Dr. Beer (SM)

Sensory Evaluation Training and Beer Style Education

This course is designed for anyone in the brewing industry (production, wholesale, retail or amateur) who seeks to increase their ability to detect characteristic and/or off flavors in beer, and/or gain a better understanding of beer styles.

Beer is a complex beverage composed of numerous chemical compounds which arise as part of the brewing and fermentation processes. While analytical techniques can be utilized to determine beer composition, beer is a product made for human consumption, and the final assessment of the flavor of a beer is still best done by human tasters. While all humans have perceptual abilities, these vary widely from individual to individual. Sensory evaluation training teaches important skills which novice tasters lack. Most important among these are the ability to clearly discern specific flavor components in this complex beverage, and to accurately associate descriptors with those sensations. Training is accomplished by presentation of "doctored" samples for comparison against an undoctored reference. The abilities acquired are further enhanced by the additional education of beer style guidelines which provide the context within which to judge whether the flavor components detected by the taster are appropriate for the beer being tasted.

The workshop can be structured flexibly, depending on group size and need. A single seminar in sensory evaluation training (via a doctored beer tasting session) can be arranged, or a more elaborate series of seminars covering brewing materials, process, style characteristics and history (including training via tastings within style), sensory evaluation training, or some custom combination, are also available.

Jay Hersh is a Master Beer Judge who has been judging beer for seven years. He has taught sensory evaluation seminars in the Northeast for over six years, as well as at the 1992 American Homebrewers Association National Conference. In addition Mr. Hersh is an award winning homebrewer at both the regional and national levels of competition. He is also a part time author, having written beer travelogues, and is presently working on a beer style history of Bavarian Dark Lagers.

Cost: fees starting at $100 plus materials (fee varies with class size and custom options)

Contact: Jay Hersh drbeer@doctorbeer.com

Course Options

One session Sensory Evaluation Training

Multiple session Sensory Evaluation Training

One session outline with either or both of:

Additional Sessions Possible

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