Beer Tasting Panel at Leeder Analytical
This week at Leeder Analytical we were not short of volunteers to sample beer.
On behalf of one of our great brewery clients, and in the name of science, of course, we ran a panel to taste a range of beers to identify (pre-testing) if there were any clearly noticeable flavour faults.
Whilst we have an array of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and machinery, a tasting panel was deployed to help identify what the taint may be prior to doing a targeted analysis in the laboratory.
Our panellists were able to describe the flavours they may be able to smell and taste. The manner in which the beer is brewed, as well as the type of beer (ales, lagers, pilsners, stout), can create a very different end-product including different alcohol percentage, flavour, colour and texture.
The panel was requested to taste a range of different beers with one of the beers having a flavour fault.
Would our panel of beer drinking ‘experts’ be able to identify the brew with a flavour fault? The equipment they were using is millions of years old – their senses of taste, smell and sight!
All samples were presented to the panellists for assessment without any description of source – they would be relying only on their senses.
Impressively, our panel was able to reach a consensus on the suspected sample.
With a description of the ‘off-flavour’, we now have a starting point for laboratory analysis and resolution to the problem.
The suspected sample is now undergoing a thorough scientific analysis including a variety of tests in our purpose-built laboratory.
The remaining beer samples were consumed happily and responsibly by our panel of beer tasters.
At Leeder Analytical, our team are specialists in the analysis of food and beverage, in particular beer and wine.
If you’re looking to have a batch analysed our lab conducts a myriad of tests ranging from the presence of organic acids, sugar analysis, taint identification to microbiological analysis using state of the art equipment.
