Innis & Gunn has unveiled its most innovative product yet – Immersive & Gunn – two Virtual Reality (VR) experiences that will change the way drinkers taste and enjoy the beer.
At participating bars, customers who order the brewer’s Original or Lager will be served a VR headset to accompany their drink.
This headset will take them to landscapes inspired by the flavour profiles of the two brews, and through immersing the drinker in this world it is hoped that additional sight and sound senses will be triggered which will heighten the taste.
There is two different content for both the Original and Lager and the content gives a nod to Innis & Gunn’s brewing process and Scottish origins.
Virtual Reality has been used in the past to enhance the taste of food and now the beer industry gets a chance to join in, as Innis & Gunn started the new Immersive & Gunn experience at The Beer Kitchen in Edinburgh and Dundee on Thursday 11th August.
Further roll-out in the next couple of weeks will be taking the VR experience to beer drinkers in Glasgow’s Tabac, where drinkers will be served their pint alongside a VR headset and a beer mat explaining exactly what to do and why.
In order to create this content, the brewer has collaborated with cognitive neuroscientist, Dr. Jacob Jolij, an expert on how our brain creates experiences, who explains how VR impacts taste perception. He comments: “A taste experience is not just a matter of chemistry and biology. Whenever you take a sip of your favourite beer you do not just taste the water, the grains, and the hops, but your brain adds in your previous memories, surroundings, and expectations.
“Immersing the drinker in this virtual reality world created by Innis & Gunn, is a very powerful way of enhancing the taste experience. It will change the way your brain processes and interprets the signals coming from your taste buds, drawing on personal memories of sight and sound to create a unique experience of the beer for every drinker.”
Check out the VR video content for the ‘Original’ below: