Nine Brazilian commercial brands of Pilsen beer were studied to evaluate the influence of packaging on their acceptability. The brands were separated into three groups, based on the Top of Mind/2005 research. Brands number 1, 2, 3 and 4 (group a) are the most recognized by national consumers; brands number 5 and 6 (group b) have intermediate recognition and brands number 7, 8 and 9 (group c) are considered regional. This study was separated in 3 stages: blind test, test with labels and test with information. The tests were applied to 54 consumers under laboratory conditions, using a nine-point hedonic scale. The results were analyzed using ANOVA and the Tukey test (p < 0,05). In the blind test, brand 1 was significantly different from brands 4, 7 and 8, being the less accepted. In the test with labels, the situation was inverted, since brand 1 was the most accepted, along with brands 3, 4 and 9; and brand 7 was the less accepted. On the other hand, in the test with information, Group A beers and brand 8, which is regional, were the most accepted. The results indicate that the labels can often influence and modify the acceptability of some beers.
brand; blind test; sensory analysis; information
