How to Taste Beer

People love to throw around concepts and ideas when they taste things – it has a blueberry nose, it has a long dry finish, there are lots of malty undertones… Sometimes, analysing the taste of a beer can be rather overwhelming, especially if you are only new to drinking beer.

After the success of last week’s beer and cheese pairing event at The Mall Tavern in Notting Hill, we thought we’d try and guide you through how to taste a beer with a little bit more of a critical palate.

Firstly, before you even taste your beer, have a good look at it. Beer is always better from a glass, so if you’re in the habit of drinking from the bottle, pour it into a glass next time and see how much the flavour changes. What colour is your beer? Is it pale straw or a deep amber? Or perhaps it’s a lovely dark rust? Often the colour of the beer gives some indication as to what style it is and what it may taste like. One would hardly think an almost-balck stout is going to taste light, so look for clues in the colour. Also look at the beer’s opacity. Is it clear or is it turbid? This too can give you clues as to what style of beer you’re drinking, filtered or unfiltered. Also, observe how much of a head the beer has.

Next, bring her slowly up to your nose. Have a good smell of the beer. What does it smell like? Yes, it smells like beer, but can you discern any other notes? Does it smell sweet, or malty or bitter? Try and pinpoint any specific flavours: passionfruit, chocolate, citrus. It is best to take a few sniffs to really connect the aroma to the thought.

Have a sip. Try to let the beer sit briefly in your mouth before swallowing. What do you notice? What is your first reaction? Does any one thing stand out? Have another sip. Pay attention to the mouthfeel. How carbonated is it? Does it have a long finish? A long finish is where the flavour of the beer continues to persist after you have swallowed. Some beers finish short and dry – you swallow and bang, that’s pretty much it.

What flavours or flavour categories stand out? Is it a bitter beer or a sweet beer? Can you detect any hops? Hoppy beers are often very aromatic and have a zing to them. When does the hops kick in? Sometimes it can be as soon as you take a sip, other times it can finish with a hoppy kick. Other beers finish with a distinct malt flavour. Can you single out any specific flavours?

All of these points of analysis ultimately lead to one overriding and important thing: do you like the beer? If you do, which of those elements has left a good impression on you? Do you like the citrus burst that you receive initially when sipping the beer? Do you like the soft chocolatey finish? Do you like the smooth mouthfeel? Conversely, if you don’t like it, why not? Is it too bitter and has no length? Is it under carbonated? Is it at the wrong temperature? Is there a certain flavour present that doesn’t suit?

Tasting beer is all about equipping yourself with the right artillery to analyse what’s going on in that glass. Also, the more you can analyse a beer, the better you’ll be at pairing it with food.