Simpson, B.1 and Mundkur, A.1, (1)Cara Technology Limited, Leatherhead, UNITED KINGDOM
Poster
Most taste tests conducted in breweries make use of some form of response scale. These range from simple binary text scales (e.g., go, stop) or simple numeric scales (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) to more complex scales that facilitate greater discrimination between samples (e.g., 15-point labeled category line scale). The type of scale selected for any particular type of taste test can have a profound effect on the performance of the test and the results generated from it. This is due to the properties of the scale itself, as well as the effect of the scale on the psychology and behavior of the taster. The purpose of this paper is to describe the different types of response scales available to breweries for use in taste tests, indicate how and when they are best deployed, and provide examples of good practice in their use. In addition, optimal approaches to training of assessors in the use of different types of response scale will be discussed.
Bill Simpson is director of Cara Technology Limited, a specialist in beer taste panel development and yeast supply to the global brewing industry. After almost a decade with Tennent’s in Glasgow, Scotland, Bill joined the Brewing Research Foundation near London, where he spent almost 10 years carrying out research into beer technology. Since establishing Cara Technology in 1995 he has consulted for more than 500 breweries in over 70 countries and has grown the company into a major provider of technical services to breweries throughout the world. He has published more than 120 technical papers, patents and book chapters in the area of brewing technology and is the inventor of stabilized beer flavor standards used to train thousands of professional beer tasters all over the world.
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