Becoming a good beer taster requires, like any other art, constant practice. With all the different factors that affect taste, it’s important to take your time to really appreciate each one. Before you set out for your next beer tasting event, here are a few tips on how to make better, informed judgments and get the most out of the experience.

Pouring the Beer
Often an overlooked aspect of taste, the way in which you pour your beer can have a definite impact on your drinking experience. The first thing is to make sure you have a good, clean glass, as dust or residue from previous drinks will pollute the beer’s taste. Pour the beer with the glass tilted at a 45 degree angle, and aim at the middle of the slope of the glass. When you’re at the half-way point, tilt the glass back up to a 90 degree angle, aim at the center and continue to pour like this the rest of the way. There should be a foam head of about one to two finger lengths.

Initial Taste
The initial “taste” of the beer is only the beginning of the actual tasting process. When you take that first sip, note whether the beer is bitter, sweet, nutty, fruity, etc. Different types of beers can have many unique and complex tastes, with a variety of nuanced flavors being combined. But as important as the taste is, the texture of the beer.

The Feeling
Beer tasting is an experience, and the physical texture, or feel, of the ale has a significant impact on this overall experience. When considering the feel factor, you must note the thickness and texture of the foam head as well as the actual ale. Beers range from silky smooth, dry pale ales to thick, malty stouts. The fizz and the heaviness of the beer are also important. The physical quality of the drink is what most determines how full you feel after drinking it.

The Aftertaste
Finally, you must note the lingering flavor left by the beer after swallowing the drink. Sometimes an ale with a bitter and hoppy initial taste can end with a sweet aftertaste that combines to give the beer a wholly new dimension of taste.

Many beers excel in at least one of the above aspects of taste. But when a brew can successfully combine all of them in just the right way, it provides for a truly unique experience. If you want to partake in the pure, unadulterated taste of beer, it might be best to drink it on its own. And if you are tasting a variety of beers, remember to always go from lightest to darkest.

Now, even though drinking beer on its own might be the best way to objectively enjoy its taste, there exists a whole other world of tasting that opens up when you start pairing beer with food, as the flavor of the meal can add new and interesting features to the drink.

Beer Taste

The Right Beer for the Right Meal

Pairing food with wine has been the status quo for ages, while beer has largely, and unjustly, been ignored by the general public. However, beer can bring to the table many possibilities that wine cannot, as the range of beer tastes and flavors is as large if not larger than that of wine. For example, the carbonization in beer can compliment thick, heavy meals, especially ones including meat, as carbonization cuts through the rich flavor and lightens the feel of the food. While the trick to exploring the possibilities of food-beer parings lies in experimentation, there are some general tips that might prove beneficial.

1. The stronger the beer (i.e. the more hoppy and bitter) the more lively and flavorful the meal has to be. If the food is too light, strong ale might bog it down. The inverse also holds true.
2. In general, people try to keep sweet tasting beer with sweet tasting food, and more bitter beer with more tart flavored food. However, that doesn’t mean you have to stick to this. Often enough, some of the best food-beer combinations come from the pairing of opposite tastes and textures.
3. If you are familiar with wine-food pairings, think of ales, which are usually thicker and darker, as red wines and lagers, which are usually thinner and lighter, as white wines.

Lastly, remember that taste is subjective. If you find a combination you like, enjoy it and share it with others. Experiment and explore and take into account all the factors that go into producing the experience.