Beer tasting for two at home
A beer tasting for two people in your home or at a friend’s place is something that’s very easy to organise, and it’s a lot of fun!
This kind of beer tasting is most fun when performed as a true blind-test. You will purchase beers that your partner will taste, and vice versa, without each person knowing which beers they will be tasting.
Items you will need
- Beer (a selection of 6 different beers for each)
- 2 beer glasses and 2 water glasses
- Beer scorecards, labels and 2 pens
- Aluminium foil (to conceal the beer bottle labels)
- 3 buckets or eskies (2 to keep the beer cold, 1 to catch rinsing water)
- 2 bottles of water (1 for drinking, 1 for rinsing the glasses)
- 2 tea towels
When you purchase the beer, both partners need to make sure that the other won’t know which beers you’re buying. A random selection of beers is best to ensure a wide variety of flavours and aromas. Simply ask staff to randomly select 6 different beers for you!
Preparation
To prepare for the tasting, both tasters must do the following, out of sight of the other person:
- Individually cover each of the beer bottles with foil, then label and number them.
- Individually create a master list, containing the names and corresponding numbers of each beer.
Keep the master list for after the tasting, for the “big reveal”.
Set up a tasting area. Ideally face each other at a table, with all items within easy reach, next to your chair.
Each taster must have easy access
- to their own esky/ice filled bucket, containing the beers that they purchased.
- to the rinsing bucket and clean water next to the table.
In our experience, the best way to conduct the beer tasting is for you and your partner to simultaneously pour the beer for each other, then both of you taste the beers at the same time. Each person will only taste the beers purchased by their partner.
Detailed instructions
Each taster does the following, at the same time:
- Under the table or otherwise out of sight of your partner, pour the beer sample into the glass for your partner (about 1/3 of a glass or less), making sure there’s about 1 cm of foam, then hand it over to your partner, who will have just poured a beer sample for you.
- Taste the beer you’ve just been handed and note down your impressions on the beer scorecard. This should not take much longer than 2-3 minutes.
- When you’re both done, hand the glass back to your partner. Remember, you don’t have to completely drink the sample.
- Take a sip of water in between tastings. Only ever pour one beer for each other at a time - then taste, wash, rinse, repeat!
The “Big Reveal”
When you’ve tasted all beers, it’s time for the “big reveal” where you swap master lists and find out which beer was which. It’s a lot of fun to compare notes, and see whether you agree with your partner’s findings!
Don’t forget to come back to tastebeer.com.au and submit YOUR findings. We’ve got over 61 beers listed, so you’re bound to find some beers to add your comments, and of course you’re welcome to submit completely new reviews as well.
Click here to learn more about tasting beer.