle or brewing tank, and enzyme agents such as polysaccharide-degrading enzymes and protease that promote the conversion of components derived from the raw materials may be added as necessary, thereby promoting the production of assimilable sugars, for example.
Examples of the enzyme agent include amylase, protease, purine nucleosidase, deaminase, polyphenol oxidase, glucanase, xylase, pectinase, cellulase, lipase, glucosidase, xanthine oxidase, transglucosidase, glucoamylase, uricase, β-glucosidase, α-glucosidase, etc. These enzyme agents may be heat-resistant or non-heat-resistant. In addition, the type of enzyme agent can be selected depending on the timing of addition and the process to which it is added. The above enzyme agents may be used alone or in combination of two or more types. In addition, examples of the enzyme agents include enzyme agents that fall under "(3) the following enzyme agents added during the brewing process for the purpose of streamlining sake brewing, etc." in Article 3 "7. Items not to be treated as raw materials for sake" of the Liquor Tax Act and the Notification of Liquor Administration Law (revised on June 27, 2018).
By adding these enzyme agents, the component composition of the resulting beer-taste beverage can be efficiently adjusted. As various raw materials other than malt, various additives such as assimilable sugars such as glucose, sucrose, maltose, hops, preservatives, sweeteners, water-soluble dietary fiber, bittering agents or bitterness imparting agents, antioxidants, flavorings, acidulants, and colorants may be added. The enzyme agents and various raw materials may be added before the saccharification treatment, during the saccharification treatment, or after the completion of the saccharification treatment. Furthermore, they may be added together with yeast before or after the fermentation in the next step, i.e., in step (2), or during or after the completion of fermentation.

The mixture of various raw materials is heated and subjected to saccharification treatment to saccharify the starch in the raw materials.
The temperature and time of the saccharification treatment are preferably adjusted as appropriate taking into consideration the type of malt used, the malt ratio, water and raw materials other than malt, the type and amount of enzymes used, the original extract concentration and alcohol content of the final beverage, etc. For example, in one aspect of the present invention, from the perspective of adjusting the alcohol content, etc. of the beer-taste beverage to within the above-mentioned range, the saccharification treatment temperature is preferably 55 to 75°C and the saccharification treatment time is preferably 30 to 240 minutes.

It is preferable to subject this saccharified solution to a boiling treatment.
When hops, bittering agents, etc. are used as raw materials during the boiling treatment, it is preferable to add these agents. Hops, bittering agents, etc. may be added during the period from the start of boiling the saccharified solution to before the end of boiling.

After completion of the boiling treatment, it is preferable to transfer the liquid to a whirlpool, cool it to 0 to 25°C, and obtain a cooled liquid, after which a treatment for removing solid matters such as coagulated proteins is carried out. In this manner, a pre-fermentation liquid is obtained.
In this step, in order to remove solids, filtration through a filter having a predetermined pore size (for example, a pore size of less than 30 μm) may be performed.

Instead of the above-mentioned saccharified liquid, a pre-fermentation liquid may be prepared by adding hops, bittering agents, etc. to malt extract and warm water, followed by boiling.
Furthermore, when malt is not used as one of the various raw materials or when the amount of malt used is limited, liquid sugar containing a carbon source, a nitrogen source as an amino acid-containing raw material other than barley or malt, hops, dietary fiber, preservatives, sweeteners, antioxidants, bitterness imparting agents, flavorings, acidulants, colorants, etc. may be mixed with warm water to prepare a liquid sugar solution, which may then be boiled to prepare a pre-fermentation liquid.
When hops are used, they may be added before the boiling treatment or between the start and end of boiling of the liquid sugar solution.

2.1.2 Step (2)
Step (2) is a step of adding yeast to the pre-fermentation liquid obtained in step (1) and carrying out fermentation.
The yeast used in this step can be appropriately selected taking into consideration the type of fermented beverage to be produced, the desired flavor, fermentation conditions, etc., and either top-fermenting yeast or bottom-fermenting yeast may be used.

The yeast may be added to the raw materials as a yeast suspension, or a slurry of concentrated yeast by centrifugation or sedimentation may be added to the pre-fermentation liquid. Alternatively, the yeast may be added after centrifuging and removing the supernatant completely. The amount of yeast added to the beverage can be appropriately set, and is, for example, about 5 x 10 ⁶ cells/mL to 1 x 10 ⁸ cells/mL.

The fermentation conditions for fermentation can be set as appropriate, but from the perspective of adjusting the alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage to the above-mentioned range, it is preferable that the fermentation temperature be 5 to 25° C. The alcohol content of the beer-taste beverage can be adjusted by appropriately setting the type, amount and timing of addition of the enzymes listed in "2.2.1 Step (1)" above, and the temperature (heating up or cooling) or pressure of the fermentation liquid may be changed during the fermentation process as necessary.
After fermentation, the beer-taste beverage may be subjected to a filtration process to remove yeast from the beverage, or may not be subjected to a filtration process. Furthermore, water and the various additives mentioned above may be added as necessary.

The beer-taste beverage of one embodiment of the present invention thus obtained is sterilized as necessary, filled into specified containers, and distributed to the market as a finished product.
There are no particular limitations on the method for packaging the beer-taste beverage, and any method known to those skilled in the art can be used. In the packaging step, the beer-taste beverage of the present invention is filled into a container and sealed. In the packaging step, containers of any shape and material can be used, and examples of containers are as described above.

2.2 Method for Producing Non-Fermented Beer-Taste Beverage When the beer-taste beverage of one aspect of the present invention is a non-fermented beer-taste beverage, it can be produced by a general method for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage. Specific examples of methods for producing a non-fermented beer-taste beverage of one aspect of the present invention include methods having the following steps (a) to (c).
Step (a): A step of subjecting the raw materials to at least one of saccharification, boiling, and solid content removal treatments to obtain a pre-beverage liquid.
Step (b): A step of cooling the pre-beverage liquid obtained in step (a) and adding carbon dioxide gas.

Step (a) is the same as step (1) of obtaining a pre-fermentation liquid in the above-mentioned “Method for producing a fermented beer-taste beverage”.
In the step (b), carbon dioxide may be added by mixing the cooled pre-fermentation liquid obtained in the step (a) with carbonated water, or carbon dioxide may be added directly to the cooled fermented beverage. In addition, additives such as preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, acidulants, and colorants may be added as necessary when carbon dioxide is added at the same timing as in the step (b).

Furthermore, when the non-fermented beer-taste beverage is to be an alcohol-containing non-fermented beer-taste beverage, the following step (c) is included.
Step (c): A step of blending an alcohol component after at least step (a).

Step (c) may be carried out at least after step (a), and may be carried out, for example, at any one or more of the following times (I) to (III).
(I): Between step (a) and step (b); (II): Simultaneously with step (b); (III): After step (b). Among these, step (c) is preferably carried out after cooling the pre-fermentation liquid obtained in step (a) to prepare a cooled fermented beverage and before adding carbon dioxide gas.
The alcohol component to be added in step (c) is preferably spirits (distilled alcohol) derived from the above-mentioned grains.

The non-fermented beer-taste beverage obtained in this manner is filled into specified containers and distributed to the market as a finished product.
The method for packaging the non-fermented, beer-taste beverage is not particularly limited, and any method known to those skilled in the art can be used. In the packaging process, the non-fermented, beer-taste beverage is filled into a container and sealed. In the packaging process, containers of any shape and material can be used, and examples of containers are as described above.

3. Method for Improving the Flavor of a Beer-Taste Beverage A method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste beverage in one embodiment of the present invention comprises at least the following steps (I) to (II).
- Operation (I): An operation for adjusting the alcohol content to 8.0 (v/v)% or more.
Operation (II): The total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and vanillin, and myrcene, An operation for confirming and/or adjusting the total content of one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol.

The steps (I) and (II) correspond to steps (I) and (II) in the above-mentioned method for producing a beer-taste beverage. By subjecting a beer-taste beverage whose alcohol content has been adjusted to 10.0 (v/v)% or more by the step (I) to the treatment of the step (II), the taste characteristic of a beer-taste beverage is improved and the dry taste caused by a high alcohol content can be suppressed. This makes it possible to prepare a beer-taste beverage that has an appropriate stimulating sensation and a taste characteristic of a beer-taste beverage.
In the flavor improving method of one aspect of the present invention, the beverage that serves as the standard for flavor improvement is a beer-taste beverage prepared without carrying out operation (II). That is, the flavor improving method of one aspect of the present invention is sufficient if a beer-taste beverage prepared by carrying out both operations (I) and (II) has an appropriate stimulating sensation and/or a taste that is more like a beer-taste beverage than a beer-taste beverage prepared without carrying out operation (II). In the flavor improving method of one aspect of the present invention, the beverage that serves as the standard for flavor improvement may be a beverage in which the total content of compound (A) is less than 2 ppb by mass and the total content of compound (B) is less than 2 ppb by mass.
The alcohol content, the preferred range of the total content of compound (A) and compound (B), as well as the various properties, various components and their contents of the beer-taste beverage, are as described above in "1. Beer-taste beverage."

The present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited to these examples. In the examples, the color, bitterness value, and original extract concentration were measured based on the method described in the Revised BCOJ Beer Analysis Method (published by the Brewing Society of Japan, edited by the International Technical Committee of the Brewers Association of Japan (Analysis Committee), revised and expanded in 2013).

Examples 1 to 19, Comparative Examples 1 to 3
<Preparation of beer-flavored beverage>
The crushed barley malt was put into a brewing tank containing 120 L of hot water, and the temperature was gradually increased and maintained, followed by filtration to remove malt grains and the like, to obtain a saccharified liquid. After filtration, the saccharified liquid, sugar liquid, and hops were put into a boiling kettle, and the volume was adjusted to 100 L with hot water to obtain hot wort. The obtained hot wort was cooled and aerated with oxygen to obtain 60 L of pre-fermentation liquid before the addition of yeast.
The beer yeast (top fermenting yeast) was added to the pre-fermentation liquid thus obtained, and the fermentation temperature and fermentation time were adjusted to obtain a predetermined alcohol content. After the alcohol fermentation was performed to obtain a predetermined alcohol content, the yeast was removed by filtration to prepare a beer-taste beverage. In all the examples and comparative examples, ethanol or an ethanol-containing composition was not added. In all the examples and comparative examples, the color was 15.0 EBC or more, the bitterness value was 15.0 BUs or more, and the original extract concentration was 13.0 mass% or more.
In each of the Examples and Comparative Examples, the contents of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol, as well as the compounds constituting the above-mentioned groups (I) and (II), were adjusted to the values shown in Tables 1 to 4 by adjusting the above-mentioned production conditions and, if necessary, adding purified products of these compounds.

<Sensory evaluation>
The resulting beer-taste beverage was cooled to approximately 4°C and tasted by six trained panelists who rated it as follows for the following criteria: "appropriate spiciness for a beer-taste beverage,""suitable flavor typical of a beer-taste beverage," and "excessively dry taste unsuitable for a beer-taste beverage."

That is, based on the following scoring criteria, evaluation was performed using scores in increments of 0.1 within the range of 3.0 (maximum value) to 1.0 (minimum value), and the average score of the six panelists was calculated.
For the evaluation, samples were prepared in advance that corresponded to the following criteria of "1.0", "1.5", "2.0", "2.5" and "3.0" for each evaluation item, and the criteria were unified among the panelists. Furthermore, in the sensory evaluation of all the Examples and Comparative Examples, no difference in score value of 0.2 or more was confirmed among the panelists for the same sample. Furthermore, in the Examples with an overall evaluation of "A" or "B", no panelist gave a score of less than 2.0.

[Appropriate stimulating sensation for a beer-flavored beverage]
- "3.0": A very strong stimulating sensation appropriate for a beer-flavored beverage is felt.
- "2.5": A strong, stimulating sensation appropriate for a beer-flavored beverage.
- "2.0": A sufficient amount of spiciness is felt that is appropriate for a beer-flavored beverage.
- "1.5": The beer-flavor beverage has almost no appropriate stimulating sensation.
・“1.0”: The beer-flavored beverage does not have the appropriate stimulating sensation at all.
[A perfect taste that is characteristic of beer-flavored beverages]
・“3.0”: A pleasant taste characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage is very strongly felt.
・“2.5”: A strong, pleasant flavor characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage is felt.
- "2.0": A pleasant taste characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage can be fully felt.
・“1.5”: The desirable flavor characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage is hardly detectable.
"1.0": The desirable taste characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage is not felt at all.
[Excessively dry taste, unsuitable for a beer-flavored beverage]
- "3.0": There is absolutely no sense of an excessively dry taste that is inappropriate for a beer-flavored beverage.
- "2.5": There is almost no excessive dryness that is inappropriate for a beer-flavored beverage.
- "2.0": There is not much of an excessively dry taste that is inappropriate for a beer-flavored beverage.
- "1.5": The taste is excessively dry, which is unsuitable for a beer-flavored beverage.
- "1.0": There is a strong sense of an excessively dry taste that is unsuitable for a beer-flavored beverage.

[comprehensive evaluation]
"A": At least two of the three sensory evaluation items tested have an average score of 2.4 or higher.
・“BC”: Does not fall under “A” or “C”.
"C": At least one of the average scores of the three sensory evaluation items tested is less than 2.0.

Examples 20 to 22
Beverages of Examples 20 to 22 having the compositions shown in Table 5 below were prepared according to the methods of Examples 1 to 19. In Examples 20 to 22 as well, ethanol or an ethanol-containing composition was not added.
Thereafter, the samples were evaluated in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 19 for each of the sensory evaluation items of "appropriate spiciness for a beer-taste beverage,""suitable taste typical of a beer-taste beverage," and "excessively dry taste unsuitable for a beer-taste beverage." The average scores for all evaluation items in all Examples were above 2.0.

From the results in Tables 1 to 5, the total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and vanillin is 2 ppb by mass or more, and myrcene, limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octane-3 ... The beer-flavored beverage contained at least one compound (B) selected from the group consisting of 2-tetradecanone, 3-methyl-3-pyrrolidone, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol in a total content of at least 2 ppb by mass and had an alcohol content of at least 8.0 (v/v)%, and had an appropriate stimulating taste and a flavor characteristic of a beer-flavored beverage, with the excessively dry taste caused by the high alcohol content suppressed.

Claims (12)

the total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and vanillin is 2 ppb by mass or more,
the total content of one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of myrcene, limonene, γ-terpinene, O-cymene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol is 2 ppb by mass or more;
A beer-flavored beverage having an alcohol content of 8.0 (v/v)% or more. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, in which the 2-acetylfuran content is 2 ppb by mass or more and the β-citronellol content is 2 ppb by mass or more. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 2, in which the combined content of 2-acetylfuran and β-citronellol is 4 ppb by mass or more. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, in which the ratio of the alcohol content (unit: (v/v)%) to the total content of compound (A) and compound (B) (unit: mass ppb) [alcohol content/(compound (A) + compound (B))] is 0.25 or less. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, in which the malt ratio is 50% by mass or more. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, having an alcohol content of 25.0 (v/v)% or less. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, having a color of 15.0 EBC or more. The beer-flavored beverage according to claim 1, having a bitterness value of 15.0 BUs or more. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, wherein the original extract concentration is 11.0% by mass or more. The beer-taste beverage according to claim 1, wherein the beer-taste beverage is a fermented beer-taste beverage. The beer-taste beverage according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the raw materials do not include ethanol or an ethanol-containing composition. For a beer-flavored beverage having an alcohol content of 8.0 (v/v)% or more,
The total content of one or more compounds (A) selected from the group consisting of 2-methylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, furfural, 2-acetylfuran, pyrrole, 2-acetylpyrazine, furfuryl alcohol, 2-methoxyphenol, 2-acetylpyrrole, maltol, furaneol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and vanillin is 2 ppb by mass or more, and A method for improving the flavor of a beer-taste beverage, comprising adjusting the total content of one or more compounds (B) selected from the group consisting of menthene, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, 1-octan-3-ol, linalool oxide, linalool, 2-undecanone, methyl geranate, trans-β-farnesene, α-humulene, α-terpineol, β-citronellol, nerol, geraniol, 2-tetradecanone, β-ionone, nerolidol, potassium olefin oxide, and eugenol to 2 ppb by mass or more.