Omi Beer to Hold Sensory Evaluation Training on February 4, Practical Learning with 12 Flavors
The craft brewery Omi Beer in Otsu, Shiga, will hold its beer course "Sensory Evaluation Training" on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. This hands-on session lets participants actually taste 12 aromas and flavors, including off-flavors, to learn their causes and characteristics, and is a place to sharpen skills directly tied to quality control.
Hop BroThe nanobrewery Omi Beer in Otsu, Shiga, is putting on its "Omi Beer Lab Beer Course: Sensory Evaluation Training" on February 4, 2026, and it's seriously hands-on!
MugiWhat! Beer events are usually just drinking and having fun, right? The name "sensory evaluation" already sounds intense!
Hop BroThis isn't so much a "enjoy the beer names" session as a practical training format. The point is to actually try 12 off-flavors and learn what causes them.
MugiOff-flavors!? You mean drinking flavors that are deliberately messed up on purpose?
Hop BroExactly. For example, diacetyl means buttery notes, DMS is corn-like, and a paper-like smell is a sign of oxidation. It's training to put into words what's off.
MugiWhoa, 4VG and isovaleric acid? This suddenly feels like the science room is bubbling up in my brain!
Hop Bro4VG is a clove-like spicy aroma, and isovaleric acid smells cheese-like. Even difficult names stick better once you reduce them to 'what does it smell like?'.
MugiThat makes sense! And the instructor is Yuuto Yamashita from Omi Beer, and it's aimed at people working in breweries and course attendees, so the seriousness is high!
Hop BroThe reagents are also made at a pharmaceutical factory and are clearly stated to meet GMP standards, so the safety side is solid. It really shows the field-oriented craftsmanship you'd expect from Omi Beer, founded in 2017.
MugiIf you learn first and then drink, the usual glass will feel even more interesting! Tonight I want to toast while paying attention to the aromas!
Hop BroThat's the plan. First reset your senses with a clean pint, then drink while looking for the aromas. Now I really want to drink Omi Beer!
Omi Beer announced on its official website news release the beer course "Omi Beer Lab Beer Course 'Sensory Evaluation Training'" (to be held on February 4, 2026). The posting date was January 31, 2026.
The heart of the course is experiencing the aromas and flavors involved in beer evaluation. It focuses particularly on off-flavors, with a structure designed to improve discrimination skills through actual tasting. The announcement lists 12 items: diacetyl, DMS, paper-like off-flavor, hydrogen sulfide, ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, 4VG, acetaldehyde, caprylic acid, butyric acid, catty odor, and isovaleric acid.
Sensory evaluation is an area that often serves as the "final decision axis" that is hard to replace with analytical instruments alone. Omi Beer explains that it also works continuously to improve skills through in-house training and beer courses. This course can be seen as opening that field-oriented attitude to general participants as well.
Eligible participants are "attendees of the Omi Beer Lab Beer Course" and "people working at breweries producing beer and happoshu." The instructor is Yuuto Yamashita of Omi Beer Co., Ltd. It is also stated that the reagents are manufactured at a pharmaceutical factory and are handled with safety in mind under a management system meeting GMP standards equivalent to pharmaceuticals.
Omi Beer is a nanobrewery based in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, founded in 2017. Taking advantage of the agility unique to a small-scale operation, it has also worked on limited-batch brewing and OEM. In parallel with its monthly limited-edition beer releases, it continues to provide opportunities to learn evaluation techniques themselves, which is a detail that should not be overlooked when understanding the brewery's approach to brewing.
See the original article for event details and registration.
- Original article: Omi Beer Lab Beer Course "Sensory Evaluation Training" 2026.02.04 (Wed)
- Brewery info: Omi Beer Company Information
- Official site: Omi Beer
Information may be inaccurate. Please refer to the brewery’s official channels for the latest details.
Hop BroThe nanobrewery Omi Beer in Otsu, Shiga, is putting on its "Omi Beer Lab Beer Course: Sensory Evaluation Training" on February 4, 2026, and it's seriously hands-on!
MugiWhat! Beer events are usually just drinking and having fun, right? The name "sensory evaluation" already sounds intense!
Hop BroThis isn't so much a "enjoy the beer names" session as a practical training format. The point is to actually try 12 off-flavors and learn what causes them.
MugiOff-flavors!? You mean drinking flavors that are deliberately messed up on purpose?
Hop BroExactly. For example, diacetyl means buttery notes, DMS is corn-like, and a paper-like smell is a sign of oxidation. It's training to put into words what's off.
MugiWhoa, 4VG and isovaleric acid? This suddenly feels like the science room is bubbling up in my brain!
Hop Bro4VG is a clove-like spicy aroma, and isovaleric acid smells cheese-like. Even difficult names stick better once you reduce them to 'what does it smell like?'.
MugiThat makes sense! And the instructor is Yuuto Yamashita from Omi Beer, and it's aimed at people working in breweries and course attendees, so the seriousness is high!
Hop BroThe reagents are also made at a pharmaceutical factory and are clearly stated to meet GMP standards, so the safety side is solid. It really shows the field-oriented craftsmanship you'd expect from Omi Beer, founded in 2017.
MugiIf you learn first and then drink, the usual glass will feel even more interesting! Tonight I want to toast while paying attention to the aromas!
Hop BroThat's the plan. First reset your senses with a clean pint, then drink while looking for the aromas. Now I really want to drink Omi Beer!
