sensory and flavor training for brewers · title: off-flavor tutored tasting author: ray created...

Sensory and Flavor Training for Brewers

National Homebrewers Conference 2015

Pat Fahey - @PatFahey24 - #FlavorTraining

Cicerone® Certification Program

© Copyright 2015 Cicerone Certification Program #FlavorTraining

Outline • Explore basic taste physiology

• Cover tasting techniques

• Familiarize with pure compounds

• Identify controls and prevention


Basic Tasting Technique • Flavor from two places: tongue and nose

• Tongue has more tastes than we knew

– Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Salty, Umami

– Fat, Metallic

• Nose still contributes 1000s of flavors


Basic Tasting Technique • Swirl glass

• Sample aroma first – Distant Sniff

– Short Sniff

– Long Sniff

– Covered Sniff


Basic Tasting Technique • Taste

– Take “a taste”

– Make sure it travels

– Swallow or spit

• Fully engage retronasal detection


Base Beer

© Copyright 2015 Cicerone Certification Program

• Ballast Point Longfin Lager

• BIG THANKS to Ballast Point for supplying beer

#FlavorTraining

Off-Flavor Training • Control beer vs. spiked beers

• Each spike focuses on one issue/flaw

• Trying to achieve familiarization

– Look for difference between control and sample

– Identify your personal perceptions of spike


Off-Flavor Training • Tasting:

– Smell & taste control

– Smell & taste off-flavor sample

– Observe differences between the two

– Learn how you perceive each flavor


Off-Flavor Training – each spike • Name of flaw or compound • Cause & occurrences in beer • Common descriptors • Prevention and control • Learn your personal descriptors and connect back to

industry standard name!


DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide) Sources Primary: • Formed from SMM in malt • Mostly removed during brewing • Acceptable in some pale lagers

Secondary: • Wort spoilage bacteria


DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide) Common Descriptors:

• Creamed corn • Cooked/rotten vegetables • Shellfish

Chemically: • Dimethyl Sulfide • Threshold: 30-50 ppb


DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide) Solutions

• Uncovered boil!!

• Full rolling boil for at least 60 minutes (longer if using mostly pale malts)

• Rapid cooling post-boil


Diacetyl Sources Primary: • Yeast produce during fermentation • Reduced during maturation • Improperly managed fermentation/maturation • Accepted in Bohemian Pilsner and some English Ales

Secondary: • Beer spoilage bacteria (Lactobacillus, Pediococcus) • Dirty draft systems!


Diacetyl Common Descriptors: • Buttery • Butterscotch • Popcorn • Not caramel (which is a normal malt flavor)

Chemically: • Diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) • Threshold: 10-40 ppb


Diacetyl Solutions • Give yeast enough time

• Properly managed fermentation variables

• Diacetyl rest


Metallic Sources


• Metal ions (e.g. Iron) in brewing water or other raw materials

• Exposed brass in a draft system

#FlavorTraining

Metallic Common Descriptors:

• Tinny • Copper Coins • Blood • Ink

Chemically: • Ferrous Sulfate (FeSO4) • Threshold: 2.7 ppm


Metallic Solutions


Removing metal from water:

• Aerate, boil, cool, and filter water before use

• Use distilled or RO water

Metal from draft system:

• Replace chrome plated brass w/ stainless steel

#FlavorTraining

Chlorophenol Sources

Primary:

• Use of water with chlorine or chloramine

Secondary:

• Present in brewing water

• Use of chlorinated cleaning solutions (e.g. bleach)


Chlorophenol Common Descriptors:

• Antiseptic Mouthwash • Medicinal • Swimming Pool

Chemically: • 2,6-dichlorophenol • Threshold: 300 ppt (0.3 ppb!)


Chlorophenol Solutions Removing chlorine/chloramine from water:

• Campden tablets (potassium or sodium metabisulfite)

• Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) filtration

• Use distilled or RO water

Other:

• Use chlorine-free cleaning/sanitizing agents


Sensory and Flavor Training for Brewers


Thanks for coming!

Pat Fahey - @PatFahey24 - #FlavorTraining

Cicerone® Certification Program

#FlavorTraining

sensory and flavor training for brewers · title: off-flavor tutored tasting author: ray created...

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