1. The More you know
about something,
the more you can
enjoy it.
2. In this class you will learn more
about beer in hopes you will be
able to taste, savor and enjoy beer
more.
3. Don’t just drink your beer.
Using proper glassware will:
◦ Reveal the color, clarity and head of the beer.
◦ Allow you to evaluate the beers aroma (smell).
◦ Expose the beer to oxygen and allowing you to
agitate the beer releasing the beers volatile
compounds.
4. Observe Proper Serving
Temperatures
There is an ideal temperature for different
styles of beer.
◦ Cold (35-45 degrees) Hefeweizen, American
Lager, Pilsner, Amber Lager.
◦ Cool (45- 54 degrees) Stout, Porter, Pale Ale,
Amber Ale
◦ Celler (54-57 degrees) Bock, IPA, Brown Ale
◦ Warm (57-61 degrees) Double IPA,
Dopplebock, Barleywine.
7. What to look for when tasting
beer.
Sight: Color, clarity, head formation
Aroma: Is the aroma pleasant, appealing
and/or complex?
Taste: Throughout tongue:
◦ Sweet in front
◦ Fruity and acidity sides and middle
◦ Bitter in back.
8. Tactual Sensation
Full tongue coverage
◦ Body
◦ Mouth feel
◦ Alcohol
◦ Carbonation
◦ Warms beer
◦ Many flavor compounds come from exhale
9. Finish
Does the beer develop flavor late and
linger?
Or does it dissipate quickly with a crisp
and refreshing finish?
10. The first thing you’ll use in tasting
beer is your nose. (Aroma)
The scent of beer has two main elements:
aroma, which is derived from ingredients
like malt’s toastiness, and bouquet, which
describes scents caused by fermentation
like the banana-like smell of some wheat
beers.
11. Common Beer Aromas
Floral – Floral aromas frequently derive from hops, which impart a
complex range of scents, and are especially common in pilsner.
Fruity – Fruity bouquets stem from esters created in fermentation
and are common in ales, stouts, and doppelbock, while fruity
aromas, like the ones in citrusy pale ales, derive from hops.
Grassy – Hops contribute the grassy aromas to beer that are
typically characterized by a fresh, “green” scent or herbal quality.
Toasty – Malt, especially if darkly roasted, creates this rounded,
rich aroma, often found in brown ales, stouts, and dark lagers.
Yeasty – This complex, bready aroma may be accompanied by
hints of fruitiness and is more predominant in ales than lagers.
12. Next, take a sip and roll the beer
around in your mouth to make sure it
hits all your taste buds. (Full Tongue
Coverage). Now, consider what flavors
you perceive.
Fruity – A light tartness best exemplified by the
lemony, citrusy taste of wheat beers or the cidery
notes of lambics.
Roasted/malty – Not surprisingly derived from malted
barley, this flavor may range from bready to deep
chocolaty.
Spicy/hoppy – Hops create a spicy edge that is
common in heavily hopped beers like pale ales,
bitters, and porters.
Sweet – While most beers are fermented until dry,
barley wines do have residual sugars. Others may
have sugars added.
13. Light bodied – Leaves a clean finish after
swallowing.
Medium bodied – Much weightier on the
palate.
Full bodied – Rounded, mouth-filling,
sometimes creamy-textured, and often higher
in alcohol.
Unlike wine tasting, now it’s time
to swallow. Assess the beer’s
weight, the textural qualities made
up of its alcohol level, carbonation,
and density.
14. Summary
Always use a glass
and agitate
Observe proper
serving
temperatures
Put delicate beers
first and stronger
beers later in the
session.
Take note of how a
beer looks.
Asses Aroma: fruity,
bitter, yeast, etc.
Taste, covering your
entire tongue (don’t
forget to exhale.
How was the finish?
Did it linger or
dissipate quickly?
Don’t forget to
enjoy the beer!
