Logo

Lindsay Barr

Harnessing the Power of the Senses to Make Better Beer

Sensory Course

Lindsay Barr, founder and chief science officer at DraughtLab, explains specific methods and practical tips for how your brewery can collect sensory data and use that information to make better beer.

Subscribe
All Access subscription required

Breweries are awash in data, but perhaps none are as important as the information collected via tuned-in sensory analysis by brewers and trained panelists. But there are many methods and ways to collect and harness that information—so, where to start?

Lindsay Barr, founder and chief science officer at DraughtLab, is one of the most influential sensory experts in the industry. In this 69-minute video course, she shares a range of insights and practical tips on how integrating both subjective and objective sensory analysis can help you to improve beer and the bottom line. Along the way, she discusses:

  • preparing your panelists with the basics of sensory analysis
  • three specific sensory testing methods—hedonic, description, and true-to-target
  • how to help your panelists build their sensory lexicon
  • training your sensory panel for true-to-target evaluation
  • the power and pitfalls of testing for attributes, including off-flavors
  • three common biases that can invalidate sensory analysis
  • applying sensory analysis to hops, malt, or other raw materials
  • making sense of the data you’ve collected
  • And more.

Featuring:

Lindsay Barr

Lindsay Barr

Sessions

Introduction | Sensory Is Human

1. Introduction | Sensory Is Human

Knowing the difference between subjective and objective sensory, and being able to integrate them, is key to better understanding how other people are tasting your beer.

The Senses | Breaking Down How We Perceive Beer

2. The Senses | Breaking Down How We Perceive Beer

We perceive beer through its appearance, aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. Each of those also includes particular sensory elements, such as orthonasal (aroma) and carbonation (mouthfeel). It’s important to know the differences and how to identify them, so that we can more clearly describe what we’re sensing when we evaluate a beer.

The Methods | Narrowing Down How You Approach Sensory

3. The Methods | Narrowing Down How You Approach Sensory

Time and efficiency matter in the brewery, so you want effective and powerful methods that can identify problems and be learned relatively quickly. There are dozens of sensory methods, but here are three of the most useful and effective for breweries to know.

Hedonic | How Much Do You Like It?

4. Hedonic | How Much Do You Like It?

The hedonic method is a way to measure personal liking for a product by using a scoring mechanism. Averaging those scores from a large enough sample can give you an idea of how much people like (or dislike) a beer as compared to others.

Description | Why Do You Like It?

5. Description | Why Do You Like It?

A description test can bring a greater level of detail about why people like (or dislike) a beer. One way to collect that data is the CATA method—check all that apply. When many people are ticking the same boxes for what they perceive, it gives you a strong idea of what people are tasting. Descriptive analysis can bring a richer level of detail, although it can be intimidating and may require additional training.

True-to-Target | Does that Beer Taste Like It’s Supposed to Taste?

6. True-to-Target | Does that Beer Taste Like It’s Supposed to Taste?

The TTM method—true-to-target, or true-to-brand—is a binary test that counts how many testers agree that a beer does or does not fit the target profile. In aggregate and collected over time, these can be powerful data for a brewery to collect.

Lexicon | Description Training and Building Vocabulary

7. Lexicon | Description Training and Building Vocabulary

While the hedonic method requires no training—you can’t train tasters on what they like—the descriptive method benefits from some focused training for your panelists. Can you describe grapefruit without using the word “grapefruit”? Lexicon development training, using aroma samples, is a fun and effective exercise to help panelists identify common notes in beer as they build their vocabulary and train their senses.

Recognition | True-to-Target Training

8. Recognition | True-to-Target Training

Familiarity with a product is critical to the TTT method. Besides tasting the beer often, brand-recognition training is a highly effective way to help panelists get more familiar with the sensory aspects of a specific brand.

Attributes | Identifying Off-Flavors and Other Specific Traits

9. Attributes | Identifying Off-Flavors and Other Specific Traits

Identifying problems in beer samples is one of the most important and useful tasks of sensory in the brewery. Flavor spikes are an effective way to train panelists on specific attributes—and for them to learn whether or not they are sensitive to those attributes. For example, about 20 percent of people are anosmic to diacetyl—they can’t smell it.

Bias | Know the Pitfalls

10. Bias | Know the Pitfalls

There are three types of biases that should be avoided at all costs: the halo effect, first-sample bias, and adaptation. To avoid the halo effect, it’s best to have panelists complete their evaluations individually before opening things up to discussion. It’s helpful to foster a culture in which all opinions are welcome and valid. Calibration samples and randomization are good ways to help nullify the first-sample effect. To avoid adaptation bias, it’s helpful to keep sample sizes relatively low—perhaps eight samples in a sensory session. Keep it focused.

Ingredients | Applying Sensory Analysis to Raw Materials

11. Ingredients | Applying Sensory Analysis to Raw Materials

For brewers, it can be just as useful to collect sensory data on their hops, malt, and water, to help ensure a quality, consistent product. Two of the most common and useful ways of evaluating ingredients are the hop-grind and the hot-steep methods. Making hop tea is another method for evaluating hops, although it introduces other variables.

Data | How to Make Sense of It

12. Data | How to Make Sense of It

Sensory analysis can produce a lot of data—here are some specific tips on how to make the most of it, including tagging, watching for trends, and radar or spider plots. It’s also important to know the limitations of your data, to avoid reaching the wrong conclusions from insufficient or misinterpreted information.

Conclusion | Empower Your Brewery with Sensory

13. Conclusion | Empower Your Brewery with Sensory

There are many ways that sensory analysis can help out a brewery, from raw materials to recipe development, troubleshooting, and marketing. Making sense of your senses can help you make better beer and strengthen your brewing business.