Software-based scheme enables breweries to monitor the performance of their beer tasting panels to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the area of flavour evaluation
Flavoractiv has released a new version of its web-based Taster Validation scheme software.
The new software went live in early July for more than 80 breweries in 35 countries.
It underpins the company's taster performance management system, which allows brewery groups to target and measure several aspects of beer taster performance on a global basis.
The software has several new features.
The main ones include the following.
One click report distribution: while the system is designed around users accessing the information they need through a web interface, it is now possible for brewery group scheme administrators to distribute reports and graphs to taste panels and individuals by email with a single mouse click.
The software then configures the report or graph specifically for that user by eliminating the names of all other participants (a necessary security requirement for the scheme).
Top assessors report: head office personnel can now access a report of their top performing tasters in the company, allowing the tasters' efforts to be recognised via awards or company newsletters.
It is also an ideal tool for selecting a high-performance flavour panel.
Improved time-slice analysis: it is now possible to analyse taster performance, brewery performance, and brewery group performance for any selected time period.
Confusion analysis.
This produces what Flavoractiv has termed a 'confusion plot' - a histogram of all wrong answers for a particular flavour.
The plot allows local and brewery group managers to find out which terms are being confused by tasters when an incorrect answer is given.
This is of considerable help in targeting training to the right areas. The Flavoractivt Taster Validation Scheme has been running for almost two years with selected major brewery groups.
The principle of the scheme is simple.
Every two to three months breweries are provided with sets of six different flavour standards.
Neither brewery management nor tasters know the identity of the flavours prior to the test.
Tasters have to choose from a list of 34 possible terms, representing flavour standards specified by the Recommended Methods of Analysis of the European Brewery Convention and the American Society of Brewing Chemists.
Scoresheets are available in several languages including English, German, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Russian.
Flavoured beers are prepared by the participating brewery site using the standards provided.
The samples are then presented individually to each member of the brewery's taste panel.
Every taster has to identify each of the six flavours in a blind tasting session.
Once the taste session is complete, the local taste session administrator enters the results onto Flavoractiv's proprietary web-based software.
The results are then immediately available throughout the company via a secure internet link.
Different levels of access provide for corporate (head office) views and brewery views.
Breweries in the scheme can see the results of other participating breweries and tasters, but only in coded form.
The scheme software allows individual sites and brewery groups to identify their strengths and weaknesses in the area of flavour evaluation.
For example, the performance of one brewery taste panel can be compared with that of another brewery.
Individual tasters can be ranked in terms of their performance scores.
And flavours can be ranked in terms of the ease with which flavour panels can identify them. This latter feature represents a powerful tool for targeting training programs to address specific needs.
A range of security features has been embodied into the scheme to assure the integrity of the results.
The improvements to the scheme software have resulted from the efforts of Flavoractiv's development team and from customer input.
Feedback from some of almost 1000 beer tasters currently involved in the scheme has been enthusiastic.
Most have welcomed the chance to receive objective evaluation of their tasting performance and, as a direct result, standards of tasting skill have shown real improvement in the participating brewery groups.
