Sensory School: Taste Perception and Sound

There are many factors that can affect your sensory evaluation of a beer. One of them is oft overlooked when tasting beer, but it might be affecting you more than you think. Our CFO/COO Carl put his ear to the ground to explore how sound can enhance or detract from your sensory experience.

The Pils Are Alive, With The Sound Of Music ...

Taste. Touch. Sight. Smell. Drinking beer is an experience of the senses. The Beer Judge Certification Program style guidelines describe each of the dozens of styles and sub-styles in terms of aroma, appearance, flavor, and mouthfeel. Beer reviews on the popular forums similarly break their analyses down to categories of A(pperance), S(mell), T(aste), M(outhfeel), and O(verall), or some variation. All the senses are covered, except one ... Welcome to the sensory blog entry on the sound of beer.

Sensory School: The Path to Becoming a Beer Judge

Once you have a full understanding of how to taste beer, you might want to take your knowledge a bit further ... far enough to become a beer judge! To guide you through that process one of our brewers, who just so happens to also be one of our resident BJCP judges, has some tips on how to reach that goal.

So you would like to be a beer judge? Free beer and all that is asked for in return is some feedback on the beverage! We must first acquire the necessary knowledge and practice our sensory evaluation skills and corresponding vocabulary. How do we get started on this sensory evaluation filled adventure? What separates a beer judge from the random craft beer geek at the tasting room?