Abstract
This report focuses on investigation of regional differences in beer preferences in Japan and overseas and sheds light on relation of these differences with regional food culture and dietary customs. For this purpose, the uniform study was conducted for the first time concerning the regional characteristics of beer preferences in three countries of Japan, the U.S., and Germany. In this connection, the newly standardized evaluation method and selected trilingual evaluation terms were adopted for this study. The terms were selected upon examination of flavor elements relating to taste of beer from the consumer's point of view to fully understand various beer flavor characteristics. Also the evaluation method was devised to obtain adequate reaction to each of the flavor elements. This report is the first published account of the uniform evaluation terms and uniform evaluation method which were used in three countries. This study under the selected and uniform evaluation terms and evaluation method comprised problems such as differences in understanding stemming from the selected taste-terms expressed in each language. Nonetheless, it was still effective for finding differences in the beer taste elements considered important in each country and differences in taste perception existed among the countries.
