Taste Training for CAMRA Tasting Panels

The purpose of the training is to give you (or improve your) skills and confidence to assess  beer objectively.  It is aimed at people who wish to join a CAMRA Tasting Panel. After the course can then join a CAMRA Tasting Panel and:

•      Contribute to writing the beer descriptions in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide

•      Contribute to the decision as to which beers go forward to CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain Competition

•      If in London, join the  Panel on its visits to London breweries

At the end of the training you can decide to join a panel by completing 12 tasting cards over 12 weeks and gain a Certificate of Competence, independently accredited by People 1st, who are part of the Hospitality Guild. 

If you are unsure you want to make the commitment to join a panel, try the Beer Appreciation Course first. These are planned for April and September in London. This will give you the basics.

The course is conducted by Master Trainer, Christine Cryne and lasts 5.5 hours

By the end of this session you will be able to:

•      Identify the four basic flavours

•      State the four key ingredients in beer

•      With the help of notes, identify some of the more off usual flavours in beer and where they can come from

•      With the use of CAMRA's beer style sheets, identify different beer styles

•      Demonstrate this knowledge, by filling in CAMRA’s tasting cards including producing descriptions suitable for CAMRA’s Good        Beer Guide.

To CAMRA’s guidelines

Wimbledon has a long and illustrious brewing history. The new brewery is based on the site of Merton Priory which was brewing throughout the Middle Ages until its dissolution in 1538. One William Watney ran the Wheatsheaf Brewery in the Crooked Billet area of Wimbledon in the 18th century. His direct descendants went on to establish the famous Watney brewing empire.

 The Wimbledon Brewery was started by William Cook in 1832. It stood in Wimbledon High Street where the old fire station is today. Next door was the Brewery Tap beer house, also run by William Cook. At that time there were 115 breweries in the London excise district.

 Following a number of changes of ownership, the brewery was taken over by William Quartermaine in 1880. It was Quartermaine who built the five-storey tower brewery, the highest building in Wimbledon at the time. Unfortunately, a fire started at the brewery in 1889 and all the brewing equipment and machinery destroyed, the main structure of the building was left intact.

 Today’s Wimbledon Brewery can be characterised in very similar terms to the one described above. The logo incorporates the image of the tower, the phoenix and barley and hops, representing heritage and afocus on using only the best ingredients. We are custodians of the heritage and traditions of beer brewing, whilst also inspiring the new generation of beer drinkers and brewers.