Pilot scale trials have been carried out to determine the nature and patterns of evolution of com pounds present in condensates obtained from boiling worts at atmospheric pressure.Analytical procedures involving gas chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry have been used to identify 70 compounds in condensates from unhopped ale worts. Over 30 of these volatile compounds have been classified according to one of three patterns of evolution. The rate of evolution for one class remained constant throughout the boiling period, for the second class decreased gradually towards the end of boiling, and for the third was sufficiently rapid to lead to the removal of most of a component during the early stages of boiling. Many of the com pounds identified in the condensates are highly flavour-active.