How to describe beer and how to describe a good beer

Picture the scene: You see an interesting beer, but you aren’t sure it’s for you. You hop on Untappd to see what other people have said. You see reviews like ‘Tasty!’ , ‘This is malty’, or ‘Too hoppy for me’. But what does that really mean? Or what about this? You’re tasting a beer and it’s great! You want to share what it’s like with the world!! But you can’t quite put your finger on what it actually tastes like (other than delicious!). How to describe beer is a tricky business. Words like ‘malty’ and ‘hoppy’ only mean something if you know what malt and hops should taste and smell like. If you are new to beer tasting or still learning, these descriptors are very broad and mean something different depending on the beer ingredients used. And don’t forget, everyone tastes and smells things differently - hoppy to one person might be different to you.

In this blog post I’m going to guide you through how to describe beer, particularly good beer! We’re going to look at how to taste beer first, then talk about what you should be looking for before thinking about what descriptors you can use for a great beer review.

Let’s get started!

How to describe beer starts with tasting!

Before we start with how to describe beer, you need to taste it. Beer tasting can be a bit like wine tasting and there are different elements that make up the whole of the great beer experience. Flavour also comes from what we smell, so we need to take in the aroma. We also eat and drink with our eyes, so it’s important to look at the beer’s appearance. Of course you can only do this if your beer is in a glass, so grab a clean one and decant it from the bottle or can before you start.

Take a good look at the beer in your glass and think about it’s colour. Beer can range from very pale lemon yellow to pitch black. It can also be brilliantly clear, hazy, murky like soup or completely opaque. This is called the clarity - what do you see? I like to take in the head as well and if I can see any carbonation bubbles.

Next you need to take in the aroma. This comes from the malts, hops, yeast and other ingredients that are used to brew the beer and can vary wildly from beer to beer. Take a good sniff in your glass (mind you don’t get the head on your nose!) and see what layers you can find - my top aroma tip is to put your hand over the top of the glass, swirl the beer inside, then take a big whiff!

Finally we taste the beer, but unlike wine tasting, we aren’t going to spit it out! I mean, why would you waste a delicious beer like that?! But also, this adds to your taste profile. The beer passes your olfactory system as you swallow and you pick up more aromas and flavours. With the beer in your mouth you can also think about mouthfeel - which is exactly as it sounds - what does it feel like in your mouth? It might take you a few sips to find this out, but who’s complaining?!  This is all part of how to describe beer!

What are you looking for when learning how to describe beer?

So now you know how to taste - what are you looking for in the aromas and flavours you are picking up as you learn how to describe beer? That really depends on the style of beer and what it’s been made of. But there are a few things you can look for in all beers.

For the appearance and clarity you can describe the colour and head - is it thick and foamy or barely there with a few bubbles? Can you see carbonation bubbles and if so are they fat and slow or small, tight and streaming? Is it perfectly clear or murky like juice? On the aroma you will get a wide range of notes - is it floral, citrus, coffee, bread, biscuit? A darker beer may have more malt flavours and aromas, where a pale beer might have more hop characteristics. The same goes for the flavour, but we also want to consider the mouthfeel - is it thick or thin? Is it fizzy or smooth? Is it chewy or acidic?

But how do we even begin to find the right words to use?

How to describe beer with flavour and aroma descriptors

Rather than using words like ‘malty’ or ‘hoppy’ when we begi work on how to describe beer, you should be using flavour and aroma descriptors that relate to food. We all eat and drink, so we all have an understanding of flavours and aromas from our food.

By learning what food descriptors apply to the different ingredients in beer, you can make a clear, interesting review of the great beer you are tasting and tell everyone else how great it is too.

Hops give off the flavours and aromas of citrus, exotic fruit, grass, hay, tea, spice and a whole host of other descriptors depending on where they are grown.

Malt also covers a wide range, but think of flavours and aromas that relate to cereal, bread, coffee, chocolate and toffee to start with.

Yeast is even more interesting giving off pear, banana or green apple aromas as something called esters and pepper and spicy notes in something called phenols.

Brewers can also add a variety of herbs, spices and fruits to the beer to add even more layers. You can build your beer vocabulary by trying lots of different foods and spices and relating these to beer ingredients. Then instead of saying ‘hoppy’ you can say ‘pineapple’, ‘orange citrus’ or ‘fresh cut hay’.  This all paves the way in your learning of how to describe beer!

How to describe beer – especially a good one?

Go grab your favourite beer from the fridge and pour it into a glass. Look at it, smell it and then take a big sip. Can you now taste all of those food related descriptors I suggested? Or do you need to try some pineapple to really know what it tastes and smells like?! These are called sensory exercises and read all the way to the end to see how I can help you with those!

Now you should have a good idea of how to describe beer; we talked about how to taste the beer, what to look for in the beer and what descriptors you should think about using (tip - it’s to do with food!).

Now go forth and describe those amazing beers in your fridge to the world!

Wanna know more about flavour and aroma descriptors to really help you with how to describe beer?

I have found that the best way to describe a beer is to build a bank of descriptors - or a beer vocabulary if you will. The best way to do that is to gain an understanding of what food descriptors describe each beer ingredient and then use these to create a beer vocabulary. It just so happen to have a course for that!

Build Your Beer Vocabulary is a 4 week programme with live lessons that will help you match those descriptors to ingredients and increase your confidence in your beer tasting skills. Come find more information here and learn how to describe beer with me.