A TEST normally used to detect heavy metal pollution in water could soon be helping ensure the beer you buy is always fresh. By measuring concentrations of the chemicals responsible for the “cardboard” taste of stale beer, it will help to predict which batches are likely to go off before their time. So breweries will be able to ditch batches that could have a short shelf life.
As any home brewer knows, making beer can be a tricky process. Fermentation involves nurturing a warm reaction in which live yeast feasts on a malt liquor. But even under controlled conditions, the…
