Method by Rich Higgins, Master Cicerone® and Certified Sommelier

The
Deductive Beer Tasting Method
is a way to
look under the hood
of a beer.
Master the skill of blind-tasting beer
to learn more from every beer you taste
and notice all that beer has to say!
Modeled on proven deductive wine tasting methods and adapted for the complexity of beer, Rich’s Deductive Beer Tasting Method lets you understand every beer you taste and deduce how it was made.
— Thomas Burke, Master Sommelier
Rich has developed 3 assets to help beer tasters learn the DBTM and make the most of this informed method of tasting:
Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Tasting Grid
free PDF download (121 KB)
Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Quick Reference
free PDF download (568 KB)
Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Companion Guide
$6.99 on Amazon Books
No Kindle? No problem!
Click to access the free Kindle app
to read on any computer or device.

With the Deductive Beer Tasting Method, you’ll learn the route to honing your palate, building rich and accurate descriptors, isolating beer traits, deducing ingredients and techniques, connecting the dots between traits, technique, and quality.
It’ll allow you to learn even more from beer —
and it’s like getting to know an old friend all over again!
Take a look at the method used by sommeliers to blind taste wine:
Court of Master Sommeliers – Americas
Deductive Wine Tasting Format (234 KB)
Benchmark Beer Tasting Grids
Practice the Method and compare your own tasting notes to the
Tasting Grids of benchmark beers.
Upcoming Classes on
Deductive Beer Tasting
An essential class for all beer drinkers and brewers, whether you’re a novice learning to tell the difference between an ale and a lager, or an advanced taster differentiating between a Düsseldorf Altbier or a California Common
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- Blind Beer Tasting Master Class: Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Mikkeller Bar, San Francisco, CA, February 12, 2020 - Blind Beer Tasting Master Class: Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Belmont Station, Portland, OR, January 19, 2020 - Blind Beer Tasting Master Class: Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Belmont Station, Portland, OR, January 18, 2020 - Deductive Beer Tasting Method
TEXSOM, Dallas-Las Colinas, TX, August 19, 2019 - Deductive Beer Tasting Method: A Method to the Sensory Madness
HomebrewCon National Homebrewers Conference, Providence, RI, June 29, 2019 - Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Treadwell Park, New York, NY, June 26, 2019 - Deductive Beer Tasting Method
San Francisco Wine School, San Francisco, CA, February 4, 2019 - Deductive Beer Tasting Method
Belmont Station, Portland, OR, January 26, 2019
- Blind Beer Tasting Master Class: Deductive Beer Tasting Method
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No DBTM classes are currently scheduled.
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Click the links below for more information about Rich’s Classes, Events, and Beer Immersions Travel:
Events & Classes
Videos and Prep Courses for Cicerone® Exams
Rich Higgins Beer Immersions Travel to Belgium & Germany