Evaluating Beer Terafan Greydragon University of Atlantia 2 December A.S. XXX

Why Evaluate Beer ?? n Quality control and Consistency n To be able to describe beer n To score and/or judge a competition n To define styles n To detect problems and improve your own or someone else’s beer

“How to” evaluate beer n Beer can be evaluated using the flavor profile as a guide to step through the process n The most obvious (and the real bottom line) is the taste. n Before that, however, you must train all your senses to notice additional aspects that may help identify certain characteristics

Flavor Profile n Appearance (Visual examination) n Aroma/Bouquet (Olfactory examination) n Taste (In the mouth examination) n Overall impression (General quality)

Use all six senses n Sight n Hearing n Smell n Taste n Touch and feel n “Pleasure”

Overview n Sophisticated equipment can be used to measure, down to the last molecule, the chemical breakdown of your beer n Technology may augment, but cannot replace, the objective and subjective findings of a trained evaluator n The human senses of taste, smell, sight, hearing, and touch can be trained as effective tools to evaluate beer n It all starts with an understanding of what each sense can give you and how they relate to the flavor profile

Sight n Head space in the bottle n Surface deposit inside the bottle neck n Gushing n Haze n ‘Legs’ n Foam stability/Head retention n Clarity

Hearing n Level of carbonation n Specific tones for specific levels of CO 2

Smell - (Aroma/Bouquet) n Volatiles/Aromatics –Diacetyls –Phenolic character –Esters n Aroma from malt, grain, and fermentation n Bouquet directly attributable to hops n Odor - (Sulfur based compounds/oxidation)

Taste Perception n Bitterness* - on the back of the tongue n Sweetness - on the tip n Sourness* - on the sides of the tongue n Saltiness - just to rear and sides of tip Where we perceive it... *15-20% of Americans confuse sour and bitter

Taste n Bitterness - Hops, Tannins, Malt, Minerals n Sweetness- Malt, Hops, Esters, Diacetyl n Sourness- Carbonation, Contamination n Saltiness - Minerals How beer affects the sensation of taste

Touch and Feel n Texture - creamy, over/under carbonated n Body - full bodied or thin... n Astringency - Dry, puckery feeling (Not really a flavor) n Others - Oily, menthol-like, burning, etc

Pleasure n Overall impression n Close your eyes- Is it memorable? n Would you want another one?

Maximizing Flavor Perception n Begin with lighter styles and progress to darker, more full bodied beer n Don’t smoke or be in a smoky room n Do not eat salty or greasy food while tasting n Do not wear lipstick or Chapstick n Eat french bread or saltless crackers to cleanse palate n Use clean glassware

Evaluating Beer n Appearance –Examine bottle for sediment –Pour the beer –Quickly sniff the beer –Examine the beer in the glass n Odor –Aroma (non-hop odors from raw materials) –Bouquet (odor from fermented elements) –Hop nose (hop aroma of beer)

Evaluating Beer - cont’d n Taste in the mouth –Take a good sip –Swirl and slosh around your whole mouth –“Swizzle” (suck in air through beer in your mouth) –Small sip to check 4 tastes –Check Astringency –Check after-taste or tail n General Quality –Memorableness or “come hither appeal”

The ‘taste’ of beer n Hop quality n Hop intensity n Sweet/dry balance n Beer character n Aftertaste or tail n Body and Palatefullness n Flavor balance

Summary n Becoming a knowledgeable beer drinker takes practice n Taste, smell, feel, and look at your product during every step n Evaluate the beer as it ages –What sulfur characters come and go? –Which phenolic characters get worse with age? –How does bitterness and diacetyl rise and fall?

The most important thing in learning how to evaluate beer.... PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!

References n Papazian, Charlie, The New Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Avon Books, New York, 1991 n Eckhardt, Fred, Essentials of Beer Style, Fred Eckhardt Associates, Portland, OR 1989 n Jackson, Michael, Simon & Schuster Pocket Guide to Beer, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1993 n Papazian, Charlie, The Home Brewer’s Companion, Avon Books, New York, 1994 n Robertson, James D. The Connoisseur’s Guide to Beer, Jameson Books, Ottowa, IL n Mosher, Randy, The Brewer’s Companion, Alephenalia Publications, Seattle, WA, 1995