SOMM Beer, Sake, and Beverage Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following beer styles is fermented with top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures, producing fruity esters?
- Lager
- Pilsner
- Ale (Correct answer)
- Bock
Correct answer: Ale
Ales use Saccharomyces cerevisiae (top-fermenting yeast) at warmer temperatures (15-24°C), creating fruity, complex flavors; styles include IPA, stout, and pale ale.
Question 2: Sake is brewed from which primary ingredient?
- Barley malt
- Wheat
- Polished rice (Correct answer)
- Sorghum
Correct answer: Polished rice
Sake (nihonshu) is a Japanese rice wine brewed from polished Sakamai rice, water, koji mold, yeast, and sometimes added alcohol.
Question 3: In sake classification, what does 'Junmai' indicate on the label?
- The sake has been pasteurized twice
- The sake is made from pure rice with no added distilled alcohol (Correct answer)
- The sake has a rice polishing ratio below 60%
- The sake has been aged for a minimum of 3 years
Correct answer: The sake is made from pure rice with no added distilled alcohol
Junmai ('pure rice') sake is brewed using only rice, water, koji, and yeast — with no added distilled alcohol, representing the traditional, full-bodied style.
Question 4: IBU (International Bitterness Units) measures what aspect of beer?
- Alcohol content
- Color intensity
- Hop bitterness level (Correct answer)
- Carbonation level
Correct answer: Hop bitterness level
IBU measures the concentration of iso-alpha acids (from hops) in beer in parts per million, providing a standardized scale for perceived bitterness.
Question 5: When recommending beverages for a multicourse dinner, which principle guides the progression of wines?
- Always serve white before red, regardless of the food
- Progress from lighter to fuller-bodied, simpler to more complex, dry to sweet (Correct answer)
- Serve the most expensive wine first to impress guests
- Match geographic region of wine to origin of each course
Correct answer: Progress from lighter to fuller-bodied, simpler to more complex, dry to sweet
Standard beverage progression follows the principle of building from lighter, simpler, drier styles to richer, more complex, sweeter ones so each wine enhances rather than overwhelms the next.
Question 6: What is the primary role of a sommelier when a guest returns a bottle of wine claiming it is 'corked'?
- Always replace the bottle without question
- Refuse the return as cork taint is subjective
- Smell and taste the wine to assess whether it is genuinely flawed, then replace it if confirmed faulty (Correct answer)
- Offer a full refund but no replacement wine
Correct answer: Smell and taste the wine to assess whether it is genuinely flawed, then replace it if confirmed faulty
A sommelier should professionally assess returned wine by smelling and tasting it; if TCA (cork taint) or another genuine fault is confirmed, the bottle should be replaced and the issue reported to the supplier.
SOMM Beer, Sake, and Beverage Management 1
Which of the following beer styles is fermented with top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures, producing fruity esters?