Written by Jeremy HopkinSo now that we have covered some basics in the world of beer – it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. The real fun now begins. Beer appreciation begins with getting to know your new friend or come to a deeper understanding of an old friend. Of course, the best way to get to know your friend better is to be a good listener. In this case we will listen mainly with our senses of taste, smell, and touch. Fortunately our good friend is not much of a talker, so we just have to dive right in and consume him! We will meet our first new friend at the end of the article, after a few general thoughts on tasting and enjoying beer and getting your beer ready to drink.
One thing that I have always really enjoyed about beer drinkers and beer culture in general is the openness and approachability of beer lovers. They are almost always jazzed to drink, discuss, or even argue about beer. The unpretentious manner in which they bring new members into their fold has always been a welcome counterpoint to the world of fine wine. While most wine tastings I have been a part of generally pre assume a certain level of education, wealth, or predilection for wearing sweater vests, all of the beer tastings I have been a part of are casual, informal, and pre-assume only that you can speak well enough to form an opinion no more complex than – mmm that’s good – or damn that is nasty!
Unfortunately, as the craft beer scene has evolved there is an ever-growing contingent of folks who are starting to get a bit big in the britches. It’s important that while we embark on the road of beer appreciation, we don’t become beer snobs in the process! All beers, beer drinkers, and the beer curious are welcome at the party. My pal who loves her Bud light is just as welcome at the tasting table as the woman who brought the 5-year-old oak aged Ale. Although you will probably hear me argue that the Bud light lover has been brainwashed to love their beer by pervasive advertising rather than taste, their opinion is just as valid and welcomed as anyone else when it comes to beer appreciation.
Although we don’t want to head down the same road of snobbery that is so common with wine tasting, we can learn some important lessons from our close cousins in libations. They have a standardized approach for rating wines, which beer aficionados have essentially copied for their use. When you are drinking or rating a beer, you should by no means feel encumbered by these categories. You can however, use them to help you formulate your thoughts on a particular beer. Most write-ups on beer tasting will use this standard format, breaking things into categories, which we will discuss in a moment. Now, to the setup.
Glassware – you mean I can’t just chug it from the bottle/can? Of course you can! But there are a few good reasons that you might not want to for a beer tasting. First of all, a big part of enjoying a beer is seeing it and judging its visual appeal. Second, our sense of taste is directly linked to smell. Pouring a beer into a glass increases the surface area of beer exposed to air, which in turn increases the rate of CO2 release from the beer. All of those surfacing bubbles bring with them the submerged aromas of malt, hops, fermentation byproducts, and alcohol combined. Smelling your beer prior to and during drinking is essential to letting it give you all it’s got as far as flavor goes. Any glassware will do. No need to get too fancy with different shapes for different styles. Personally I like a standard thick pint glass with a little heft to it, but a regular red wine glass works fine too.
Your glassware should be cleaned thoroughly and have no water spots or stains. Not only does that mess with the appearance, but any residue on the glass will also be a point of contact for CO2 bubbles and will make the carbonation come out of the liquid too rapidly, which could leave you with a flat beer. Residue can also mess with your head. Ain’t nobody gonna mess with my head – so make it clean! Glass should be room temperature or only slightly cooled. I know some of you love the frosty mugs at restaurants, but this is meant to make the beer cold enough to mask it’s taste, rather than enhance it’s flavor. That’s how they can sell you beer for 6 bucks that cost 15 cents of ingredient to make!
Temperature – In general, the lighter bodied the beer the colder you want to serve it. Lagers and pilsner style beers are usually served around 40 degrees. Light bodied ales- like blond ales, Belgian wit, and steam beers are usually served around 45-50 degrees. Ales of moderate body – brown ales, stouts, porters, and pale ales are served at between 50-55 degrees. Strong ales like a double IPA, barleywine, or imperial stout are usually served at cellar temperature or about 60-65 degrees. These temperatures are just guidelines. But remember that the stronger and thicker the beer, the more likely you are to enjoy it at a higher temperature. These beers tend to have complex flavor profiles that just can’t be detected at lower temperatures.
Pouring – The goal for a good pour is more than just not to spill over the top! That is actually the least important part. What you want to be able to do is leave the appropriate amount of carbonation in the liquid, while releasing enough of it to have a good head at the top of the beer. Hold your glass at a 45-degree angle and gently pour your beer down the side of the glass till your glass is about half full. Then gradually tilt your glass straight and pour the beer directly in the middle of the glass to agitate the center and create a head. Now you are ready to drink!
Almost there – oh the anticipation!
Tasting – Take a couple of seconds to smell your beer. Stuff your nose right in there (maybe even get a bit of foam on the nose). Catalog the smell profile in your brain and then take a nice generous sip. Leave it in your mouth and move it around in your mouth. Coat your entire tongue (hitting all of the different taste buds) and even feel the carbonation level against your tongue and inner cheek. Take a couple of breaths through your nose to get any last taste/aromas from the beer and then – down the gullet. Take a moment to get any back flavors and decide how it feels as it hits your belly – any warm alcoholic burn, or is it crisp and clean?
Reviewing – The categories generally used for evaluating a beer are:
1. Appearance. – How does it look against the light? Look at color, clarity, and type of head formation.
2. Taste – This is a combination of smells and tastes. Use descriptors that refer to other foods or smells that most people are familiar with. There are other compounds that are fermentation byproducts that may be hard to put a finger on. We will discuss these in the future, but just try to describe what you taste for now.
3. Body – How does it feel in your mouth? Carbonation level – is it dull or effervescent? Thin or thick? What’s the viscosity as you swirl it in your mouth?
4. Overall impression – Do you like it? Why or why not? As you get more used to different styles of beer, it will be important to try to evaluate a beer for what it is and what the brewer was trying to accomplish for the style. For instance, I’m not a big fan of fruit beers, so it’s important for me not to judge a fruit beer too harshly just because I don’t like the style. For right now though, just get to know the beer and start understanding which types of beer you like and which ones you don’t.
Try to use your own judgment and be honest when evaluating. Remember, you don’t have to like every beer. Write down your impressions without sharing them with your fellow tasters until they have a chance to get their thoughts written. We are all highly suggestible, and you will get the most diverse responses if you don’t share prematurely.
Now it is time to finish your beer. Your first taste is always the best chance to get the sensory information extracted from the beer to your brain. Our palates become quickly attuned and dulled to new tastes and smells and by the end of the beer your senses will not be as sharp. If you need another shot at tasting – drink a bit of cold water or eat some dry crackers to “erase” your palate before tasting again.
It doesn’t matter if you do your beer tasting alone or in a group. Group tastings are my favorite, but sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a brew in solitude. Group tastings are nice as you can gather a lot of different opinions about a beer. It may be that someone has a great descriptor for a taste that you just can’t put a name to. In general just try to use words and descriptors that you are familiar with. Anything that comes to mind is fair game, but the most common descriptors refer back to other foods, plants, or smells.
Our first beer for review should be in a glass by now and ready to drink. This is a Belgian Style Blond Ale. As we will discuss further in the next article this beer (and Belgian beers in general) allow yeast produced flavors to predominate. Write down your grading of this beer and have it ready for the next article!
Cheers
Doc Hop
Jeremy Hopkin grew up in the heart of happy valley (Orem, UT). He received his undergraduate degree in zoology, got his M.D. degree from University of Utah, and did his residency in radiology at Dartmouth including a fellowship in neuroradiology. He is currently employed locally as a diagnostic radiologist and also treats varicose vein disease at Red Sands Vein and Laser Institute. He gives training and nutritional advice to athletes of all ages, shapes and sizes at Crossfit St. George and loves to help people attain their health goals. He is fascinated with science and is a tinkerer in all things fermentation. He’s been a home brewer for 7 years and is a beer lover for life!
