Sensory testing of beers: An inter-laboratory sensory trial

An inter-collaborative tasting exercise was undertaken in which panels at seven different brewing companies compared the flavour of four beers in duplicate. Statistical analysis demonstrated that the results from individual panels were repeatable but there was little consistency between panels. Generalised Procrustes Analysis demonstrated that inconsistencies between panels were due to differences in the use of flavour terminology and differences in the use of scoring scales. It is suggested that consistency could be significantly improved by introducing standardised flavour methods and training across the brewing industry.