Tasting Tips

[Pommy]

Does anyone have any tips for tasting beer? I know the only way to be able to pick different flavours is to drink and brew a wide range of beers, but I seriously seem to have trouble picking what are hoppy or malty flavours Anyone got any tips to help out the noob brewers...

 

[SourHopHead]

Practice and if you can judge some contests along side seasoned judges they can help you develop. Read the BJCP style guidelines while tasting will help as well.

 

[Pommy]

yeah thats a good idea with the BJCP guides, I saw the whole book somewhere, probably on their site so I think ill print that off and keep that handy. With the contests I would love to try that but as far as I know New Zealand has nothing like that yet

 

[archiefl98]

Taste your ingredients while you brew. Grains, Hops, Malt Extracts. Give them a huge smell too. It helped me be able to distinguish between different types of hops, different types of grain flavors, etc.

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

Hops are generally your bitter, citrus/floral/earthy/spicy notes in a beer. Malts are typically sweet, caramel/bread/coffee/chocolate/dried fruit notes.

I'd suggest trying as many beers as you possibly can and maybe even keep a tasting journal.

 

[brewagentjay]

Pratice Makes Perfect........So go out and buy a nice craft brew in each style or type and enjoy..........

 

[Pommy]

yeah thats what Ive been doing jay, I dont know how much its helping but its good fun trying the different beers. Anyonw got a good resource that will tell me how accurate I am with my guesses? I mean I taste a lot of beers but have no way of knowing if what I think I am tasting is right. Also a good idea tasting while I brew archie.

 

[malkore]

detecting hoppy flavors: go drink a sierra nevada pale ale (or any SA beer, they're all overly hoppy) and when your tastebuds grow back you'll be able to taste again

hops usually have a green flavor to them, especially young beers (which can be called 'grassy' if not ready to drink yet).

malty stuff is usually 'bread like' in flavor...you can chew a kernal of grain to see that flavor as well.

when tasting beers (i love getting the sampler platters at brew pubs), keep your pallet clean...sip water between beers, and savor each beer if you can.

 

[Clonefarmer]

This may be an unusual method. Try to taste and smell everything you can. When you taste a beer close your eyes and say the first thing that pops into your head.

 

[KingBrianI]

Go to a beer review website and look up whatever beer you're trying. Being in NZ, you probably won't have the selection people in the US have, but you'll probably be able to find several beers that have lots of reviews. Then while you're drinking the beer, read what the other reviewers are tasting and see if you can taste it too. Many times you'll pick up on a flavor that you just can't quite describe, then you'll read someone else's description and they'll mention that there's the faintest hint of mango. Then you'll realize THAT'S what it is you tasted. Next time you taste it, you'll remember.

EDIT: beeradvocate.com is a good place to start.

 

[Rick500]

Go to the BJCP website and note the first beer mentioned as an example of the particular style you are interested in. That is the definitive example of that style. Good place to start, anyway.

As far as brewing, brew the same basic recipe, doesn't have to be a full five gallons, varying only one malt or hop each time, to learn the taste of each ingredient. APAs are great for this.

 

[Pommy]

Lots of good tips there cheers guys, I'll give them a go. Sounds like I have a heck of a lot of drinking.. um I mean sampling to do. Also I was unaware that the first beer listed in the BJCP style guides was the best example of the general style so I will remember that in future too.

 

[Styles]

Hi Pommy, there are some homebrew clubs around NZ that do competitions etc.... Might be a help... here's a link to the Auckland Guild of Winemakers and Brewers http://sites.google.com/site/agwbnewzealand/home
As for figuring out different tastes, for hops, go to your local liquor store, get a bottle of Epic Armageddon, and when the resiny piney citrusy taste smashes you in the face, that's hops! Try Mac's Sassy Red and Hop Rocker for some different and more subtle hop flavours too.

 

[Hellfish76]

Don't let anybody tell you what you like...

 

[Pommy]

Cheers for the link Styles, thanks for reminding me that I was meaning to try the Armageddon. Hellfish I'm English and grew up drinking good Yorkshire bitters, so having lived in NZ for 12 years I'm used to having different tastes to the drinkers around me Oh yeah and Styles, do you know any good cheap places to get international beers in Auckland? Countdown has started doing some over the last year but they are expensive and don't have much range. The English Corner Shoppe in Onehunga is nice and cheap for English beers (google it if you want to have a look) but I want to try a few American beers since until I started HB last year I thought (like many people) that all Americans drank bud :cross:

 

[Pappers_]

This is a thread with a video link on how to taste craft beers, a great video and some thoughtful replies.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/video-tasting-craft-beers-157923/

 

[Edcculus]

When it comes to tasting, IMO, its almost a must to have an experienced tasting guru/sensi with you. Not that you can't get good at it alone. As strange as it sounds, you sometimes need to have someone tell you what you taste.

This is a good place to start:
BJCP study guide

Scroll down until you hit the heading "Notes on Smelling Beer". Under it, there is a section on tasting too. I can't find it now, but somewhere on the site is a kind of a rubric that is supposed to be a weekly guide for people leading BJCP study sessions. It has a weekly technical topic (not really important to you) and a grouping of beer styles. In my class, we ended up tasting close to 10 different beers each week out of the selected grouping.

 

[Homercidal]

It's hard to just do it and feel like you are doing something useful.

I recommend the book, Tasting Beer, by Randy Mosher. It provides q lot of information that can enhance your ability to not only taste, but to more fully enjoy beer. And it's just a plain ol great read. Mosher can write in a very interesting way.

There is a section on how to treat beer with different flavors that you can use to train yourself. He mentions doing this within a club atmosphere. The discussion can prove to be very useful.

Sometimes it's all just a matter of closing your eyes and your ears and just concentrating on the different flavors. Try moving the beer around in your mouth and feeling the texture and seeking out flavors that you did not notice when taking a simple drink.

 

[Styles]

Cheers Pommy, I'll check that shop out. Unfortunately I haven't really found anywhere that cheap for good imported beers. Liquorland Forrest Hill has a pretty good range, imported and NZ craft. Countdown Newmarket had an okay range last time I was there. Also the liquor store behind the tactics bar in Highland Park (Aviemore Dr) has a reasonable range too. I did find http://www.beerstore.co.nz/ online, they've got a pretty massive range, but I've never bought from them, and I wonder how fresh their stuff is..... kinda pricey too....

 

[remilard]

Also I was unaware that the first beer listed in the BJCP style guides was the best example of the general style so I will remember that in future too.

It is kinda unofficial, but to the extent that the members of the committee updating the guidelines agree, yes they are in order. They do tend to focus on reasonably widely distributed beers unless not enough are available so there are probably some fantastic examples at brewpubs etc that don't get listed in some styles because it is more practical to list excellent bottled versions if they exist.

Now, being that you live in New Zealand, the lists of commercial beers in some styles will be useless to you as they are US centric.

I know there are BJCP judges in Australia, there may be some in NZ as well. It might be worth your time to track one down via email and ask for some suggestions of what would be the best examples in some styles where you can't find any of the BJCP's suggestions.

My favorite tasting tip is this: inhale before you take a drink and then exhale through your nose immediately after swallowing. Without fail you will get some aromas you missed when smelling straight from the glass.

Also, I second the Mosher book. A lot of the info is basic for experienced brewers/beer geeks but the sensory specific stuff is worth the price easy.

 

[Pommy]

Styles: Yeah I heard about that beerstore on the radio and had a look but havent bought anything yet. I was thinking around my birthday or xmas I might splash out on a mixed box just to try some beers I normally wouldn't get the chance too. It is pretty expensive though and a good point that their beer could be a bit old too. I know the shop behind tactics well, it used to be the only place in Auckland i could find Tetleys I live not far from there so I might nip in today before I get a brew on if I get chance.

remilard: Some good points there, I've been following all the links put forward by everyone so far and have picked up quite a few good tips here and there. Also I will have to have a look around for that book because it sounds like I could learn a lot from it. Ill have a chat with my LHBS guy when hes back from his holidays too and see if he knows of any BJCP judges or anyone else would could help me out with good examples of beer styles, I like that idea.

 

[skadalajara]

Someone once suggested getting a couple copies of "Cigar Aficionado". Specifically read the reviews of specific cigars. They seem to be incredibly eloquent in describing the flavors and aromas of cigars.

Also, eat lots of different foods that are out of your normal fare. You may not recognize a particular flavour in a beer because you've simply never tasted it before.