When setting up a triangle test what size cups are used? What’s the amount of beer in each cup?
AFAIK, there is no set standard. Usually a couple oz of beer is enough
Size and liquid volume are not extremely important.
From Meilgaard, most important is that subjects are separated so that they work independently, and that they have a clean palate.
Per Melgaard samples that leave an aftertaste may be offered sequentially without invalidating the test.
My take. Because beer leaves an aftertaste in most cases, hoppy, sweet, roasty, phenolic, it’s advisable to do the tasting sequentially (similar to a regular competition), drink one, take notes, clean palate, move to the next one.
Offering the samples simultaneously leads to carryover effect bias (aftertaste carries over). That’s why Brulosophy has so many experiments in which significant differences were not identified. (They not only need the difference to exist, but to be very strong and to NOT carry over).
For more info go to Sensory Evaluation Techniques (Meilgaard) Sections 7.3.3 and 7.3.4
Cheers.
Good to know.
My club often uses 5 oz hard plastic cups like these:
Though ideally for truly blind tasting, you’d want to get black or dark blue opaque cups – not sure if something like that exists.
The following might be about as good and cheap as you can get:
I see some three oz white cups at Wal-Mart that might work.
My only concern with those would be whether you can get your nose in enough to get a decent assessment of aroma.
White cups would also highlight any color difference.
The beers to be triangled are pretty dark, close to 30 SRM.
And the other brewer already has some so I’d want to match what he’ll be bringing.