Pickles have a bigger fan base than most people realize, and a lineup of jars that actually differ in brine and process makes for a surprisingly fun blind tasting. It's also one of the cheapest theme nights around, since the whole lineup comes from the pickle aisle. Here's how to run it.
Build a lineup across brine styles
The brine and the process, not just the brand, are what actually separate one pickle from another:
- Kosher dill. The familiar deli-style pickle most people already know, garlicky and briny.
- Refrigerated (quick) pickles. Kept cold rather than shelf-stable, these stay noticeably crunchier than a jar that's been processed for the shelf.
- Bread and butter or spicy. Bread and butter pickles are sweet rather than sour, a deliberate curveball in a mostly-savory lineup; a spicy pickle adds heat instead of sugar.
- Fermented or half-sour. Made with salt and time rather than vinegar, these taste tangier and more complex than a straight vinegar brine. The wildcard most guests haven't compared side by side before.
Four jars across four brine styles tells a much better story than four kosher dills from four different brands.
How much to buy
One jar of each style is plenty for a tasting portion, since guests only need a spear or a few chips of each to score it. Buy a second jar of whichever style you expect people to snack through once the pickle board opens.
Run the Pickle-Off
Cut spears into small, unlabeled pieces, number them 1 through 4, and have guests score crunch, sour and garlic separately before guessing the brand. Scoring crunch on its own matters here more than in most tastings, since texture is half of what makes a good pickle good. How to Run a Blind Tasting has tips on keeping the scorecards and reveal fun.
How to taste pickles like you mean it
- Listen to the bite first. Crunch (or the lack of it) is immediate and tells you a lot about how the pickle was made.
- Taste the brine, not just the pickle. Sour, salty, sweet and garlicky all show up in different ratios depending on the style.
- Note how long the flavor lasts. Fermented pickles tend to linger longer than a quick vinegar pickle.
- Score each pickle on its own, since a kosher dill and a bread and butter pickle aren't really competing in the same category.
Build a pickle board
Once the blind round wraps, set out a board that goes beyond the jar: pickle spears, chips and spears cut different ways, plus something to pair them with like cheese, cured meats or crackers. A pickle board makes a great low-effort appetizer spread for the rest of the party.
Keep it food-safe
Homemade refrigerator pickles should stay cold and get used up within a few weeks rather than treated like a shelf-stable jar, since they aren't processed the same way a store-bought jar is.
Scale it for a crowd
Fried pickles are an easy crowd-pleasing app to make once the tasting's done, and a batch of fridge pickles or pickle de gallo gives guests something to take home.
Our Pickle 101 kit runs the whole tasting for you: 12 real pickles sorted into three tiers from grocery classics to fermented, half-sour and cornichon picks, the blind Pickle-Off scoring crunch, sour and garlic, a build-your-own pickle board, and eight party-size batches including fried pickles for 12 and pickle lemonade.