Sure you know how to drink a beer. But, do you know how to “taste” that beer?
From its frothy, aromatic head to that silky finish as it glides down your throat, a beer’s taste is the result of an intricate dance between its ingredients and your senses. So, grab your beer and let’s do a beer tasting. If your beer is in a bottle, please pour it in your favorite mug.
Okay, so take a long, loving look at that beer. First off, what color is it? Pale? Golden? Brown? Red? Black?
Is it clear? Or is it slightly cloudy or hazy?
Now, swirl the glass. This allows the CO2 bubbles to come to the top of the beer, carrying malt and hop aromatics out of the beer to your eagerly awating nose. So, what do you smell? Can you make out the hop aromas? How about the malt aromas? And some beers have yeast aromas that are obvious; others not as much.
Next, take a sip of that beer. Ahhhhh...Lovely isn't it? So, take another sip. During this second sip, breathe in through your nose while the beer is still in your mouth. Taste a difference between the first and second sips? What do you taste?
Perhaps some vocabulary will help you pinpoint the aromas and flavors that you're experiencing:
Malt aromas and flavors:
Hop aromas and flavors:
Yeast aromas and flavors:
Biscuity
slightly sweet
Pale malty
Caramel
Roasty/Toasty
Burnt
Floral
Spicy
Earthy
Citrus
Herbal
Tangy
Piney
Bitter
Grassy
Subtle
Noticeable
Pronounced
Dominant
Finally, “mouthfeel” is what we call a beer’s body. Your beer’s ingredients and carbonation are what affect this mouthfeel, and you should be able to discern its character. Which of these words best describes the mouthfeel of that beer in your hand?
Dry
Heavy
Thick
Warming
Thin
Smooth
Sweet
Velvety
So, there you have it, folks—your first lesson in beer tasting. Share this knowledge with your friends, impress the neighbors and, by all means, practice, practice, practice.
Cheers from your friends at Old Chicago.
Want to learn even more about beer? Check out these sites:
