Tasting and sensory
Tasting, aroma, foam and food pairing. 7 terms.
Balance
- The relationship between malt sweetness and hop bitterness. A Helles is malt-forward, a Pils or IPA hop-forward. The BU:GU ratio gives a number; in the glass, your palate decides.
Body and mouthfeel
- How full or thin a beer feels in the mouth. Residual sweetness, dextrins, proteins, oats or lactose add body; high attenuation makes the beer thinner. Carbonation shapes the mouthfeel too: little feels creamy, a lot feels prickly.
Flavour wheel
- A circle that groups beer aromas, such as malt, hops, fruit, roast or off-flavours. It helps you find the right words when tasting. The best-known beer flavour wheel was developed in the late 1970s.
Foam (head)
- A firm, fine-bubbled head protects the aroma and looks good. Proteins from the malt and bitter compounds from the hops make it stable; fat and detergent residues in the glass destroy it. Wheat and crystal malt help, as does enough carbonation.
Food pairing
- Beer goes with many dishes because carbonation and bitterness cut through fat and spice. Rules of thumb: strong with strong, Pils with fish and salad, wheat beer with white sausage and asparagus, stout with oysters or chocolate desserts, IPA with spicy food.
Liveliness (carbonation bite)
- The fresh, prickly effect of carbonation on the tongue. A beer with good liveliness tastes vibrant and refreshing; a flat beer has too little carbonation.
Tasting beer
- In four steps: first look (colour, clarity, foam), then smell (malt, hops, yeast), then taste (sweetness, bitterness, acidity) and finally pay attention to body, carbonation and finish. Best with a small pour and from light to strong.