A Study of the Effect of Perceived Beer History on Reported Preferences by Sensory Panels with Different Levels of Training

J.E. Smythe ¹ and C.W. Bamforth ¹, ^2
1 Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA.
² Corresponding author. E-mail: cwbamforth@ucdavis.edu

J. Inst. Brew. 108(1):34-36, 2002  |  VIEW ARTICLE

ABSTRACT
A study in three countries tested how consumers respond in paired-comparison tests to two beers that differed only in their reported history. In one test, consumers tasted two beers that had supposedly been produced with different brewing techniques. In the second, they compared two beers with apparently different sugar sources. In reality, for both tests all samples came from the same bottle. Results show clear indications that naïve judges will be likely to report a preference, while more highly trained judges will be more prone to express no preference, though all populations tested appear to be influenced by the concept of beer history.

Key words:
Perception, preference, production technique.

Publication no. G-2002-0319-02R  ^©2002 The Institute & Guild of Brewing