We had some friends over last night to help us taste Thirst Scratch using a formal triangle test: each participant received three opaque plastic cups containing two samples, and then had to guess which two were the same before awarding points for aroma, taste, and feel.

Our two friends correctly identified which of their drinks was the odd one out, and when they expressed a preference for taste they chose the DH variant. They also chose DH in preference based on aroma, but it had to be pointed out that one of the two variants wasn’t going to be as strong as the other, without which this difference may not have been noticed.

The results from this test mirror my own thoughts based on the samples I’ve enjoyed from both kegs over the past week or so; DH has a slightly more complex taste and definitely more aroma, but that’s not to say HFR is unpleasant at all, just … different. One of the drivers behind HFR is the ability to add finishing hops while limiting exposure to oxygen – in theory – so I guess the experiment may yield different results were it to be conducted several weeks or moths later. Must make a mental note to do that with the bottled stock.