Beer Flavor Descriptors – How Beer Tastes
Beer Flavor Descriptors are a common vocabulary used by most beer enthusiasts when describing or reviewing beer. Check out the beer flavor wheel above for a more defined set of flavor descriptions. Â As described in the Evaluating Beer page on this website, the method of evaluating beer can be broken down into four basic sensory methods. These include:
- Smell
- Sight
- Taste
- Touch or Feel
To truly enjoy your beer tasting experience, you should use all of your senses. What follows is a list of some common beer flavor terminology broken down into the above categories.
Beer Flavor Descriptors: SMELL
- Basic Notes in Beer:
malty, grainy, sweet, corn-like, hay, straw, graham cracker, bicuity, caramel, toast, roast, coffee, espresso, burnt, alcohol, tobacco, gunpowder, leather, pine, fresh cut grass - Dark Fruit Aromas: raisins, currant, plum, dates, prunes, figs, blackberry, blueberry
- Light Fruit: banana, pineapple, apricot, pear, apple, nectarine, peach, mango, prickly pear
- Citrus Notes: lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, clementine, grapefruit, Curaçao orange peel, lemon zest
- Other Acidic-Type Aromas: metallic, vinegar, copper, cidery, champagne-like, astringent, chlorine
- Spices, Yeast, etc: phenolic, white pepper, clove, anise, licorice, smoked bacon, fatty, nutty,butterscotch, vanilla, earthy, woody, horsey, fresh bread, saddle, musty, barnyard
SIGHT
- Beer Color: honey, caramel, russet red, brown, root beer, amber, chestnut, dark red, apricot, orange, black, burnt auburn, garnet, ruby, copper, deep gold
- Beer Clarity: brilliant, hazy, cloudy, turbid, opaque, clear, crystal, bright, dull
- The Beer’s Head: persistent, rocky, large, fluffy, dissipating, lingering, white, off white, tan, frothy, delicate. To help with the beer’s head retention, try adding flaked wheat (from MoreBeer.com) or add flaked barley.
TASTE
- Beer Notes: roasted, bready, bitter, sweet, spicy, fruity, chocolate, caramel, toffee, coffee, malty, tart, subtle, woodsy, earthy, sulfuric
- Intensity: assertive, mild, bold, balanced, robust, intense, metallic, harsh, complex, delicate, refined, hearty
- How Beer Taste Evolves: rolls into…, evolves into…, dissipates to reveal…, displays…, underlying…, suggests hints of…, fades to…
- The Beer’s Finish: dry, fruity, sweet, alcoholic, warming, bitter, acidic, buttery, wet, quenching, lingering
TOUCH OR FEEL
- A Beer’s Mouthfeel: smooth, silky, velvety, prickly, tingly, creamy, warming, viscous, hot, astringent, oily
- Beer’s Carbonation Level: spritzy, champagne-like, prickly, round, creamy, light, gassy, sharp, delicate
- The Beer’s Body: full, heavy, dense, viscous, robust, medium, balanced, medium-light, light, delicate, wispy
The more you practice the art and science of evaluating beer, the more beer flavor descriptors you will acquire. These are but a few and you may find many beer flavor descriptors of your own. Keep coming back to Winning-Homebrew.com and never brew CRAPPY BEER again!
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