A step by step guide to tasting beer.

I recently did a beer tasting event, and when I explained that it's important to taste beer the correct way, I got a few laughs. When I explained that, just as you do with wine, you have to look, smell and taste the beer correctly, I got even more laughs.

Why should wine get all the fuss, and not beer? Today there is virtually no aspect of social life from which beer is excluded, and seldom must the beer drinker endure the scorn of the surrounding wine tippler. Beer is exciting, beer is gastronomic, beer is as social as it has ever been - and beer is worth talking and reading about, and its also worth doing it right.

To appreciate a beer properly, you should always enjoy it from a glass and never swig it from the bottle or can, since doing so deletes the contribution made to flavour by aroma and appearance. A fine beer is deserving of a more thoughtful, planned approach.

1. Observe.

This might seem elemental, but brewers go to great lengths to give their beers just the right appearance. If you look closely enough, your beer could be telling you something.

 Clouding can be deliberate or not, excessive or incidental foaming could be a sign of infection or old age, and if the colour is darker than it should be for the style, oxidisation may be an issue. 

The beer should have a steady stream of bubbles rising from the bottom if it's a lager, less if it's an ale, resulting in a creamy white foam. The more foam there is, is usually an indication of the amount of hops in the glass. 

Certain glass shapes and sizes are designed specifically to enhance the tasting experience. For example, the over sized tulip glass for Duvel allows necessary foaming, the tall vase like Weissbier glass aids even distribution of the unfiltered beer, and the chalice style glass used for Trappist beers enables the warming of the beer in the palm of your hand. A stemmed wine glass with a broad bowl is the simplest way to present many styles of beer.

2. Smell.

Sniffing your beer can certainly draw strange looks from others when you are in a bar, but appreciating the aroma is essential. Humans can discern hundreds if not thousands of smells, yet only a handful of tastes, so when our brain combines the two to create flavour, it is the nose that brings the subtleties together. 

In an ale, try to detect fruity aromas. In a lager, look for notes of straw, hay or fresh cut grass. In a malty beer such as a Bock or Vienna, hints of toffee or caramel can be detected. IPA's can display citrus, pines and tropical fruits, and in Lambics, you can find musty barnyard scents.

3. Taste.

Take your time to discern the tastes within your beer, thinking about what is in your glass and your mouth.  

Sip slowly, allowing the beer to roll over your tongue and around your palate, appreciating the tones before you swallow. Then, before returning for another sip, consider the after taste - is it bitter or malty, sharp or warming, short or lingering? 

Creating a personal catalogue of the flavours you find is a good idea and is rewarding, but takes time. It becomes easier with experience and you'll soon be able to detect different flavours without referring to your notes.

Above all, trying to absorb what it is that you have just tasted will lead to a better appreciation not only of the beer just finished, but also of all subsequent beers you plan to explore.

4. Consider.

It's unlikely that your first impression of a beer remains unchanged to the end of the glass. Nor may it be set in stone by just one sampling. In the way that a song or work of art can at first be dismissed or even disliked, but then over time grow on you and become a favourite, so it is that some beers, unimpressive at first, may after full consideration become part of your regular drinking experience.

 It might even depend on the weather. A beer which your tried in the summer could be a firm favourite due to its refreshment properties, but fails to hit the spot in winter. It's often the same the other way around, which is why many of us don't drink or appreciate darker beers during the warmer months.

Once you get into the habit of tasting beer like this, you'll find flavours and aromas you never knew existed in beers. You'll also be able to identify reasons why the beer isn't performing as expected. Is it too cold - because temperature plays a key role in aroma and flavour. The colder the beer, the less it will taste. Is the beer foaming too much or not enough - maybe you've got it in the wrong glass?

It only takes a few minutes to perform each of the stages, but you'll be rewarded with a whole spectrum of tastes and aromas.

Make time for beer!

James