Women May Be Better At Determining Quality Of Beer Than Men, Expert Finds
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Craft beer can be a complex brew, and product consistency is important to breweries. A world renown olfactory expert says there's a possibility that women have an advantage over men when it comes to detecting the quality of beer.
The Monell Chemical Senses Center in West Philadelphia is a non-profit scientific institute dedicated to research in taste and smell.
Monell's Dr. Pamela Dalton says research consistently shows differences in women's ability to identify odors.
"Women typically always do better than men," Dalton said, "at least if they are of similar age bands."
She says it may be because women have more sensory neurons devoted to smell, maybe even differently developed brain regions that allow women to process odors more effectively.
Dr. Dalton says when it comes to quality control of beer, the nose knows.
"The human nose will pick out which of those chemicals that are coming out of the beer across time," she said, "actually are the good ones or the problem ones."
You can hear more on the recent episode on the "Beer & Booze Broz" podcast.