The order of beer you drink...

Beer pairings with food are great, but I noticed the order that you drink different beers really affects their flavors. I have recently been doing some experimentation...

What turned me on to this was a while ago I had a beer, don't remember which it was, and then drank a Stone IPA (which I normally love). The Stone tasted like crap! It got me thinking: what beers should not be drank after others?

Tonight I had a Winterhook (yum), followed by a Paulaner Octoberfest, followed by a Hales Mongoose IPA. Great progression! Each brought out the best in the next.

Anyone have any experience, good or bad, with the order of beers you drink?

I haven't ever noticed that, but I tend to pick a style, and stick with it through the session.

When sampling many beer in an evening it's best to go from malty to hoppy in progression. If you drink an IIPA then follow it up with a Southern English Brown (or any other malt focused style), that brown just isn't going to taste right.

Lot's of other factors can be involved too. I have been having great issue with this lately. Foods you eat, medicines you take, illness etc. can all mess with your tastebuds and olfactory senses. Can make a beer that you normally love downright unpalatable. Plus factor in poorly stored beers or off-batches...


Then there is always the problem of being a supertaster!








Yes, it does take some forethought to properly enjoy multiple beers. Who knew it was such hard work to drink?!

I usually like to stick to one beer whenever I drink. However, if I decide to have a couple different ones I tend to have the ones with more hops last since they have a stronger taste and over power the other beers imo.

The few times I tasted a few brews, I went from low alchy to high. Worked out pretty good.

Like most above I tend to stick to the brew I start off with. If I start the evening with a stout or a brown I usually stay on the dark side, if I go with a Kolsch or a Golden Ale I stick to the light brew.

I tend to go malty to hoppy, low abv to high, light to dark. Those types of things. Order of intensity really.

I agree on the malty to hoppy, but in this case the types of malt used changed the taste of the IPA (last to drink)... pretty interesting!