How to taste beer: glassware, serving temperature, aroma, flavour and finish

TUREFF• •0

Tasting beer properly does not mean being solemn about it. It simply means slowing down for the first few sips and paying attention, which makes any beer more interesting and helps you work out what you actually like. Here is a simple method that works for everything from a pale lager to an imperial stout.

Start with the glass

Use a clean glass. Grease or detergent residue kills foam and leaves bubbles clinging to the sides. Rinse it with cold water just before pouring.
A glass that narrows at the top, such as a tulip or a wine glass, concentrates aroma. It is a good all-purpose choice for tasting.
A tall, straight glass shows off the colour and bubbles of a pilsner or wheat beer.
Drinking from the can or bottle hides most of the aroma, which is where much of the flavour lives.

Serving temperature

Very cold beer is refreshing, but cold also numbs flavour and aroma.

Light lagers and pilsners: served cold.
Pale ales, IPAs and wheat beers: a little less cold.
Stouts, porters, strong ales and barrel-aged beers: closer to cellar temperature, cool rather than cold.

A simple trick: if a beer tastes like nothing, let it sit for ten minutes and try again. Flavours open up as it warms.

How to pour

Tilt the glass at an angle and pour down the side, then straighten it towards the end to build a head of foam. The foam is not wasted beer; it carries aroma and gives texture. Many unfiltered beers have yeast at the bottom of the bottle; you can leave it in or pour it in, depending on the style and your taste.

1. Look

Colour: from pale straw through amber and copper to black.
Clarity: crystal clear, slightly hazy or fully cloudy. Haze is expected in some styles and a flaw in others.
Head: how much foam, what colour, and whether it lasts. Good beers often leave rings of foam ("lacing") on the glass as you drink.

2. Smell

Give the glass a gentle swirl, then take a few short sniffs. This is the most important step, because most of what we call flavour is actually aroma. Things to look for:

Malt: bread, biscuit, caramel, toffee, toast, chocolate, coffee.
Hops: citrus, pine, tropical fruit, flowers, herbs, grass.
Yeast: fruity notes such as banana or pear, spicy notes such as clove or pepper, or a funky, earthy character in some sours.
Faults: wet cardboard (stale), sour milk or vinegar where it does not belong, butter, or a skunky smell in beer left in light.

3. Taste

Take a decent sip and let it cover your whole tongue.

Sweetness and bitterness: how they balance each other.
Acidity: expected in sours, unusual elsewhere.
Flavours: do they match what you smelled, or does something new appear?
Alcohol: a warming feeling suggests a stronger beer.

4. Mouthfeel

Body: thin, medium or full.
Carbonation: prickly and lively, or soft and gentle.
Texture: crisp, creamy, silky or sticky.

5. Finish

Swallow and wait. Does the flavour vanish quickly (a clean, crisp finish), or does bitterness, roast or sweetness linger? A long, pleasant finish is often a sign of a well-made beer.

Tasting with friends

Pour small measures, so you can taste several beers without drinking a lot.
Go from lighter and lower-strength to darker and stronger, and from less bitter to more bitter, so strong flavours do not drown the subtle ones.
Have water and some plain bread or crackers to reset your palate.
Write a line or two about each beer. After a few sessions you will see patterns in what you enjoy.

What do you notice first when you taste a beer? Share your notes, or ask about a flavour you could not name, in the comments.