Authenticity and Emotional Well-Being in Culinary Heritage Tourism: Evidence from a Brewery Heritage Experience Among Generation Z in Lublin, Poland

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Brewery heritage tourism combines authentic industrial heritage, cultural interpretation, and sensory experiences, yet its immediate effects on visitors’ emotional well-being remain insufficiently understood. The aim of this study was to determine whether participation in an authentic brewery heritage experience was associated with short-term changes in the emotional well-being of Generation Z visitors and whether these changes resulted primarily from the overall heritage experience rather than from beer tasting. Methods: A comparative pre–post study was conducted among 225 Generation Z visitors to the Perła Brewery Underground in Lublin, Poland. Mood was assessed immediately before and after the guided tour using the University of Wales Mood Adjective Checklist (UMACL), measuring Hedonic Tone (HT), Energetic Arousal (EA), and Tense Arousal (TA). Participants comprised a beer-tasting group (N = 195) and a control group (n = 30). Changes were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann–Whitney U tests. Results: Significant improvements were observed in all three mood dimensions following the brewery heritage experience (p < 0.001): HT and EA increased, whereas TA decreased. Comparable changes occurred in both groups, with no statistically significant differences in mood changes between the beer-tasting and control groups. Conclusions: Participation in the brewery heritage experience was associated with short-term improvements in visitors’ emotional well-being. The absence of significant between-group differences suggests that these improvements were associated primarily with the overall heritage experience rather than with beer tasting, although small tasting-related effects cannot be excluded. The findings extend research on authenticity, heritage tourism, and well-being to the specific context of brewery heritage tourism.