Technical Session 08: Sensory Session
Michael J Lewis, UC Davis Extension, Davis, CA, USA
ABSTRACT: Wine is always served in a stemmed glass with a
tulip-shaped head. I have never seen milk, iced tea, cola, or (God
forbid!) water served in a wine glass. Why then, in pubs all across this
country, do I see beers served in the all-purpose, any beverage you
want, straight-side pint glass? This glass is surpassingly ugly and does
not support the product in any way, but instead demeans it. In this
glass, beers that brewers have struggled to make superbly well are sold
to consumers as a common commodity, as something ordinary, plain, not
deserving of special presentation. “Commoditization” is the opposite of
“premiumization,” and premium is the message craft brewers (or any
brewer for that matter) should be sending to consumers. During recent
travels, I realized the United States is miles behind the rest of the
world in premium presentation of draft beers. Although we have perhaps
the world’s most innovative and creative brewing industry and excellent
products, we fatally miss out on the last essential step—splendid
presentation. We do not go the last mile. This paper is a plea to change
that approach.
Professor Emeritus Michael Lewis taught the
program in brewing science at the University of California at Davis for
more than 30 years before retiring in 1995, and many former students now
hold distinguished positions in the American brewing industry, large
and small. Michael has been recognized by the university with the
Distinguished Teaching Award and by the industry with the MBAA Award of
Merit and Life Membership. Michael remains active in the brewing
industry; he is the academic director of brewing programs in the
University of California Extension, where the Master Brewers Program,
which prepares students for the Institute of Brewing and Distilling
examinations, is the flagship educational offering.
