Does Expensive Beer Taste Better?

You paid more for the stuff so it must be better. Right? Professor Funk takes a look at how money can influence people's perception of taste with some shock-tastic results. Wait for the twist!

More info:
http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2008/01/expensive_wine_tastes_better.php
http://www.sss.ias.edu/publications/papers/paper26.pdf

Support:
http://www.scienceweek.info.au/
http://www.littlecreatures.com.au/

Music:
Hybrid - Finished Symphony
http://www.myspace.com/hybridsoundsystem/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Money
• Beer
• Alcohol
• Price
• Expensive
• Cheap
• Taste
• Better
• Science
• Professor
• Funk
• Marketing
• Neuroeconomics
• Funny

[raygabmiamizzi]

a weird but interesting dude but he did NOT ACTUALLY DO THE TEST. HIS ARGUMENT IS BASED ON EXISTING FACT. WHAT EVIDENCE DOES HE GIVE THAT HE DID THE TEST OTHER THAN RESULTS. ... I like his nutty ways though. :)

[TheProfessorFunk]

As a matter of fact I did. I've got data collection on it and can pretty much name all the participants.

Look at any science paper: what evidence do they give besided the methods and results? The point is that the test should be repeatable and should give the same results.

But thanks for your support otherwise :D

[xSTEVExDB]

"people are dumb" Hmm i and here i was wondering how two different beers had the same lid......1:10

[TheProfessorFunk]

Very observant!

[yeahyeah1821]

you remind me of drop dead Fred =)

[TheProfessorFunk]

= Awesome film

[joxaal]

I have one issue with tests like this. My theory is: when people are confronted with such a test of personal judgement, especially on the spot, they would prefer to defer the responsibility of making their own personal judgment, and instead go with whatever initial metric they were given e.g. price. I would try to give the same taste test, but this time tell them nothing about the price of either beer and ask them to choose which is better. Also give the option to say they taste the same.

[MsHojat]

@ElcrianMusic 5 euros or 5 USD? whats the price of very expensive beer though too?

Where I am (Canada) the cheapest 6 packs are ~6$ which I think is about the lowest legal price, but most common six packs to which people typically drink are more like 8-12$. In fact I didn't see any beers that came in sixers higher than that — had to buy individually 21$/750ml 4$/330ml

Lastly, bottle/can size may be another factor, since 341 and 355 make for a small difference, but other sizes may also exist.

[MsHojat]

@chronousnemesis yes, but that alone isn't the best thing, because it's possible that the expensive beer tested could be rated worse than the cheap beer tested due to bad luck of choices

The best test would be to test like 3 beers of X type (IPA, tripel, imperial stout, lager, etc.) which are cheap (at the lowest legal price, or maybe within 20-30% of it), then compare with 3 expensive ones of the same type.

Beer rating websites already do the testing for you as well- just compare local prices

[ElcrianMusic]

$20 a sixpack? damned, u guys have got a serious problem with your prices down there. in germany ur paying $5 maximum for a sixpack.

nice vid btw. i'm pretty much saying this for years now, but people won't believe me. but as long as i ain't forced to buy other people's beer, i don't give a damn on it. cheap beer is the better beer. \o/

[chronousnemesis]

If anybody wanna try this experiment, maybe they should leave out the placebo effect. Instead of using same beer, buy 1 cheap beer and another expensive beer but say it to them that they are the same.

[x3no]

Dude you're awesome!

[pookenheim]

@TheProfessorFunk As my old Air Force crew chief used to say, "It all makes your head ache." Manduck Kibble

[01gt46]

they got to drink YOUR beer for FREE, so they really weren't that dumb.

[qttytn]

Use independent groups motherfucker!

[FIGHTTHECABLE]

You can even say there is alcohol in a non alcohol beer and some will get drunk on the beer that has no alcohol in it. WTF?

I'm not kidding, read it or watched it somewhere