^e'^CV
<S^
X&
lVe
World of Heineken 38 - summer 2008
eV(
u\ve*e
evs -vfP
if0VA"
t\tfe
a^°' rffotf
rAe
d&(
vtd
ted
wvs
\tv
o
"Our international consumers often want to know
whether Heineken tastes the same all over the world,"
says Eric Welten, who manages Heineken's Sensory
Analytical Services in the Netherlands. "Our flagship
brand is brewed locally in many markets, using
the exact same recipe we use here. Each country
must match and adhere to our stringent product
specifications to ensure a consistent flavour across
all markets. To do this, Heineken and our other
portfolio brands are regularly tested by our accredited
laboratory."
Crucial to the sensory activities are the Corporate
Brand Panel, the Flavour Research Panel and the
Consumer Descriptive Panel. Each of these entities
has a different quality objective employing different
sampling methods. Taken together, the results of their
work help to maintain the quality standards of the
company's beer brands while improving existing or new
brands and products.
The Corporate Brand Panel is made up of a pool of
around 50 Heineken employees. In addition to their
daily tasks at the company, they participate in regular
brand tasting sessions. Samples of Heineken® brewed
in the Netherlands and overseas, as well as other local
beers from the global portfolio, are assessed by this
panel.
"The Corporate Brand Panel usually conducts two
tasting sessions per day," explains Eric Innemee,
Heineken's Sensory Evaluation Coordinator. "Between
five and twelve brands are evaluated at each sitting.
Panel participants are given a detailed flavour profile
describing how these samples should taste. The
samples are then evaluated against these criteria and
participants feed a rating into a computer."
All beers are served in black glasses, as subjective
taste can be influenced by the colour of the brew.
At the same time, panel members are not permitted
to talk during tasting sessions in order to preserve
impartiality.
52
