Abstract
In recent years, the interest on craft beer has been increasingly growing. In this work, sensory traits of five Italian artisanal beers were explored by a trained panel, through different sensory analysis methods: Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA) and a sensory dynamic method, Temporal Dominance of Sensations (TDS). The sensory profiles obtained through these methods were compared to the description given by an expert beer taster. The trained panel (n = 12) evaluated five Tuscan beers, manufactured in Maremma area, Tuscany region, first through QDA. Twenty-eight sensory properties (visual, tactile, flavor and aromatic traits) were evaluated through a nine point scale. The descriptive profile was enriched by a dynamic sensory evaluation method, TDS. TDS was used by panelists to obtain a “real-time” flavor profile of the craft beers. During tasting, TDS provided information on the most striking flavor traits chosen among: floral, honey, roasted, chestnut, spicy, fruity, hoppy, and malty, of each beer. A PCA analysis showed the importance of the flavor attributes for beer profile compared to the expert taster description. Results highlighted the main traits of each beer and showed the validity of different profile methods. The interesting outcomes both provided useful profile patterns for brewers aiming at targeting specific segments of beer market and supported the development of interesting instruments for beer sensory analysis.
Highlights
Beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world [1], its production in Italy accounts for 13.5How to cite this paper: Medoro, C., Cianciabella, M., Camilli, F., Magli, M., Gatti, E. and Predieri, S. (2016) Sensory Profile of Italian Craft Beers, Beer Taster Expert versus Sensory Methods: A Comparative Study
Typical features of Italian craft breweries are the care for enhancing the value of regional and seasonal products, local honeys and heritage grains, together with the integration of elements coming from the traditional wine production, such as the use of grape must and wine barrels [3]
The present study reports different methods for describing craft beer sensory profile
Summary
Beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world [1], its production in Italy accounts for 13.5How to cite this paper: Medoro, C., Cianciabella, M., Camilli, F., Magli, M., Gatti, E. and Predieri, S. (2016) Sensory Profile of Italian Craft Beers, Beer Taster Expert versus Sensory Methods: A Comparative Study. Together with multinational companies, independent craft breweries have been flourishing, even in countries where there is not a strong beer making tradition, such as in Italy [3]. Italian beer consumers are increasing more and more and beer lovers are comparable to wine lovers [2]. Craft brewers reinterpret traditional beer styles varying the quantity and variety of hops and distinguishing their recipes using other raw or malted cereals (wheat, spelt, oat, rye, etc.) or adding fruit, spices, herbs, etc. As a result, they usually obtain a darker, stronger and more flavorful beer than the beers of mass producers [4]
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