comment déguster une bière - how to taste beer

A guide to beer tasting – how to taste beer by Cyril Hubert

By Nathalie Baylaucq 19.08.2024

How to taste beer? The important thing to remember is that there are 2 protocols: the tasting protocol and the feedback protocol.

In practice, we look at the beer after smelling and tasting it, while in the file we start with the visual analysis, because it is the first thing we see when we serve the beer. To begin with, the glass is very important; an inadequate glass will not allow you to detect the different smells, and the temperature at which you taste the beer is also important; a beer that is too cold will not express all the complexity of its smell and taste. For me, the ideal tasting (I didn’t say drinking) temperature is 14°C, but it all depends on the style of beer. Some beers are best enjoyed at a more moderate temperature, such as a Barleywine at around 18°C, like an imperial stout, while finer beers like Berliner Weiss, Gose or IPA are best enjoyed at a slightly cooler temperature. Once the beer is served, think about ephemera such as smell, foam or effervescence.

You have to start by smelling the beer to determine its odor, that’s the first thing to do, then take a sip to analyze the effervescence (with a fairly large gulp) and then you can look at the color of the beer and judge its appearance, clarity, color, etc. Then you can return to the analysis in the mouth for body, flavor, attack and finish.

Tasting involves all 5 senses, and they all play a role in providing information about the beer:

How to taste a beer step by step

Olfactory analysis:

Ephemeral scents: Find them by smelling them. They vary greatly according to the style and its characteristics, and can be classified as: fruity, floral, vegetal, spicy, smoky, woody, matte, toasted, acetic, lactic, sweet. As with wine, we will try to define the 1st and 2nd nose.

Taste analysis :

Tasting : During the first sip (which must be consistent if we want to analyze all factors, in particular effervescence), we judge the attack in terms of taste: sweet, salty, sour, bitter (umami is rarely and mostly found in aged beers), then carbonation: nonexistent, weak, very fine, light, fine, cloudy, velvety, satiny, aggressive, lively, tingly (there are many terms).
Then the body = texture: watery, very light, light, moderately round, round, full-bodied, robust, heavy, heavy, honeyed, syrupy, we see if we also have physical sensations such as astringency, harshness and finally the finish, to see if certain flavors or sensations remain can then be very short, short, medium, moderately long, long, very long.

Visual analysis: – Observation: During the visual analysis, the foam, which is directly related to effervescence, comes off rather quickly, as the beer is not made to remain for a long time in a glass. So that’s what we look at first, its strength, homogeneity, color and persistence, followed by its appearance: clear, bright, cloudy, milky, hazy, cloudy, opaque, and then its various colors and reflections.

The glass is crucial to the tasting experience; it brings presence and another dimension to the analysis, making the experience more interesting. A glass with fine, narrow, clean lines, with a chimney that acts like an inverted funnel, will help concentrate the aromas upwards. If a separate glass is not available for tasting, a white wine glass for delicate beers with a strong effervescence will do just fine, preferring a red wine glass with a wide aromatic chamber and a narrow rim for more complex and alcoholic beers, as opposed to certain glasses with a very wide rim that let all the aromas escape, such as Trappist or abbey beer glasses. The main thing is that the glass highlights the aromatic qualities of the beer, that it fits well in your hand, that it becomes part of you and makes you forget about it. After that, it all depends on what you want to do: whether you want to drink or enjoy. For “normal” consumption, the choice of glass depends on the style of beer, the environment in which it is served and the social status of the end consumer (the glasses will not be the same in a roadside restaurant as in a 3 macarons).

Temperature is as important as the glass used and the context. There is no point in drinking a great wine from a suitable glass if the rest of the tasting protocol is not followed, starting with temperature. It influences many things, in fact almost all sensations, including sight. A beer that is too cold can have a cold or colloidal cloudiness, its smells are less perceptible and the flavours will be more or less perceptible: sugar and salt are more perceptible at room temperature, while acidity and bitterness are more perceptible at low temperatures. There is a rule of thumb that says that the more alcoholic the beer, the less likely it is to be drunk cold. On the other hand, it depends on the context: after tending the garden for 4h00 at 40°C, it is clear that drinking a cold beer quenches thirst, but the context is different from that of tasting it.

Serving: the art of serving a good beer! While a beautiful foam is a delight at first sight, it also has a direct impact on the senses, as it cuts off contact with the air, giving some breathing room to odours and CO2. Pouring beer well requires a bit of skill, and as it is a fragile drink, it needs respect and some rules to be appreciated at its true value. Of course, it all depends on the style, but you should avoid shaking the bottle before pouring so as not to suspend the yeast. If the beer is resealed in the bottle, leave the 2cm deposit with the yeast (as it tends to be more bitter). If you want to drink it, stir the bottom of the bottle in a circular motion and pour it into the glass.

Hold the glass by the stem and pour the beer, without being too gentle or too strong, down the centre of the side of the glass, tilting it at a 45° angle, without the neck of the bottle touching the glass. When pouring, as the glass fills, you have to straighten it and lift the bottle. As Ronny Coutteure said, beer is liquid friendship, so if you want to share your 33cl bottle, don’t use too much or too little, 10cl is fine for “tasting” (1 bottle for 3 people without the yeast), but if it’s just for you: serve the beer in 2 glasses and keep a little in the bottle to keep the smell and the effervescence as long as possible.

I would add that you don’t have to swirl the beer in the glass as you do with wine, as this way the smells and CO2 escape more quickly, and tasting a beer without effervescence is not as good (except for certain styles). Never drink from the bottle, because if the beer is complex, you won’t benefit from its aromas and the effervescence is stronger in the bottle, so you’ll burp a lot. There’s no need to swallow like with wine, as the bubbles carry with them the odor molecules, which are useful for retro-olfaction.

When it comes to texture, I often make the comparison with water. Compared to wine, it’s quite difficult to judge the body of beer when you’re not used to it, because you have to do without the effervescence, aromas and flavors. The body of an alcoholic beer will be harder to judge if the effervescence is very lively and cloudy. The different textures: watery, very light, light, moderately round, round, full-bodied, robust, heavy, honeyed, syrupy. Sometimes, in the case of full-bodied wines, you can see some tears on the sides of the glass.

There are many things you can control that can influence your tasting:

– The right time: 10.00/12.00 is the best time, because your body and mind are awake, and late in the morning your senses of taste and smell are generally sharper. This is due to the fact that you are not yet tired from a heavy meal, so at 15.00/5.00 at this time of day, your palate is generally not overloaded with the strong flavours of main meals, making it easier to appreciate the nuances of the beers.

– The right place: being in a quiet place allows you to concentrate optimally

– Lighting: too much or too little lighting can mislead you about the appearance of the beer, especially if the light is warmer. Prefer natural lighting

– Noise: Concert music, commotion, children shouting and running around disturb sensory analysis. When you’re with friends, your ability to taste and interpret is positive, and with the help of alcohol, almost everything tastes very tasty.

– Food and other distracting smells: There’s nothing like food, perfume, cigarettes, shower gel or an overly strong deodorant to distort a tasting experience.

There’s much more to read, but for that you’ll have to buy my book!

About Cyril Hubert

I have been a beer expert and beer sommelier since 2014 and have been lucky enough to participate in 2 World Beer Sommelier Championships in 2017 and 2019. I am an international judge for major competitions. I organise and lead tasting workshops for companies and individuals, I provide consultancy for restaurateurs and breweries, and I also give training courses and lectures to restore beer to its former glory. I am the author of the book Et si on parlait bière, which talks about raw materials (water, barley malt, hops, yeast and adjuvants), the different stages of production (malting and brewing), sensory analysis (5 senses, 5 flavours, sensations, defects, etc.) and the many styles of beer, as well as a few other little tips.

Glossary – Beer styles

– Pilsner: Light, blond beer from the Czech Republic.

– Ale: Top-fermented beer, brewed between 15 and 24°C.

– Lager: Bottom-fermented beer, brewed between 5 and 14°C.

– IPA: India Pale Ale, very hoppy.

– Double/Triple IPA: hoppier and more alcoholic than an IPA.

– Lambic: Belgian beer with wild yeast, aged in barrels.

– Gueuze: blend of young and old lambics.

– Weizen: German wheat beer.

– Hefeweizen: Unfiltered Weizen with yeast in suspension.

– Witbier: Belgian white beer with wheat and spices.

– Porter: Dark, malty English beer.

– Stout: Dark brown beer, rich in flavour.

– Saison: Refreshing Belgian beer, dry on the palate.

– Barleywine: Strong beer, aged in barrels for greater complexity.

– Scotch Ale: Malty Scottish beer with a caramel flavour.

– Bock: Strong, malty German beer.

– Doppelbock: Stronger and maltier than Bock.

– Rauchbier: Smoked German beer, malt dried over a wood fire.

– Session: Light, low-alcohol beer for long-term consumption.

– Pastry: Beer with fruit, chocolate, vanilla, for gourmet flavours.

– Acid: Sour beer, thanks to lactic bacteria.

– Gose: Sour and salty German beer, with wheat and spices.

– Berliner Weisse: Light, sour German beer served with syrup.

– Tripel: Strong, spiced Belgian beer with special yeasts.

– Quadrupel: stronger and with more malt than Tripel.

– Kriek: Belgian cherry beer, with sour cherries.

– Trappist: beer brewed in a Trappist abbey.

Et si on parlait Bière

History, Innovations, Globalisation, First materials, Manufacturing, Sensory analysis, Tasting techniques, Wine & beer combinations.

Smell, texture, effervescence, aromas… there’s much more to wine than meets the eye! This comprehensive book tells us all about this drink believed to have originated around 8000 BC. A rich history from ancient Egypt, through European monasteries, to the current explosion of microbreweries. On the programme: ingredients, stages of production, different types of beer, keys to successful tasting, a selection of around fifty beers from France and around the world… An attractive and practical book, enriched with exercises, interviews and tasting notes, which introduces us to the fascinating world of beer.

Don’t drink and drive. Drink responsibly.