Tasting Tips - Practice

Beer tasting professionals have developed practices over decades that can easily be used by anyone wanting to maximize their tasting experience.

Begin with a fresh brew. Beer older than a few months, with some notable exceptions, are less than ideal candidates. Use a clean, air-dried glass. Cotton and paper particles can introduce unwanted character, can interfere with head production and oils and dirt can interfere with aromas and alter head retention.

Pour slowly into a glass tipped at a 45 degree angle, until about half-full (not half-empty, there are no pessimists among beer tasters!), then straighten and finish pouring. For extra foamy brews, pause mid-way then finish.

Observe the appearance.

Some beers, such as yeasty Wheat beers, have a cloudy haze. This isn't necessarily undesirable. All the professional experience in the world doesn't alter the fact that taste is an individual affair.

Note the color and degree of carbonation. Different styles will have their own characteristics. Light lagers are golden with large heads, dark ales are chocolatey and some form no head at all. Like dogs, they can vary. But within a 'breed' they should exhibit the character of their type well.

Experience the aroma.

Smell is a sense with much greater complexity than taste. According to studies carried out at the Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago and elsewhere, 90% of perceived taste is the result of smell.

Use it to enhance your pleasure by noting the odor. Swirl the glass to aid vaporization and hold the nose directly over the rim. Hoppy or malty? Fruity or phenolic? Some have hints of lemon, others are more iodine-like.

Chamomile, pine, pepper and a wide variety of other secondary scents are found in brews. Take the time to search for them.

Test the mouthfeel.

Taste and touch combine to produce distinctive mouthfeels. Proteins in beer don't ferment and contribute strongly, for example. Hardness or softness of the water used makes a big difference, too.

Search out alkalinity or metallic feels. Decide if the brew is astringent or gentle. Carbonation plays a part, obviously. The bubbles interact with special receptors on the tongue to impart a distinctive sensation, flat or 'zingy'. This kind of flat isn't necessarily bad - some stouts aren't intended to be as fizzy as a pilsner.

Thick or thin, viscous or smooth, dry or tart, soapy or oily and other characteristics all play a part in the overall mouthfeel. See how many you can distinguish.

Taste the flavor.

Not for nothing is this considered the centerpiece of the beer drinking experience. Tastes range from the sweet Lambics to the almost tasteless mass-market brews that shall go unmentioned.

High-alcohol brews often have a spicy taste. Test first by wetting the lips with the liquid and inhaling slowly through the mouth, then sip. You'll also get the double-whammy effect of aroma evaporating off the lips into the nose.

High yeast brews, like barley wine or Bocks have a distinctive flavor favored by some and disliked by others. Sample a variety to find out which you prefer. Clear the palate in between tests using water or an unsalted cracker.

Brews high in esters have a fruity profile. Trappist ales commonly have hints of banana produced in part by the unique yeasts used.

Concentrate on the aftertaste.

Beer drinking is a complex chemical reaction. It doesn't end after the liquid is swallowed. Get the full benefit of your sampling by focusing and trying to identify the chief flavors left.

They can be bitter or sweet, but can vary in other ways. Some linger awhile, others dissipate almost immediately. Don't overwhelm the effort by taking huge gulps. This is a taste test, not a drinking contest. Sip and swallow. Take your time.

Professionals can identify about a hundred of the 1000 known flavors in a single beer. If you can make out a half-dozen you are doing well. Reward yourself with another beer.