New Study Shows Music Affects The Way Beer Tastes

Maybe that depressing breakup song really does make your beer taste bitter.

Ever felt when you're listening to a happy song, that everything just seemed to be better. Even the beer you're drinking?

Well there may be some science behind that. According to a study by a university in Belgium, different music you listen to while drinking could change the way the same beer tastes. Maybe even the strength.

The study was led by Dr. Felipe Carvalho of Vrije Universiteit Brussel to look at participants perception of beer taste with different music. According to the study,

"participants tasted a beer twice, and rated the experience, each time under the influence of a different sound stimulus. The participants were not informed that they were, in fact, tasting the same beer."

Study participants tasted three varieties of beer (from pale ale to dark)  and listened to three different types of music while drinking the beers. Participants were then asked to rate each beer while listening to each type of music.

The findings?

The "Disney-style" music had people rating the beers as sweeter. Songs with a deep, rumbling bass made people think the beer had a more bitter taste. The study showed that different music can evoke different tastes, even different perceived strengths of alcohol in the beer. The study thinks this information would be good for different restaurants, bars and clubs to use to help influence their patrons drinking experience.

Researchers wrote that when participants listened to pleasant, sweet music "the participant transfer his or her experience and feelings about the music to the beer that they happen to be tasting."

Read more about this study at the University's website.