Can taste perception be influenced by packaging? A blind trial study.

[Holystromboli]

...of physics on both quantum and cosmic scales.
I am a chemical engineer and avid programmer who has always had an interest in fundamental physics, but this will be my first effort to truly pursue that passion. And I make beer for a living. :)

 

[jedishrfu]

Welcome to PF!

Do chemists make the best beer? Or is that a myth?

 

[Holystromboli]

Depends on your perspective I guess... ;)

 

[NascentOxygen]

Depends on your perspective I guess... ;)

... on whether you're buying or selling.

 

[Holystromboli]

Ouch! Beer snob? Me too... Lol
No. On whether you want small distinct batches or consistent large scale production. ;)

 

[jedishrfu]

The best beer I had was when I visited the Guiness brewery and at the end of the tour we got a big glass. It was just beautiful to look at with the bubbles going up and down. It took two minutes for the bartender to pour it as she had to knock off the suds that formed wait a bit and then pour again.

Later on the tour, I got Guiness again but it just didn't taste or look the same when it came from the tap.

 

[Holystromboli]

As an "advanced taster" (fancy, right?) at my brewery, I get to "taste" all the beers out of aging before they're transferred to product release tanks and again before they're packaged. I've always thought I could tell the difference between a sample straight from a tank and a sample of that same batch after it's packaged. It's probably all in my head though. While there are some possible scientific explanations for the difference, taste is ultimately pretty subjective. I need to do a series of blind trials to see if I'm fooling myself or not.