Beer tasting for two in a bar or pub
Why not try a blind beer tasting for two in a bar or pub? Doing a proper blind test is simple. All you need is friendly bar staff who will comply with your requests!
Items you will need
- Labels (or ask staff for some paper)
- 2 pens (or ask staff, they will usually lend you a pen)
- Beer scorecards (a napkin or serviette will do too if you need to improvise)
You will need to order the beers for your partner without them knowing what you are ordering (this is vital!). This may mean that your partner has to wait in a different part of the venue, looking away from you, until you’re finished ordering. Then swap places - you wait while your partner orders some beers for you to taste. If your partner doesn’t drink beer, that’s OK too - let your partner order the beers for you and you can do your very own tasting!
It’s best to order either 2 or 3 different beers. The more beers you order at a time, the harder it is to transport them back to your partner, and the warmer each beer will get in the time it takes to do the tasting.
Preparation and detailed instructions
- Write the names of the beers you’re going to order on your piece of paper.
- Order 2 or 3 beers and ask the bar staff to pour them into identical glasses and discard the bottles. Keep a keen eye on the glasses so you don’t mix them up.
- Label each full beer glass with its number and add that number to each beer on your list.
Your partner is to do the exact same thing (if your partner is participating in the mutual beer tasting).
If the bar staff are very busy and you are ordering beer in bottles, it’s best to just order the beer and ask for glasses to go with it, then fill them yourself.
Once your beers are ready, you taste the beers your partner ordered and vice versa. As you taste each beer, note down your impressions on the beer scorecard. Take a sip of water between tasting each beer.
The “Big Reveal”
When you’ve tasted all beers, it’s time for the “big reveal”, where you and your partner swap lists and find out which beer was which. Once you’ve done this, you can continue drinking the beers you ordered. It’s a lot of fun to compare reviews, and see whether you agree with your partner’s findings! If you end up enjoying your beer a little too much, check out the tried and tested hangover cures in the Tastebeer forum.
Remember 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 comment on, and of course you’re welcome to submit completely new reviews as well.
Click here to learn more about tasting beer.