Evaluation of Pesticide Residues from Conventional, Organic, and Nontreated Hops on Conventionally Hopped, Late-Hopped, and Wet-Hopped Beers

This study was conducted to determine whether beers produced with late (i.e., after kettle-boil) additions of hops Humulus lupulus cultivars Cascade or Chinook (either dry hopped with whole or pelletized hops or wet hopped with green hops) resulted in an increase in pesticide residue levels between hopping regimes compared with beers hopped at the traditional kettle-boil stage. Hops were grown under conventional, organic, and untreated pesticide regimes, which are described. Test beers were brewed under controlled conditions and divided into four treatments based on timing of hop introduction, each of which was performed with green (wet) conventionally treated hops, dried whole hop conventionally treated hop cones, dried whole organically treated hop cones, dried whole untreated hop cones, and hop pellets formed from conventionally treated hops. The major finding was that only two pesticides (bifenazate and boscalid) were detected in the beers at above the level of quantification that could be analyzed statistically, and these detections were orders of magnitude below levels with any health or legal ramifications. The hop production specifications, brewing and treatment regimens, and analytical methodologies are detailed and findings discussed.