Help me describe Beer

oldsak · November 2012

I'm working on a project for which I need a list of potential descriptors or tasting notes that could apply to beer. Stuff like bitter, full bodied, clean finish etc. I am by no means an expert and do not have the vocabulary to come up with a sufficiently robust list of adjectives on my own.

So I ask you, how do you describe beer? You can speak generally or describe a specific beer. Give me a list of adjectives or a block of text and I'll parse it. Even if you can only add one word to the discussion, it helps.

Thanks.

schuss · November 2012

Malty
Hoppy
Floral
Gritty
Smoky
Citrus
Fruit - note that specific fruits are valid (IE, I taste pears)
Creamy
Thin
Grassy
Wheaty
Thick
Chocolate
Woody - specific woods
Coffee
Sweet
Bitter
Strong
Weak
Clean
Lingering
Dark
Light
Pungent

Note that you should have tasting stages. An example - Smokestack Lightning (Imperial Stout)from Magnolia - "You're hit by a cloud of smoke, then suddenly a train of floral hop punches through, leaving a clean dark finish and a hint of oak"

Beer tastes are actually incredibly complex, and not counting the order of operations is missing the point.

WildEEP · November 2012

Good:

Hoppy
Bright
Fruity
Oaky
Thick
Light

Bad:

Panther Piss
Sweaty Llama balls
Stuff you'd serve a mother-in-law
Once my dog threw up and then ate his own throw up - and I assume it tasted something like this

Djeet · November 2012

You can find a lot of beer reviews/tasting notes at BeerAdvocate.com

Darkewolfe · November 2012

Chewy is one I see used often.

Djeet · November 2012

Like wine, also included in beer tasting notes are things that are not necessarily taste descriptors like: descriptions of the color and cloudiness/clearness, descriptions of the head (foaminess, height, how long it persists), descriptions of the carbonation level, "warming" which indicates alcohol content as does "boozy".

Mad Jazz · November 2012

Mouth feel is another important area to describe, some beers are very light feeling, while some coat your mouth like you're drinking motor oil, and some feel heavy like drinking maple syrup (dogfish head 120 leaps to mind for that)

zepherin · November 2012

WildEEP wrote: »

Good:
Once my dog threw up and then ate his own throw up - and I assume it tasted something like this

I think I drank that beer. I then put it in my roomates fridge who proceeded to ask why someone took one drink and asked why someone shit in his beer and put the other beers into the fridge of his sister who described it as someone throwing up in her mouth. It was the most vile thing I ever put in my mouth.

That being said some ones not mentioned.

well balanced
medium body
light body
full body
Bold
Smooth
Complex
refreshing
Crisp

MentalExercise · November 2012

India Pale Ale:
Hoppy
Citrusy
Grapefruity (very common)
Toasty
Round/full bodied, which is opposite of;
Crisp

Brown ale:
Malty/sweet
Nutty
Smooth
Toasty

Lager:
Crisp
Light
Nutty
Smooth
Skunky
Gym socks

Amber ale:
Malty
Crisp
Round
Sharp
Smooth
Bitter
Yeasty

Hefeweisen:
Citrusy
Yeasty
Smooth
Sweet
Bitter
Round
Bready
Creamy
Heavy

Stout/Porter:
Coffee
Chocolate
Yeasty
Round
Bitter
Sweet
Burnt
Smokey
Creamy
Heavy
Caramel

There's a ton more obviously, that's just me coming up with random adjectives for beers I like. A lot are obviously contradictory even in the same category, but beer is nothing if not varied, sometimes even in the same glass (see above about stages).

TIFunkalicious · November 2012

do say something about the finish because it is important and sometimes surprisingly good/terrible compared to what you're getting while actually imbibing

another descriptor: tastes like drinking burnt food

zepherin · November 2012

TIFunkalicious wrote: »

do say something about the finish because it is important and sometimes surprisingly good/terrible compared to what you're getting while actually imbibing

another descriptor: tastes like drinking burnt food

Another might say it has a smokey finish.

And I happen to like that type of finish, especially from a Hefeweisen.

And that is one of the things to think about too, beer is very personal and so giving something that is descriptive is a good way to go. I personally dislike IPAs, I find them to be bitter and sour tasteing, but I know many people who are all for it. So even though you may or may not dislike an IPA it isn't very useful to say I disliked it and it was bitter. A more useful descriptor would be it was hoppy with citrus undertones, or whatever else your pallete can pick up.

TPSou · November 2012

To my mind (coming from a country where we have such an available mix of lagers, bitters, stouts and ales) the actual texture of the drink is really important in terms of how fizzy it is, or how heavy. With cheaper lagers like Fosters and Carling it has a kind of cheap lemonade harsh fizz to it, where some of the Portugese lagers like Superbock seem much softer.

kuhlmeye · November 2012

People also use things called "Beer Wheels" or Flavor wheels to describe different flavors in beer.

I've seen pretty basic ones like this:

Down to ones like this that have tons of different flavor descriptions.

oldsak · November 2012

holy shit... thanks guys.

This is going to take a minute to process

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