Welcome to Sensory as Strategy
Sensory training is more than memorizing flavor descriptors.
Sensory as Strategy is a growing library of practical exercises, methods, tools, and sensory science designed to help you understand how you perceive beer-and how to develop those skills intentionally.
Whether you’re studying for a beer certification, training a team, looking for a fun homebrew club activity, judging beer, or simply trying to become a more thoughtful taster, you’ll find approachable ways to explore perception, build sensory vocabulary, practice evaluation, and create better sensory sessions.
Inside Sensory as Strategy
Sensory Exercises: Learn by doing
Sensory Methods: Explore evaluation techniques
Sensory Best Practices: Set up better, more reliable sessions
Sensory Bias: Discover what shapes your perception
Sensory Science: Understand what your brain and senses are actually doing
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Sensory Exercise: Separating Bitterness from Astringency
We perceive bitterness chemically through our sense of taste. We perceive astringency physically through our trigeminal sense. While understanding that two different systems are working to detect bitterness and astringency is helpful in theory, the reality is that these sensations are still happening in one small area at the same time - our palates, namely our tongues.
It’s kind of like saying a snake is venomous, not poisonous. Nice to know, but that doesn’t really help you when you’re staring at a snake that looks like it wants to hurt you in one way or another.
Sensory Exercise: Determining Taster Status
Explaining how bitterness works as a taste sense, how it appears in beer, and how we perceive it is one of my favorite sensory exercises to do. People come away with new knowledge not only about bitterness, but also about their palates and how they perceive bitterness. This is a super easy exercise to set up that also scales fabulously for large groups, so it is low-effort, high-reward for you as the organizer and for the participants.
Sensory Method: Cold Water Steep for Dark Grains
Okay, technically, this is a brewing technique and not a sensory technique. However, it is also an effective method for preparing malt steeps from dark grains, especially for a large group.
The cold water extraction technique was developed in the early 2000s by Mary Anne Gruber during her time as the Director of Technical Services for Briess Malting Company.
Sensory Exercise: Jelly Bean Test
The jelly bean test is a quick and simple sensory exercise designed to demonstrate the difference between orthonasal and retronasal olfaction. Understanding how orthonasal and retronasal olfaction are different is a foundational key to becoming a better beer taster.
Sensory Best Practices: Random 3-Digit Codes
Using random 3-digit numbers for your beer sensory panels or beer tasting exam practice means that you’re not unconsciously biasing yourself or others. Random 3-digit codes allow for impartial evaluation.
Sensory Best Practices: Labels
Believe me when I tell you that doing the preliminary work of making, printing, and affixing labels to cups and other things is the difference between a well-organized beer sensory session and a confusing mess.
Sensory Method: Hop Rubs
Everyone loves to rub hops. Hop rubs are quick, easy, and messy. Experience beer’s ingredients in as many different forms as possible.
Sensory Method: Malt Hot Steep
The hot steep method for the sensory evaluation of malt and other grains is the best way to learn more about how malt contributes to the finished beer.