How to Taste Beer

Posted On January 1, 2014

All About The Beer

with Mitch Biggar

Here are some simple ways to enhance your beer loving palate. This will enable you to become a better taster and in turn wow and amaze your friends with your beer geek knowledge.
 
Hops Defined
Hops are the flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant, a crawling vine that grows in many parts of the world. Most brewers use dried hops, though some like to use fresh “wet” hops, when available. Many brewers today use hop pellets (which are made from dried hops) to ensure consistency from batch to batch.
 

How Brewers Use Hops

Hops give beer both flavor and aroma. Brewers can choose from among dozens of varieties, many of them quite distinctive. “Saaz hops from the Czech Republic are spicy and peppery,” “English hops can be grassy, and Pacific Northwest hops can be citrusy or piney.” Hops also contribute bitterness, measured in International Bitterness Units, or IBUs. The amount of IBUs depends not only on the type and amount of hops, but also on when the hops are added during brewing.
 

Hops Workout: Bitterness

Super-hoppy beers are all the rage, because they deliver a flavor wallop. They can also be very bitter. When that bitterness is balanced with sweetness, however, the effect is refreshing, not wince-inducing.
What You Need

· 3 glasses
· 1 1/2 cups grapefruit juice
· Water
To determine your bitterness threshold, pour 1/2 cup grapefruit juice into each of the three glasses. Add 1/2 cup of water to the first glass and 1/4 cup of water to the second. Taste in order of increasing bitterness.
 

Hops Workout: Flavor & Aromas

What You Need

· Grapefruit wedge
· Fresh pine needles
· Black peppercorns
· Just-picked grass
· Freesia
· Thyme and sage
Give each of the above a sniff or a taste to get a sense of the range of citrusy and “green” (herbal, piney) flavors and aromas that hops can impart to beer. Put a check mark next to the ones you enjoy. The more you choose, the more you will like an intensely hoppy beer.
 

Beer Tasting Exercise: Malt
Malt Defined

Malt is created by first germinating grain, usually barley. The grains are heat-dried and sometimes roasted to further caramelize the malt and develop toasty flavors. Then, during fermentation, yeasts get to work, converting sugars in the malt to alcohol. Any remaining sugar not only contributes sweetness but also body to beer. Malt also adds a lot of flavor.
 

Malt Workout: Sweetness

What You Need

· Whole-wheat bread
· Oatmeal cookie
· Rock candy
Malt contributes a range of sweetness to beer, from mild (as in packaged whole-wheat bread) to intense (rock candy). Taste the foods above to learn your sweetness threshold.
Color Connection

In addition to sweetness, malt gives beer its color. Counter intuitively, a dark-colored beer can be light-bodied, and a light-colored beer can be full-bodied.
 

Malt Workout: Flavors & Aromas

When it comes to malt, the darker the roast, the deeper the flavors. Taste through the list below and put a check mark next to the flavors you enjoy. The more you choose, the more likely you are to appreciate an especially malty beer.

What You Need

· Malt ball candies
· Brewed coffee
· English toffee
· Pecans
· Slice of toast
· Dark chocolate bar
· Dried cherries
Beer related questions? Email
mitch@railcarbrewing.com