As a beginning beer connoisseur, I find myself tasting new and unfamiliar brews more and more often. When I find a beer that I’m crazy about, or even one that I think should be avoided like the plague, I’m eager to share my opinions with… well, just about anyone who’ll listen. Whenever I’m in beer evangelist mode, would-be converts will almost invariably ask me, “What does it taste like?”

If you’re a budding connoisseur and you’ve ever been asked that question, you may have been hard-pressed to come up with anything more descriptive than, “It tastes… good”. Saying a beer tastes good is sort of like describing a blind date you’re setting a friend up with as… nice. While it may be an accurate description, it certainly won’t make the other person excited to meet this mysterious stranger you’re so gung-ho about.

Like any other culinary experience, beer tasting involves all five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch (or mouthfeel) and sound. Needless to say, there are tons of words that can be used to describe these characteristics for a particular beer. But the following beer tasting vocabulary list should give you a basic set of descriptive terms to use, along with some beers that exemplify those descriptions.

Sight

• Cloudy, hazy – while most beers are relatively clear, some have an opaque appearance, usually due to the presence of yeast  (Hefeweizens)

• Head, or collar – the amount of foam that rests at the top of the beer when poured. Often measured in fingers, as in, two fingers’ worth of foam
• Lacing – describes the residual, web-like foam that clings to the sides of the glass after the beer has settled or been drunk. More lacing indicates a higher quality beer, less lacing indicates a lower quality beer or a dirty glass (Belgian styles)

Smell / Taste
Note: words used to describe taste and smell are often used interchangeably due to the fact that those two systems are closely connected in the human body

^{Photo credit:  johnmcga (Flickr)}

• Malty – used to describe a rich, dark sweetness like that associated with caramel, coffee, or chocolate (many Belgian high gravity beers like St. Bernardus Dubbel)
• Floral – has an aroma reminiscent of a light perfume (Pilsner)
• Fruity – as the name suggests, beers with this characteristic smell like fruit. The fruit could be citrus (Blue Moon), banana (Koningshoeven La Trappe Quadruppel), stone fruit (Magic Hat #9), or even berry (Lindeman’s Framboise Lambic)
• Hoppy – a brash, bright, sharp taste that’s somewhere in the realm between bitter and tart (IPA)
• Nutty – flavors of roasted nuts like hazelnut or walnut (Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale)

Mouthfeel

• Astringent – leaves a dry, puckery feeling on the tongue, similar to the tannin feel of red wines; usually an undesirable characteristic
• Creamy – the opposite of astringent, feels moist and full on the tongue, similar to how a high quality root beer or crème soda feels (Porter)
• Watery, or thin – as the term implies, it has the consistency of water, and leaves a clean feeling on the palate, which may or may not be desirable (Budweiser)

Sound

• Chshhh – the sound made when you open a nice cold bottle of beer
• Glug, glug, glug – the sound of said beer coursing happily down your throat
• Ahhhh – the unmistakable sound of satisfaction made when the first sip of your favorite brew hits your belly. Usually more pronounced on Fridays after 5pm

Now that you’ve got some basic words to help you describe the beers you taste, by all means, go out and get to tasting! You’ll probably soon find yourself developing your own beer tasting vocabulary derived from these starter words.
If you’re already raring to increase your beer tasting vocabulary – check out this handy beer flavor wheel.

http://www.beerquest1k.com/Assets/flavor%20wheel%202.JPG

cheers,

k