At its most basic, beer starts with water and grain (malt), flavored with a kind of flower called hops and fermented by yeast. F&W’s Megan Krigbaum and brewer Dave McLean of San Francisco’s excellent Magnolia Brewing explain the essentials and propose four taste-training exercises.

Beer Tasting Exercises

Beer Tasting Exercise: Hops

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Art by Julia Rothman

Hops Defined

Hops are the flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant, a crawling vine that grows in many parts of the world. Most brewers use dried hops, though some like to use fresh “wet” hops, when available. Many brewers today use hop pellets (which are made from dried hops) to ensure consistency from batch to batch.

How Brewers Use Hops

Hops give beer both flavor and aroma. Brewers can choose from among dozens of varieties, many of them quite distinctive. “Saaz hops from the Czech Republic are spicy and peppery,” says McLean. “English hops can be grassy, and Pacific Northwest hops can be citrusy or piney.” Hops also contribute bitterness, measured in International Bitterness Units, or IBUs. The amount of IBUs depends not only on the type and amount of hops, but also on when the hops are added during brewing.

“I think bitterness is becoming more accepted in the US because of cocktail culture,” McLean says. “People are now into bitter drinks, like Negronis.”

Hops Workout: Bitterness

Super-hoppy beers are all the rage, because they deliver a flavor wallop. They can also be very bitter. When that bitterness is balanced with sweetness, however, the effect is refreshing, not wince-inducing.

What You Need

3 glasses

1 1/2 cups grapefruit juice

Water

To determine your bitterness threshold, pour 1/2 cup grapefruit juice into each of the three glasses. Add 1/2 cup of water to the first glass and 1/4 cup of water to the second. Taste in order of increasing bitterness.

Beers to Try

From mildly to very bitter

Gritty McDuff’s Best Bitter > Firestone Walker Pale 31 > Russian River Blind Pig

Hops Workout: Flavor & Aromas





What You Need

Grapefruit wedge

Fresh pine needles

Black peppercorns

Just-picked grass

Freesia

Thyme and sage

Give each of the above a sniff or a taste to get a sense of the range of citrusy and “green” (herbal, piney) flavors and aromas that hops can impart to beer. Put a check mark next to the ones you enjoy. The more you choose, the more you will like an intensely hoppy beer.

Beers to Try

From citrusy to herbal

Citrus: Brooklyn Sorachi Ace

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace Pine Needles: Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA

Weyerbacher Double Simcoe IPA Pepper: Victory Prima Pils

Victory Prima Pils Grass: Tröegs Nugget Nectar

Tröegs Nugget Nectar Flowers: Three Floyds Blackheart

Three Floyds Blackheart Herbal: Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye

Beer Tasting Exercise: Malt

Image zoom

Art by Julia Rothman

Malt Defined

Malt is created by first germinating grain, usually barley. The grains are heat-dried and sometimes roasted to further caramelize the malt and develop toasty flavors. Then, during fermentation, yeasts get to work, converting sugars in the malt to alcohol. Any remaining sugar not only contributes sweetness but also body to beer. Malt also adds a lot of flavor.

Malt Workout: Sweetness





What You Need

Whole-wheat bread

Oatmeal cookie

Rock candy

Malt contributes a range of sweetness to beer, from mild (as in packaged whole-wheat bread) to intense (rock candy). Taste the foods above to learn your sweetness threshold.

Beers to Try

From mildly to very sweet

Magic Hat Plus/Minus > Oskar Blues Old Chub > Goose Island Big John

Color Connection

In addition to sweetness, malt gives beer its color. Counterintuitively, a dark-colored beer can be light-bodied, and a light-colored beer can be full-bodied.

Light BodyFull Body Ballast Point Pale Ale Marin Star Brew Harpoon Dark Anderson Valley Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout

Malt Workout: Flavors & Aromas

“There is a pure sweetness to malt, plus flavors and aromas like coffee, nuts and toast,” says McLean.

When it comes to malt, the darker the roast, the deeper the flavors. Taste through the list below and put a check mark next to the flavors you enjoy. The more you choose, the more likely you are to appreciate an especially malty beer.

What You Need

Malt ball candies

Brewed coffee

English toffee

Pecans

Slice of toast

Dark chocolate bar

Dried cherries

Beers to Try

From malt-ball-like to fruity

Malt Balls: Red Hook ESB

Red Hook ESB Toffee: AleSmith Old Numbskull

AleSmith Old Numbskull Nutty: SweetWater Georgia Brown

SweetWater Georgia Brown Coffee: Founders Breakfast Stout

Founders Breakfast Stout Toast: Bell’s Smoked Vienna Lager

Bell’s Smoked Vienna Lager Chocolate: Left Hand Milk Stout

Left Hand Milk Stout Dried Fruit: Ommegang Abbey Ale

Video: Expert Tips on Beers Tasting and Pairing