Drinking a Pint

Taste is also very difficult to represent in a digital format. Typically, one is expected to have a knowledge of sets of tasting terminologies which can then be used in written descriptions of taste (e.g. beer reviews). This is not wholly successfully because the terminology is not always accessible and it is rather awkward. As a result, I have chosen then another means of addressing taste which calls upon the viewer's own past experiences of drinking a pint - a simple up close photo of a freshly poured pint. Can't you just imagine what it tastes like? Can't you imagine getting to the bottom yourself? The beverage pictured below is a pint of Magic Hat #9.

Yet Drinking a pint is not just about taste - texture plays a role as well. I have chosen to present these images in zoomify format so that the viewer can focus in closely on the texture of the mug's surface.

Think About:

How does the surface of the mug change over the course of drinking the pint? Condensation? Fingerprints?
Does the shape of a glass matter? Is a conical glass shape different from a dimpled mug? Might this affect which patrons frequent a pub?
How else might taste be represented digitally?
What role does food memory and nostalgia play in the pub experience?

I have also documented the progression of drinking a pint of Guinness through a photographic series called "Guinness Moments."

Guinness Moments: This link provides a static gallery of the series.

Guinness Moments - Zoomify: This link allows the viewer to zoom in to the images, readily providing interesting textural details.

The Virtual Pub Project