The Northwest Beer Guide
The Northwest Beer Guide
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Beer School with Master Cicerone® Rich Higgins at Belmont Station

  • Belmont Station 4500 Southeast Stark Street Portland, OR, 97215 United States (map)

Glass will be in session at Belmont Station for this double-header day of beer learning, using sensory science to uncover brewing technique, assess beer quality, and blind taste beer.

Session 1: Beer Off-Flavors Tasting Seminar (1:00 - 3:00 PM):

How beer is brewed, aged, and handled can sometimes create flaws called off-flavors. This session is a double tasting of beers spiked with 12 common off-flavors, and concludes with a blind taste test to try out your new skill. From sour lactic acid to eggy sulfides, learn what they taste like, how to prevent them from occurring, and in which beer styles they can be acceptable.

Session 2: Deductive Beer Tasting Method (3:30 - 6:00 PM):

Higgins has developed a Deductive Beer Tasting Method and teaches this class to help both novice and advanced tasters hone their palates. Higgins, who is a Certified Sommelier in addition to being a Master Cicerone®, says “Sommeliers have an incredibly useful deductive method for tasting wine. Beer is more complex than wine, and Cicerones, brewers, and beer fans deserve a proper method for consistent tasting, description, and comprehension of all that a beer has to say.” Students in this class will receive a downloadable Guide to the Method during the class.

After the school day’s final bell rings at 6 PM, Higgins will offer his favorite version of “open office hours.” He’ll be found mingling in the biercafe to meet and greet. No doubt, he’ll be fielding questions from aspiring Cicerones studying for February’s upcoming Portland Certified Cicerone® Exam.

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Beer School discounted tickets are available for $115 for both sessions, and are also available per-session from $60-$75. Event information and tickets are available right here.