Determinants of the thirst-quenching character of beer

The purpose of this study was to find which sensory characteristics are significant determinants of the thirst-quenching character of beer. The sensory attributes and thirst-quenching characteristics ("thirst quenching", "refreshing", "drinkability") of 18 beers were evaluated by a panel of 12 judges. The only significant positive determinants of the "thirst-quenching" character of the beers in the design were carbonation and bubble density. Significant negative determinants were foam, overall aroma and flavor, color, viscosity, malty, hoppy, burnt, bitterness, acidic, metallic, astringency and aftertaste. The same correlations (both in terms of direction and significance level) were observed between descriptive attributes and the "refreshing" and "drinkability" factors. A principal component analysis (PCA) of the mean ratings indicated that variability among beers was mostly along a thirst-quenching dimension (72% of the variance). Procrustes analysis performed on the individual ratings showed that, for one of the judges, the interpretation of the thirst-quenching concept differed from that shown by PCA for the overall panel.