Towards developing the drinking experience of pigmented corn beer: a consumer representation

Recent research has explored using pigmented corn as an alternative to barley for brewing. This shift is expected to influence consumer perception and the overall product experience. This study conducted a Free-Word Association task to elicit associations with corn beer towards shaping drinking experience dimensions. An online questionnaire was given to 100 consumers, who wrote down four words for different types of corn beer as triggers: “red (RCB),” “blue (BCB),” “dark (DCB),” and “toasted (TCB)”. Participants ranked words by importance and provided affective evaluations. Textual and prototypical analyses were conducted. Each beer exhibits a unique representation structure; however, 13 categories were identified, grouping RCB-BCB against DCB-TCB. The cognitive and affective dimensions followed the sensory dimension. Beyond sensory interest, the first group also elicited cognitive curiosity. In contrast, the second group was shaped by the sensory dimension. Our findings highlight the innovation potential, given the positive reception of pigmented corn beers.