Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn is serving virtual reality along with its beer in an experiment being rolled out to select pubs across the UK.
The company has teamed up with cognitive neuroscientist Dr Jacob Jolij to create virtual reality (VR) content that it claims will change the way beer tastes by triggering the brain to send new signals to the tastebuds.
Customers who order the brewer’s Original or Lager tipples at participating bars, including its Beer Kitchen venues in Dundee and Edinburgh, will also be served a VR headset and a beer mat explaining the concept.
A further rollout in the next couple of weeks will be taking the VR experience to beer drinkers in London at the Brewhouse Highbury and Brewhouse Islington, and in Glasgow’s Tabac.
The headset will transport them to landscapes inspired by the flavour profiles of the two beers.
Dougal Gunn Sharp, Master Brewer and Founder at Innis & Gunn said: “This year we’ve seen Virtual Reality amusement parks, house viewings and food tastings so we were fascinated to explore how this incredible technology would impact our beers. We’re committed to pushing the boundaries of the beer industry and Immersive & Gunn allows us to play with the ways that different senses impact taste.
“I’m excited to see how drinkers react when they’re thrust into dense woods and scale tall cliffs. By accessing the wilderness of Scotland we’re playing with the way people consume our beers, when we are no longer confined to the physical space we occupy, the possibilities for innovation are endless.”
