The Influence of Color on the Consumer’s Experience of Beer

Abstract

Visual appearance (e.g., color) cues set expectations regarding the likely taste and flavor properties of food and drink. These expectations may, in turn, anchor the subsequent tasting experience. In the present study, we examined the influence of the color of a beer on the consumer’s experience. Dark and pale beers were evaluated both before and after tasting. Importantly, these beers were indistinguishable in terms of their taste/flavor when tasted without any visual cues. The results indicate that the differing visual appearance of the beers led to clear differences in expected taste/flavor. However, after tasting, no differences in flavor ratings were observed, indicating that the expectations based on visual cues did not influence the actual tasting experience. The participants also expected the dark beer to be more expensive than the pale one. These outcomes suggest that changes in the visual appearance of a beer lead to significant changes in the way in which consumers expect the beer to taste. At the same time, however, our findings also suggest the need for more evidence to be collected in order to determine the boundary conditions on when such crossmodal expectations may vs. may not affect the tasting experience.Highlights: The expected flavor of a beer is affected by its visual appearance. No differences in flavor ratings were observed on tasting. Consumers expect dark beers to be more expensive than pale/amber beers.

The visual appearance of beer: A review concerning visually-determined expectations and their consequences for perception

“…One study (Donadini et al, 2014) found that the lightest beer was rated as being low in bitterness, while another (Spearot, 2016) found that the lightest beer was rated as tasting more bitter than a darker beer; a finding that might be explained by geographic differences. Interestingly, two other studies (i.e., Reinoso-Carvalho et al, 2017 found no difference in the perceived bitterness of light and dark beers. In relation to a beer's clarity, Barnett et al (2017) reported that the addition of finings had no statistically significant effect on taste/flavour ratings, but people preferred the appearance of the beer that had been treated with finings.…”

“…This contrasts with Spearot (2016) who found that a lighter beer was rated as tasting more bitter than a darker beer. Reinoso-Carvalho et al (2017 found no difference in the perceived bitterness of light and dark beers. A seemingly logical explanation for these differences is that Spearot (2016) sampled North American participants, Reinoso-Carvalho et al (2017 sampled from Belgium, UK, and other European countries, while Donadini et al (2014) sampledItalians.…”

“…Reinoso-Carvalho et al (2017 found no difference in the perceived bitterness of light and dark beers. A seemingly logical explanation for these differences is that Spearot (2016) sampled North American participants, Reinoso-Carvalho et al (2017 sampled from Belgium, UK, and other European countries, while Donadini et al (2014) sampledItalians. Spearot (2016) suggested that less bitter, pale beers dominate the US market (e.g., Budweiser®, Miller Lite®), and thus North Americans may have a preference for those beers that are low in bitterness.…”

“…-INSERT FIGURE 7 APPROXIMATELY HERE -In summary, and in relation to consumers' expectations, there are clear differences in expectations relating to taste/flavour based on the colour of the beer. Both Smythe et al (2002) and Reinoso-Carvalho et al (2017) found that people expect darker beers to taste significantly more bitter than beers that are lighter in appearance (see Table 1). As such, and when developing new products, brewers might want to keep in mind that their customers will likely expect darker-coloured beers to taste more bitter than lighter-coloured beers.…”

“…Here, and similar to Reinoso-Carvalho et al 2017, 2019, it was expected that the darkest beer would be significantly more bitter than the lightest beer. However, a point of difference is that Reinoso-Carvalho et al (2017 found that people expected to like a pale beer more than a dark beer, while Smythe et al (2002) found that the darker beer was expected to be "better in anticipated flavour, better in overall appearance, and more likely to be bought" (p. 39). The difference here may relate to cultural differences in the meaning of colour, or some other facet of sampling, as Smythe et al (2002) recruited North Americans, while Reinoso-Carvalho et al 2017used a European sample.…”