We conducted a series of survey to find the source of difference in preferences among the U.S.A., Germany and Japan through the relationship between food preferences, dietary habits and evaluation on beer taste. We tried to find a measure to seize food preferences and dietary habits by questionnaires and we unveiled, by beverage preference survey, the degree of importance of factors in consumers' minds concerning both functions of beer in daily life and factors which compose deliciousness of beer. The relationship between drinking occasion and taste of beer was analyzed by the evaluation of taste of beer from the result of a test drinking using the same samples across the three countries. We recognized that there were clear differences among the three countries in food preferences, dietary habits, images toward beer, evaluation on preference and flavor strength of beer after the test drinking. It was made clear that the origin of regional difference in the taste of beer was related to the differences in food preferences, dietary habits and functions that consumers desired.
