Book excerpt: While most breweries know that a sensory program can help them consistently deliver quality beer, shockingly few perform regular, standardized tasting of their products. Many cite roadblocks such as lack of resources, time, or knowledge. But ignoring routine sensory evaluation can have dangerous consequences, from customer complaints to costly recalls. Fortunately, establishing a results-oriented sensory program does not have to be complicated, and is entirely within your reach. In Building a Sensory Program, sensory expert Pat Fahey offers you the tools to get your own sensory program off the ground in hours rather than months. Inside, you’ll find everything a panel leader needs to know to get started, from tasting techniques to training protocols for new panelists. Learn how you can use different sensory tests to solve important problems, from monitoring beer for release to developing new brands. By building an intelligently designed sensory program tailored to the needs of your brewery, you will ensure that your beer tastes the way it should, time after time.