The Art Of Beer: A Sensory Adventure

Drinking beer is a complex and highly personal experience. The appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, and taste of a beer all contribute to its overall character and appeal. When describing the experience of drinking beer, one must consider various factors, from the beer's visual cues to the symphony of scents it offers. The texture and carbonation of the beer also play a crucial role in how it is perceived.

The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) provides a comprehensive framework for evaluating and describing beer, helping brewers and enthusiasts alike articulate the complexities of their brews. The BJCP emphasizes visual evaluation, including the beer's colour, head, and clarity. The program also guides individuals to identify the source of aromas, whether they originate from malt, hops, or the unique characters introduced by fermentation.

Describing the drinking experience of beer involves a rich vocabulary that captures the essence of the beverage. Malt flavours, for instance, can be described as biscuity or caramelly, while hop flavours can be citrusy, spicy, or floral. Fermentation introduces a range of flavours, from fresh-baked bread to fruity esters and spicy phenols.

The carbonation and body of a beer are also important aspects to consider. Carbonation can range from effervescent and lively to soft and subdued. The body refers to the weight and fullness of the beer on the palate, with options ranging from light and refreshing to full and enveloping.

Ultimately, the experience of drinking beer is highly subjective and influenced by individual sensory perceptions. However, by using a shared vocabulary and paying attention to the various elements that contribute to a beer's character, one can effectively communicate the complexities and nuances of the drinking experience.

Beer's appearance

Beers Appearance

The appearance of a beer is the first thing that catches your eye and can reveal a lot about its style and quality. From the thick white head of a freshly poured pilsner to the dense, almost opaque darkness of a stout, each visual cue hints at the flavours waiting to be discovered.

Clarity, Colour, and Carbonation

The clarity of a beer can range from brilliant and crystal clear to hazy, cloudy, or opaque. When it comes to colour, beers can vary from very pale lemon yellow to pitch black, with standard reference methods (SRM) ranging from 1-2 for a pale lager to 40+ for an imperial stout.

Carbonation levels can also vary, from lively and vibrant to subdued and gentle. The amount of carbonation affects the texture and how the flavours are perceived, with highly carbonated beers often having a crisp, refreshing mouthfeel.

Head

The head of a beer refers to the foam on top. Some beers have a large, thick, and persistent head, while others have a smaller, dissipating head. The colour of the head can range from white to off-white or tan, depending on the colour of the beer. A well-poured beer with a good head will also have lacing, which is the residue from the beer foam that sticks to the inside of the glass as you drink.

Visual Cues

Visual cues such as the colour, head, and clarity of a beer are the first hints of its style and craftsmanship. They set the stage for what's to come and can help identify the beer's DNA, whether it's a bold and bitter West Coast IPA or a rich and complex stout.

Beer's aroma

Beers Aroma

The aroma of a beer is important to a brewer. As drinkers "drink" with their eyes first (appearance), then the smell (aroma) and lastly taste. If the aroma isn't appealing, it can affect a person’s perception of the overall beer. Beer is produced from four main ingredients; malt, hops, yeast, and water. The first three can give distinctive aromas to a beer. Most people smell the hops first, especially true of IPA and hoppy beers.

When describing the aroma of a beer, try to be as descriptive as possible. Here are some common references for describing a beer’s aroma.

Malty

One of the main ingredients of beer, if you’ve ever had a malt-flavored drink you’ll know. In the UK, we have a hot drink called Ovaltine. Other characteristics coming from the types of malt used are…

• Sweet
• Grainy
• Graham cracker
• Biscuit
• Caramel
• Toast
• Expresso
• Roast
• Coffee

Hop Aromas

When it comes to hops, there are some general terms commonly used to describe aroma. These include hay, straw, tobacco, pine, and fresh-cut grass (can sometimes indicate an off-aroma too).

Other common terms are burnt (not good), alcohol, and leather (generally not good).

Some hops give dark fruit aromas to a beer. These aromas can range from raisins, currants, dates, figs, plums, blackberries, and blueberries.

In some IPAs, light fruit aromas are desired with notes ranging from pineapple, apricot, nectarine, peach, mango to prickly pear. Then there are other light fruits aromas like banana, which can be smelt in Hefeweizens, a German wheat beer.

Citrus notes are desirable in many beers, especially some forms of IPA. There’s a range of hops that give citrus notes, including Ahtanum, Chinook, Amarillo, Comet, and Cascade.

These hops give aromas such as lemon, lime, lemon zest, sweet orange peel, bitter orange peel, tangerine, and grapefruit. One hop, Comet, is known for its grapefruit zest aroma when used correctly.

Spicy

Some other spicy notes are bad in beer such as:

• Butterscotch/butter or Popcorn – This can come from diacetyl and is bad for a beer
• Diacetyl is a beer off-flavor with some people perceiving it as butter popcorn
• Musty – This comes from using old or contaminated raw materials or improper sanitation when brewing.

Bad Aromas/Tastes

I want to look further into bad aromas now. I’m going a little off-topic; but feel this is an important subject. I like to think of myself as a beer educator, as well as a brewer/brewing consultant.

I wanted to include this section as I believe, nobody should drink bad beer!

This section will educate you on what to look out for with bad beers. If you’re unlucky enough to drink a beer with an off-aroma or taste, it’s good to know why…

If your beer smells like rotten vegetables, it comes from mercaptan indicating a problem during fermentation or an anaerobic infection.

Sulphury or skunky notes indicate your beer is light struck and a bad sign. It’s a reaction between light, riboflavin in the beer, and hop alpha acids. Have you ever noticed noticed most beers are packaged in brown bottles? Brown bottles guard against your beer becoming light-struck compared to green and clear bottles.

Eggy, Geothermal Vent or Proper Sulphury

If the beer becomes stressed during fermentation, it can lead to an eggy off-aroma in the final beer. It can also be due to yeast autolysis or a bacterial infection also.

Goatish, Vegetable Oil, Waxy or Goat Cheese

Comes from the metabolism of yeast during the fermentation. Its production is pH-dependent, the lower the pH, the increase in perception of this aroma.

Baby Sick, Putrid or Cheesy

This is an easy one to spot, and… well gross. When I worked for AB InBev, we were trained on sensory analysis, where this off-flavor always made me gag. It comes from a bacterial infection at some point during the brewing process.

Fresh Wheat, Grainy or Harsh

As I said earlier, these notes can be fine in some styles of beers at low levels. If the aroma is too strong, it’s due to isobutyraldehyde in malt, but other aldehydes can supply the grainy character as well.

It comes from the brewing process; if malt is too finely crushed, from mashing for too long, or from sparging issues too.

Fruity, Bananas, Pear, Peardrops, or Nail Polish

We said earlier in Hefeweizens, banana notes/aroma is a desired aroma but, in other beers, it’s not welcome. These aromas are esters produced during fermentation due to overproduction of Isoamyl Acetate. Which presents as nail polish at higher levels.

This off-flavor is caused by contact with metal materials whilst brewing, leaking metallic ions, and/or lipid oxidation. In rarer circumstances, metallic off-flavors can come from brewing water high in metallic ions.

Sour

OK, we all know milkshake IPAs are a thing, and can be pretty sweet. However, in some beer styles, it’s an off-flavor. For example, you never want a pilsner to be sweet. We’re talking jammy, candy, sickly sweet, oversweet, and cloying for sweet descriptors.

Sweet can come from poor fermentation, being a sign of poor yeast health. Common causes include high alcohol, poor yeast nutrient accessibility, uncontrolled fermentation temperature, or lack of aeration of the wort.

Beer's mouthfeel

Mouthfeel is a key part of the beer-tasting experience, referring to the textural attributes of the beverage and the tactile sensations it produces in the mouth. It is one of the most important attributes to consider when evaluating a beer, alongside aroma and flavour.

There are three key attributes recognised in the perception of mouthfeel: carbonation, fullness, and aftertaste.

Carbonation

Carbonation is often the first attribute perceived when drinking a beer. It is felt as a tingling or stinging sensation on the tongue, which is linked to the amount of carbon dioxide in the beer. Beers with higher carbonation are said to have a "carbonation bite". The bubble size and foam volume are also related to the amount of carbon dioxide in the beer. Beers with higher carbonation will generally have smaller bubbles and less foam volume.

Fullness

Fullness refers to the perceived weight and flow resistance of a beer. It is related to the body of the beer and can be described using terms such as density and viscosity. Beers that lack proper fullness might be described as "thin", while very full-bodied beers can be described as "round" or "syrupy".

Aftertaste

Aftertaste, or afterfeel, is the final attribute of mouthfeel and refers to the lasting sensations in the mouth after drinking. Attributes such as stickiness, astringency, dryness, bitterness, oiliness, or mouth-coating characteristics can contribute to a well-defined aftertaste.

The mouthfeel of a beer is strongly influenced by its raw materials and brewing techniques. Brewers can adjust the mouthfeel by manipulating the viscosity of the beer, which is determined by the concentration and molecular weight of the solutes dissolved in it. Additionally, brewers can use water chemistry to influence mouthfeel, such as by adding salts like sodium chloride to enhance the perception of body and complexity.

Beer's taste

Beer is a complex drink, with a wide variety of flavours, textures, and aromas. The art of beer tasting is like stepping into a world where every detail counts. Before the beer touches your lips, you can observe its appearance and inhale its aroma. Once you take a sip, you experience the mouthfeel, and finally, the taste.

Appearance

The appearance of a beer can reveal a lot about its style and quality. From the thick white head of a freshly poured pilsner to the dense, almost opaque darkness of a stout, each visual cue hints at the flavours waiting to be discovered. The clarity, colour, and carbonation level are great starting points when describing a beer.

Aroma

Aroma, or the smell of the beer, takes the experience deeper. A deep inhale can uncover layers of the beer's vocabulary, from the citrusy punch of American hops to the subtle, banana-like sweetness suggested by certain yeasts. Aromas can be a mix of hops, malt, fermentation by-products, and sometimes even adjuncts used during the brewing process.

Mouthfeel

Mouthfeel refers to how the beer feels in your mouth. It ranges from the light carbonation and crispness of a classic lager to the velvety, creamy texture of a stout with low carbonation. The body of the beer, whether it's thin and refreshing or rich and full, can greatly influence your overall impression of the drink.

Taste

The taste of beer can range from bold bitterness to sweet and malty flavours, and even tartness. It's a complex blend of hops, malt, yeast, and additional flavours like citrus or spice, depending on the beer style.

Describing Beer

When describing beer, it's helpful to use flavour and aroma descriptors that relate to food. This is because everyone has an understanding of flavours and aromas from the food they eat. For example, hops give off flavours and aromas of citrus, exotic fruit, grass, hay, tea, and spice. Malt covers a wide range, but think of flavours and aromas that relate to cereal, bread, coffee, chocolate, and toffee. Yeast is even more interesting, giving off pear, banana, or green apple aromas, and pepper and spicy notes.

Beer's overall impression

Drinking beer is a sensory experience that involves sight, smell, and taste. The appearance, aroma, mouthfeel, and taste of a beer all contribute to its overall impression, and each of these elements can be described in various ways.

The appearance of a beer includes its colour, clarity, and carbonation level. A beer's colour can range from very pale yellow to pitch black, and its clarity can vary from brilliantly clear to completely opaque. The carbonation level refers to the amount of bubbles in the beer, which can be observed as streams of fat, tight bubbles or slow-moving, larger bubbles. A thick, foamy head is often considered desirable, as it indicates a well-carbonated beer.

Aroma plays a crucial role in the overall impression of a beer, as it can set expectations for the taste. Beers can have a wide range of aromas, from citrusy and floral to malty and bready. Hops contribute significantly to the aroma, with common descriptors including citrus, spice, and pine. Malt can impart aromas of bread, biscuit, and caramel, while yeast can add flavours and aromas of banana, clove, or bubblegum.

Mouthfeel refers to the texture and body of the beer in the drinker's mouth. It can range from light and crisp to creamy and velvety, with carbonation playing a significant role. A beer with low carbonation might feel smooth and creamy, while a highly carbonated beer will have a "carbonation bite" that tingles on the tongue.

The taste of a beer is a combination of its sweetness, bitterness, and acidity. Bitterness is an essential element in beers and is measured in IBUs (International Bitter Units). The sweetness of a beer comes from the malt, while sourness is usually a result of wild yeasts or other microorganisms.

Overall, drinking beer is a complex sensory experience that involves the interplay of various elements. From its appearance and aroma to its mouthfeel and taste, each beer makes a unique impression on the drinker.

Frequently asked questions