Think a life spent in search of the woody high notes is just for the wine snobs? Think again.
If you’ve set foot in a craft brewery at any point in the past 10 years – and chances are, given you’re reading this, you have – you’ll know just how dizzying life has gotten for the modern beer connoisseur. There are now as many varietals, sub-varietals, genres and indeed subgenres of beer as there are for wine, with new brewing techniques changing hands every day. Keeping up with basic beer lingo is hard enough, but it feels like there’s always a new trending beer to try as brewers get more experimental than ever before. That might be through pioneering new styles or reviving long-lost recipes for the enjoyment of the masses.
We live, then, in a world where there truly is a beer for every palate, and, as such, the conversation around the way beer tastes is more nuanced and refined than ever before. Much like wine, and whisky and gin before it, increased access to such a wide variety of beers and breweries has transformed the way casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike drink and appreciate what was once revered as a simple, working man’s drink.
And while there’s lots to be said for the simple pleasures of sharing a beer with mates, learning how to taste it properly can take the experience of drinking even the most common beers to an entirely new level (as well as make you sound even more interesting at the pub). Heck, it might even make you a bit of a beer snob yourself.
Unless you’re some kind of beer sommelier (actually, they’re called cicerones), it’s good to have a few pointers. Here’s a simple guide on how to start.
Drinking a beer straight out of its can or bottle can be a big no-no if you’re trying to fully appreciate a brew. Much like wine, beer is best experienced in a glass with a tapered rim, poured with a decent amount of room at the top in order to capture the aromas we’ve already talked about. Investing in a set of stemmed beer glasses is a great place to start, but in a pinch, any wine glass that tapers inwards towards the top will do.
Beyond glassware, a flavour wheel can prove an invaluable tool for the amateur taster, helping you dial in on particular flavours and aromas when you just can’t quite put your finger on what you’re experiencing. This is where a whole range of ideal descriptors are provided, which can be a huge help when you’re trying to find the right words for what you’re tasting.
