Beer Tasting Tips

'Tis the Season

As I write this I look out my window and see the work I have to do.  Leaves are falling like rain, sometimes with the rain, and I know that soon it will be time for the autumn yard work to be done.  I look at the signs of the change of seasons and smile, because I know that just as the leaves change, so too will the seasonal brews pushed out by the great brewers of the west coast.

I have already had a few winter brews this season, Sierra Nevada's Celebration, Trader Joe's Winter Dopplebock, Rogue's FestivAle and Deschutes Jubelale.  The beers are bigger in taste and aroma, often leaning toward a malt sweetness and almost always with higher alcohol content.  Darker in color and beautiful to look at.  Some brewers will add spices, others will add unique hopping - but they will all provide a more complex and fulfilling beer.

I have a suggestion for you this Fall, two actually.  The first has to be to drink responsibly and know what it is you're drinking.  If you put back a pack of Winter brews you will not be in any shape to drive and it isn't worth the DUI or other consequences we're well aware of. 

The second tip is to organize a beer tasting with a group of beer enthusiasts.  Pull together 6 or 9 beers, bring paper and pen (and a bottle opener) and take a closer look at the beers in your area.  Rate them, write down what you like, what you taste and what you don't understand.  Write them and then share your findings with co-workers, family, friends and even local brewers.  You'll certainly get funny looks, but you'll also gain an understanding and appreciation for beer that you just can't get when pounding them back.   Here's some suggestions:

• Pour the beer into clear glasses (plastic is ok, so long as it doesn't smell too much like plastic).  You're pouring for several reasons:

  Aroma - You just don't get the aroma of beer when it's in a bottle.  Pour it, swirl it and stick your nose in it.  Is it sweet, spicy, citrusy or simply 'good'.
  Appearance - Obviously you are not going to know the color of the beer when it's in a brown bottle, but color is just the beginning.  How is the crown of the beer (AKA, Head Retention)?  Does it fall quickly or stand for minutes?  Is it hazy or clear?  Lots of bubbles or only slightly carbonated?  Write it down, this all goes into your overall impression.
   

• Understand the Taste - Try to go beyond "OK", "Great" and "Horrible" here.  What do you actually taste?  Is it sweet, caramelly, hoppy, spicy?  Does the bitterness from the hops linger into the aftertaste?  Is there any balance in the sweetness and bitterness (hop/malt balance)?  If you want to get specific here, judge them against the official style guides, available here.
• Describe your Overall Impression - This is just for you.  How much do you like the beer and what is it your wish there was more and less of? 
• Don't pour big - if your going to taste 9 beers in one sitting, you just can't have 9 bottles of beer per person.  Pour a couple of ounces (typically an inch and a half) into the glasses and enjoy.  If you do pour big, make sure you've got a way home that doesn't involve you behind the wheel.

There is no right or wrong here, nothing formal or required.  Just sit back and enjoy a few brews.  If you do this we'd love to see your notes.  Heck, we may even run out to buy something if you like it enough. 

Enjoy the seasons, not just the change in weather, but the change in brews available.  Brewers have worked for centuries perfecting the craft and they know when to brew what... I have no doubt you'll agree.

Buying Suggestions:

www.bevmo.com has a pretty good selection of winter craft beers.

If your city has a Cost Plus market, they have a Winter Beer pack with 8 (I believe) different winter beers... all made in America.

Your local brewery is also likely to brew seasonally - support them whenever possible.

We at PBN love Sierra's Celebration Ale, a beautifully hopped beer that is dark in color and big in taste.  A great beer for hopheads.  Also, Trader Joe's is carrying a Dopplebock that is big and beautiful: sweet, higher in alcohol, very little hop bittering and a great crown (contract brewed by Gordon Biersch, according to PBN sources).  Full Sail and Deschutes have both done a good job on their winter selection as well.