Table of Contents
- Revelers can enjoy a sweeter pint while listening to Enya or The Corrs.
- Those who prefer bitter beer should listen to The Irish Rovers and Van Morrison.
This weekend, Irish people around the world will be pouring themselves a pint of Guinness as they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
And if you want to have the best drinking experience, scientists say you should listen to Irish music.
Guinness tastes better when listening to Irish music and its flavor even changes depending on the type of tune being played, say scientists at the University of Lincoln.
Revelers can enjoy a pint of the sweeter tasting black substance while listening to Orinoco Flow by Enya or What Can I Do by The Corrs.
But those who prefer a sour beer should listen to songs like Drunken Sailor by The Irish Rovers or Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison.
This weekend, Irish people around the world will be pouring themselves a pint of Guinness as they celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And if you want the best drinking experience, scientists say you should listen to Irish music (stock image)
Revelers can enjoy a sweeter tasting pint of the black stuff while listening to Orinoco Flow by Enya or What Can I Do by The Corrs (pictured).
Dr Annemieke van den Tol, from the University of Lincoln, said: “Irish beer tastes best when accompanied by Irish music on St Patrick’s Day.
‘This is due to two psychological phenomena. The first is priming.
‘This is the idea that exposure to one stimulus can influence a response to a subsequent stimulus without conscious guidance or intention.
‘For example, exposure to German music increased the number of bottles of German wine people bought in a wine store, while exposure to French music did the same for French wine.
‘The second psychological phenomenon is “musical adjustment.”
‘Our brains work best when things are how we expect them to be or are well organized.
“For example, people are willing to pay more for their drinks when the music in a bar or restaurant fits with the decor and the types of food being sold.”
The study, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, said different styles of song can alter the taste your brain perceives while drinking stout such as Guinness.
Researcher Professor Felipe Reinoso Carvalho said: “Our brain associates certain frequency ranges, tempos, timbres and harmonies with flavor attributes such as sweetness, bitterness, acidity and the perceived body and strength of the beer.”
Those who prefer a sour beer should listen to songs like Drunken Sailor by The Irish Rovers or Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison (pictured).
He said frothy, lighter-sounding tunes produce a sweeter taste, while heavy, emotionally charged music makes the drink seem more bitter.
“Guinness is full-bodied to begin with, but to enhance the perception of bitterness, you can listen to some Sinead O’Connor or The Cranberries’ Zombie,” he added.
“Super heavy guitar and strong emotions are likely to make your Guinness taste even heavier, stronger and more bitter.”
The research was brought to light by music streaming platform Deezer, which revealed that Grace, by Aoife Scott, Roisin O and Danny O’Reilly, is the UK’s favorite Irish song.