Passing a tasting test in a brewer interview

Why breweries test your nose

A brewer who cannot taste cannot do quality control. Everything else on the CV can be taught on the job, but a head brewer will not hand a tank to someone who misses diacetyl. So many interviews, especially at larger breweries and labs, include a short sensory exercise.

It is usually not long. Ten to twenty minutes with a handful of small samples is typical. What the panel wants to see is a calm, methodical taster who is honest about what they are unsure of.

The tests you are likely to meet

Three formats turn up again and again:

• Triangle test. You get three samples. Two are the same beer and one is different. You pick the odd one out. By chance alone you would be right one time in three, so a correct answer means something.
• Off-flavour identification. A normal beer is spiked with a single flavour standard, such as diacetyl for butter, dimethyl sulphide for cooked sweetcorn or trans-2-nonenal for wet cardboard. You name the fault or at least describe it.
• Description and ranking. You taste one or two finished beers and describe aroma, flavour, body and finish, or rank them against a brief.

Some employers also ask you to say what you would check in the brewery if you found the fault. That is where the science you know earns its place. Our guide to beer off flavours and what causes them is a good map of the common ones.

How to taste when it counts

Technique matters more than talent. Smell first, because most of what you call flavour is aroma. Swirl the cup gently, take two short sniffs rather than one long one and write down the first word that comes to you. Your first impression is usually the most honest one.

Then take a small sip, let it sit across the whole tongue and breathe out through your nose. Note the bitterness, the sweetness and what lingers. Spit if the panel allows it, as professional tasters do. You are working, not drinking. Spitting also keeps your palate sharp through a long tray.

Do not rush the triangle test. Smell the three cups twice in different orders. If you honestly cannot tell, say so and guess. A confident wrong answer looks worse than an honest uncertain one.

Build a flavour vocabulary before the day

The most common reason candidates fail is not a weak nose. It is having no words. If you smell butterscotch and your head says "sweet", you cannot name the fault.

Spend a few weeks building a personal library of aromas. Smell tinned sweetcorn, a green apple, a wet cardboard box, a clove, a slice of lemon peel and some butterscotch sweets. Tie each one to the fault or the hop or malt note it stands for. Our guide to how to taste beer gives you a simple order to work in. Write each word down so that it is quick to recall under pressure.

Kits of flavour standards are sold for training. A Sensory Evaluation course lets you meet each fault at a known strength with a trained group.

Look after your palate the day before

A few plain habits make a real difference:

• Skip very spicy food, strong coffee and mint the morning of the test.
• Do not wear perfume, aftershave or scented hand cream. Aroma carries a long way in a small room.
• Drink water and take a cracker or plain bread to reset between samples.
• Avoid tasting when you have a cold. Tell the interviewer if you do.

Late morning is when most people taste best. If you can choose a slot, ask for one.

None of this means you should drink more than a sip. A test is not a drinking session. No reasonable employer expects you to finish a sample. If you do not drink alcohol, say so. Most panels are happy for you to use a spit cup and take only the smallest sip.

Practise like the real thing

Find one or two friends and run triangle tests on each other with two beers that are close in style. Practise describing a beer in four words: aroma, flavour, body and finish. Time yourself, because an interview tray is short.

If you are moving into brewing from another career, show your practice. A tasting log with a few weeks of notes is something concrete to bring up alongside your CV and interview preparation. It tells a head brewer you took the sensory side seriously before you were asked. For the route from the first job to a real brewing role, see what an assistant brewer really does.

After the tray

If you got something wrong, say what you now think. Some interviewers will tell you the answer on the spot. A good response is "I thought that was oxidation, but if it is diacetyl I would check the diacetyl rest and the yeast health". That shows you can reason from taste back to cause, which is the real skill behind the test.

Common questions

What happens in a tasting test at a brewer interview?

Usually a few small samples. You may be asked to pick the odd beer out in a triangle test, name a deliberately added fault or describe a finished beer.

Do I have to drink alcohol in a brewery tasting test?

No. Professional tasters spit. A good employer will allow it. If you do not drink, tell them beforehand so they can plan for spit cups.

How do I get better at spotting off flavours?

Smell real references such as sweetcorn, green apple and wet cardboard, link each to its fault and practise blind with a friend. Training with known flavour standards speeds this up.

Is the tasting test more important than the CV?

Rarely on its own, but a clear sensory failure can end an interview for a quality or brewing role. A calm, honest attempt counts for a lot.