Beer Tasting

Beer tasting is the art of slowing down and properly exploring a beer with all your senses: how it looks, how it smells, how it tastes and how it feels in your mouth. Instead of just drinking, you compare different beers side by side, pick out flavours and work out what you like and why. It's how brewers and judges assess beer, and it's brilliant fun with friends.

Lager is crisp, clean and usually pale, brewed with yeast that works at cooler temperatures.

Pale ale and IPA are hop-forward, with bright notes of citrus, tropical fruit, pine or flowers. IPA is usually stronger and more bitter.

Bitter is a classic British style, amber in colour, with a balance of malt and hops.

Stout and porter are dark and rich, with roasted flavours of coffee, chocolate and toast.

Wheat beers are hazy and soft, often with hints of banana, clove or orange.

Sours are sharp and tangy, sometimes brewed with fruit.

Real ale is beer that finishes conditioning in the cask it's served from, poured by hand pump and full of character.

Start with the look. Hold the glass up and check the colour, the clarity and the foam on top, called the head. Give it a gentle swirl to release the aromas, then take a good sniff. Take a sip and let it roll across your tongue before swallowing, then breathe out through your nose to pick up even more flavour. Notice the body, the fizz and the finish. Taste from lightest to strongest so your palate doesn't get flattened early.

Off-flavours are tastes or smells that shouldn't be there, usually caused by something going wrong in brewing or storage. A buttery or butterscotch note often means diacetyl. A smell like cooked sweetcorn can point to a compound called DMS. Green apple suggests the beer was rushed, and a skunky smell happens when beer is left in bright light. Once you know them, you'll spot them everywhere. Sorry in advance.

You don't need to know your ales from your lagers. A beer tasting is made for curious drinkers, and there are no wrong answers when it comes to what you taste. Plenty of people discover a style they'd never have ordered, and leave talking about hops like they grew them.

You might also like Cider Making, Wine Tasting and Cocktail Mixology.

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