Abstract
Low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beers often face aroma stability challenges because reduced ethanol changes hop compound solubility, flavour release, and sensory balance. This study examines hop aroma stability in low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beer production. Beer samples were produced using restricted fermentation and alcohol-reduction approaches, followed by controlled hop addition, conditioning, and storage. Linalool, geraniol, myrcene, citronellol, total hop oil retention, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, bitterness perception, and sensory freshness were measured. The results show that reduced ethanol content weakened retention of selected hydrophobic hop volatiles and increased aroma loss during storage. Oxygen exposure further accelerated hop aroma decline and stale note formation. Moderate dry-hopping and controlled cold storage improved aroma persistence without creating excessive bitterness or vegetal character. The study demonstrates that hop aroma stability in low-alcohol beer depends on balancing hop dosage, alcohol level, oxygen control, and storage conditions. This supports better sensory quality in alcohol-reduced beer products.