Triangular Taste Test is one of the methods used in the sensory evaluation of beer. As its name implies, the triangular taste test involves the comparison of three separate samples. As a general rule, two of these samples are identical, whereas the third one is slightly different; the samples are assessed through a blind tasting. The test is designed to measure how easily subjects can perceive the difference in the disparate sample.

There are two common scenarios in which this style of testing is used. The most popular of these is when a brewery has tweaked the process or ingredients used to make one of their beers. The goal, in these cases, is to determine whether there is a detectable difference in the finished product. The other common use for the triangular taste test is to screen potential judges for tasting panels and, more specifically, to determine whether their palate is sensitive enough to detect the various compounds they will later be required to identify.

Some attribute the development of the triangular taste test to the research laboratory team at Carlsberg breweries. Records show that the test was first used there in 1923. It then came into common use at Carlsberg in the mid 1930s, when the research laboratory reworked its sensory evaluation program to yield better results. To this day, the triangular taste test is considered one of the more efficient sensory evaluation testing methods and is commonly used at breweries worldwide.