TASTE-TESTING OF BEER FOR QUALITY CONTROL*

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Although quality control relies increasingly on chemical and instrumental methods it will continue to rely critically upon taste testing. Tasting tests can be considered in three broad categories: discrimination tests, descriptive tests and preference tests (which are not relevant to quality control). Discrimination tests, including the 2-glass, 3-glass and duo-trio, are used very widely but have weaknesses that limit their value for quality control; with non-expert tasters a carefully-designed 2-glass drinking test seems to be advantageous. Among descriptive tests, the flavour profile method (sensory analysis) can give large amounts of quantitative information. Recent results illustrate the value of this information for the quality control of different batches of beer produced in the same brewery or in different breweries. Collaborative work is suggested to unify the development of the flavour profile method for beer. Knowledge obtained from flavour profiles has been used in devising a highly simplified system which is used by production staff for quality control on a day-to-day or hour-to-hour basis.

This publication has 4 references indexed in Scilit: