If you want to taste a variety of beers, why not consider hosting your own beer tasting party? While it might not be reasonable to taste a dozen different beers on your own in one sitting, it can be a feasible event if you invite a few friends and pour small servings of each beer for comparison.
Better yet, pile a few buddies in the car and meet at a brewery pub where you can taste beers as close as possible to the original source-which is when beer tastes best. Even with today's modern technology and supreme bottling techniques, beer is always best when tasted on tap at the source soon after it is produced and aged.
Remember that when you taste beer, you want to look for a way to rate how much pleasure drinking the beer produces in the drinker. You may want to come up with a number system, like a scale of one to five. This number can be based on a variety of factors, including appearance, foam head size, smell, initial taste, aftertaste, malt factor (how sweet and caramel-like the flavor is) and bitterness. You may also want to allow points for uniqueness, especially if you're visiting a microbrew that uses some unusual ingredients.
You'll want to select a group of beers to taste. Read the beer labels for hints at special brewing processes or ingredients before you open the bottles.
Serving Beer for Tasting
For best taste comparisons, you'll want to taste beer at 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea that a beer should be frosty and cold appeals more to the satisfaction of thirst and less to the enjoyment of taste. To really identify flavors, serve the beer for tasting at the temperatures listed above.
Open one beer that all of the beer drinkers are familiar with and pour a small amount of that beer (about a mouthful) for each person and use this to cleanse your palate-otherwise the first beer you drink is going to taste stronger than is truly warranted because the first mouthful of beer is always a shock to the palate. By rinsing the mouth with a beer you are already familiar with, you will condition the palate, preparing it for the true beer tasting and comparison process.
Next, pour samples (about two to three mouthfuls) for each person participating in the beer tasting. Note the head on the beer and quickly smell the beer - the aroma dissipates quickly and you want to catch a fresh whiff before it fades. See if you can detect any specific scents when you smell the beer.
Tasting the Beer Properly
Now enjoy a mouthful of the first beer, noting (and rating) the initial flavor. Hold the beer in your mouth and rate the feel (including the viscosity) and taste. Swallow the beer and breathe out of your nose (called retro-breathing) to accentuate the flavors. Pay attention to the complexity, the finish and the aftertaste.
Now enjoy one or two more mouthfuls of the beer in question.
Rest your palate for a moment before moving on to the next beer. While some people like to serve bread, cheese or crackers between tastings, professionals actually do not do anything to cleanse the palate between tastes. If anything, they will have a sip of water.
Remember, beer tasting is subjective. Enjoy your beer samplings and drink responsibly!
 | If you love different types of beer, you'll want to pair it with the right food to bring out the unique flavors in your favorite brew. Check out these types of beer and beer pairings for some ideas on making the perfect food and beer matches. |
 | When pairing food with lager beers, you'll need to pay attention to what kind of lager it is. Pale lagers go best with lighter foods such as crispy torillas filled with spicy Mexican foods or nachos with salsa and cheese. Darker lagers are more commonly served with meals, but can be consumed with some appetizers also. |
 | Microbrew beer is beer that is crafted in a small brewery instead of a large commercial brewery. Microbreweries are classified as such only if they produce fewer than about 15,000 barrels of beer annually. |
If you like to drink light beers, you'll want to pair them with lighter foods. Just like you would pair a milder dish with a mild, sweet wine and a bolder dish with a bolder wine (or white meats with white wine and red meats with red wine), you'll want to think light with light when you look for good food pairings for light beers. |
If you're looking to pair food with your favorite pale ale, you should take a look at heavy, full-bodied menu choices. Pale ales have full-bodied flavors, so you need to pair them with foods that have strong, hearty flavors and can stand up to the ale. A good pale ale can play up the spicy heat of spiced foods or it can balance a robust beef dish. |
