Emotional factor influence in consumer´s preferences of industrial and craft lager beers determined with affective sensory evaluation (focus group)

GUERBUEROFF G.K.; OLMEDO R.H; GROSSO N.R; LÓPEZ P.L

Simposio; 14th Pangborn Sensory Science Symposium; 2021

Elsevier

Beer is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. Knowing the preferences of consumers, their behavior and making purchasing decisions allows us to provide products according to their needs and expectations. The objective was to know the consumption preference of craft and industrial beers (company size) of consumers (Córdoba - Argentina) through affective sensory evaluation with a focus group. Lager beers (soft golden color without additional ingredients) were used. Beer drinking judges were selected to form two focus groups of 10 people. A questionnaire of three blocks was delivered: description of consumption, acceptability of the beers (hedonic scale of 9 points: 9 is the best evaluation) and CATA on easy-tounderstand sensory descriptors. At the end, an interview was conducted about their choices. 75% of the members consume more than 1 time a week, 55% are bottled and 45% blonde. Industrial beers had greater acceptability (7.25 - maximum rating: 8.5) than craft beers (6.79 and minimum rating: 6.25). The industrial beer with the highest acceptability was located in the central position of the principal component analysis ofthe descriptors. Industrial beers also showed a relationship with rancid and oxidized butter. The craft beers with the highest valuation were related to cheese, goat and toast, and those with the lowest valuation with floral, caramel, banana and honey. In interviews, craft beers is preferred to experience new beers in social consumption. In addition, it was observed that craft beers have a higher valuation than industrial beers for the user experience (consumed with friends in gastronomic places). This emotionality is the majority component of their preference compared to the industrial one, which more efficiently satisfies their sensory evaluation (it is consumed mostly at home). In conclusion, craft beers have a lower sensory quality but it is preferred asa consumption related to emotion.