On Food Navigator, there was an interesting short interview with Matthew Patrick, VP of R&D for TIC Gums where he suggests that “food and beverage product developers spend a shockingly low amount of time examining how texture may impact a finished product.” In beer, of course, texture is more often referred to as “mouthfeel.” And while when judging beer, mouthfeel is a consideration it’s usually not the primary one. Honestly, I’m really not sure how often brewers tinker with their recipes specifically to get a particular mouthfeel though it’s clear that many beers have great ones and many otherwise solid beers suffer for having a less than pleasant or ideally suited mouthfeel.
He’s talking primarily about texture in food and non-alcoholic beverages, though he singles out what he refers to as “low-viscosity beverages” like “tea” as products who didn’t give much thought to their texture. Beer’s viscosity has quite a range, from thin pilsners and golden ales to thick, rich oatmeal and imperial stouts so I can’t say where beer falls in TIC Gums’ viscosity scale. But there’s no doubt that mouthfeel is at least one of the many factors that add up to a beer’s overall taste profile. What a brewer can, or should, do about it seems like a worthy discussion to have.
The impact of texture on taste perception
There’s also a summary of the interview from the Food Navigator website:
Speaking to FoodNavigator-USA at the Research Chefs Association conference and expo in Atlanta, Patrick explained that texture can have wide-ranging influence on consumer perception of a food or beverage product.
For example, texture can influence the way saltiness or sugariness is perceived, meaning that different textures can make a product seem more or less sweet or salty even if the level of sugar or salt remains the same. That effect is something that product developers need to be particularly aware of, as many are cutting sugar or salt in products in response to demand for healthier foods and drinks.
Patrick added that low-viscosity beverages, such as teas, represent one area in which there is particular potential for enhancing consumer experience of a product through subtle textural differences.
Jay, it is commonly said that adding oats to your grist can impart a silky texture to your beer. I would consider carbonation an important factor in a beers texture. Think of the difference between cask ale and a highly carbonated triple. I can tell you from experience that the same triple that might taste wonderful at the proper carbonation level tastes and feels all wrong if its only moderately carbonated. For very hoppy beers, getting the water chemistry wrong can lead to either “grittyness” or “soapiness ” both generally considered to be faults.
I would guess that brewers think about texture more than you might assume, but you are right, it is not something we talk to the drinkers about.
I have mixed reactions – some of it sounds like “foodie” mumbo-jumbo, other parts I can relate to in principle. Save for well-made mashed potatoes/polenta, I hate “mushy” food (refried beans, guacamole, overcooked pasta/rice/veggies, etc.).
Until I particpate in a demo about salt/sugar affecting texture, I can’t buy in. I expect & want some salt on fries & potato chips; I know there’s a lot of it in cured meats. For the rest of the food spectrum, I’m sensitive to salt & don’t want to taste it in sauces.
As for sugar – there are so many variations of it that I think it preposterous to use the word in a generic sense as it relates to food texture. Sweet comes in many forms & colors, liquid & solid – each needs to be addressed specifically.
I gotta agree w/Biker Aggie about beer texture.