Statistical and sensory differences among special bottle refermented beers of a same type

Abstract

Some countries such as Belgium, Germany, and the United Kingdom are notable for the large quantities of special beer they produce and sell worldwide. When these special beers are classified by type, some classes may include as many as eighty labels. Our aim was to propose a method for detecting the organoleptic specificity of beers by physicochemical analysis. We thus selected eighteen parameters, independent of beer aging, which characterize a product's visual aspect, aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. The results were analyzed statistically to allow an evaluation of process reproducibility and a comparison of mean values. We conclude that despite relatively poor process reproducibility, the four beers studied here present sufficient distinctive features to make them different. This finding was corroborated by sensory analysis.