The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer by Queensland Beer Week

The Beer Lovers Guide to

Tasting Beer

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Contents 4. Tasting Beer 12. Common aromas and flavours found in beer 14. The brewing process Contributors: Ian Watson, Dr Peter Aldred Photography: David Mitchener

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The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

TASTING BEER by Ian Watson

To a reader of this book it will be quite obvious that beer is a wonderful thing. It can offer us so much if we give it a chance and the respect it deserves. And it is in the very act of preparation for and tasting of the beer itself that we as the beer drinkers can perhaps best go about showing this respect. If we show care and respect to the beer that we are about to consume there is a greater chance that it will reward us with a pleasant experience, than if we show it a complete disregard and contempt in its journey to our palate. It must be remembered that no matter how wonderful a beer is in the tank at the brewery it is how we experience it in the end that matters.

Selection Perhaps the first thing that should be addressed when experiencing any beer is our expectation of that beer. What we might reasonably expect from a Witbier will be very different from what we would expect a glass of Barleywine to provide us. Style considerations are very important and it is no use diving into that glass of barleywine expecting a thirst quenching aperitif when what you may instead have is a wonderful digestif. Having said that though, we must also allow the modern brewer room for creative expansion and realise that not all beers are made to be historically true recreations of styles but perhaps might be a new twist on a classic style or even the first step in the evolution of a new style. This is where it pays to absorb as much information about that beer as you reasonably can. Read the bottle, read the menu, read the internet and read the beer as you drink it. Knowing a beerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s background and its brewerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intentions can go a long way into garnering an appreciation for it.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Glassware When our beer selection has been made we must of course have a vessel from which to consume it. The best vessel is a glass. Any glass is better than no glass but there are some forms of glassware that seem to have the ability to help us better perceive certain flavour profiles in some beer styles. As an all rounder for tasting a wide range of beer styles I am a fan of tulip shaped glasses or even the ISO Taster glass that is popular at many wineries and beverage tasting events. Both of these standard glass shapes are useful as a reference point in tasting. Unlike a bottle or can, a glass allows us to fully appreciate the beerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearance and has the means to let the beer best express its main form of flavour release â&#x20AC;&#x201C; aroma. All our beer glasses should be clean and free from detergent residue and stored at room temperature to ensure the best result from pouring.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Temperature All beers have an ideal serving temperature range, and if we are going to get the most out of the beer in front of us it is desirable to serve it within this range. Temperature has a strong effect on how we taste and identify many aspects of beer. It limits or encourages aroma, changes the awareness of mouthfeel and body and can also enhance or detract from areas such bitterness and malt sweetness. Now this doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean we need 6 or 7 different storage areas for our beer but maybe a quick thought before serving as to how long it might need in or out of the fridge prior to pouring in order to fall more closely to the recommended temperature range.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Pour We must then turn our attention to getting our beer in the glass. There are many different methods of pouring beer but the most important thing to remember is that it is the end result that matters more than the method. Considerations for this may include things such as residual yeast from bottle conditioning (to pour or not to pour â&#x20AC;&#x201C; style dependent, generally donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pour unless it is a German style Weizen beer or Belgian Wit but there are exceptions) and foam/head size (I use 2 fingers worth as a base point â&#x20AC;&#x201C; style dependent)And the result? A beer in the glass with appropriate foam for style served as soon as possible to those that wish to consume it. Now the fun begins.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Look The first sense we use when drinking anything is our sight. We drink with our eyes. We note the colour and clarity (is it red, brown, yellow, golden, black? Is it bright, hazy, cloudy, murky?) We watch the level of carbonation, we look at the size of the foam and we assess the way that the foam might cling to the glass (the lacing). The appearance of a beer can tell us many things, but our eyes are also very capable of deception. A drop or two of a natural colourant such as annatto or sinimar can soon lead the mind to believe in flavours that do not exist..... Let your eyes guide you but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let them tell the whole story.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Smell Our nose is our most important sensory organ when it comes to tasting beer. Whilst our mouth/tongue might be capable of giving us some basic feedback on taste and flavour it is our nose that is doing the majority of the work, even when the beer is in our mouth. Aroma is a powerful tool for any beer and the aroma of a beer is capable of bringing about a wide range of responses in the beer drinker from delight to disgust to memories of childhood days at Grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house. Whenever we eat or drink it is our nose that gives us the first and perhaps most important indication of the quality, freshness and type of food about to hit our mouth. This is very important in a survival sense as a food that is rotten is best discarded before it hits our mouth and potentially makes us ill. There is an extraordinary array of aromas that can be found in beer. For the most part these aroma profiles are described in terms of aroma metaphors: literally a straight description of what it reminds you of. In some cases this is because it is actually the same chemical compound making that flavor/smell. So if a beer reminds you of banana (as in the case of German style wheat beer) then banana is the correct term to describe it. There is no right or wrong way to describe what you taste in a beer although there are some generally accepted terms for some flavor compounds and their source of origin. A quick swirl can be useful for encouraging the release of aroma from the glass, and letting your mind wander to other food and drink experiences is very helpful in locating the words and language in which you wish to express the nose that you encounter.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Taste After the aroma of the beer has been experienced the next step is to take the beer in the mouth in order to gauge its flavour, body and mouthfeel. Whilst our tongue and mouth are not as good as our nose at identifying flavour compounds they are capable of detecting sensations that our nose never will, as well as showing further flavours that the nose has yet to pick up due to masking by more prominent aromas. Some of these sensations could be described as flavours, some as mouthfeel and some are a bit of both. Bitterness is perhaps both a flavour and a mouthfeel sensation, and is something that holds a lot of importance in many beer styles. Bitterness is measured in IBU (International Bittering Units) and in modern beer ranges from 4 to over 100 IBU. The average domestic lager is somewhere in the low 20â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and a very aggressive American style IPA might be closer to the 100 mark. These raw numbers tell us very little though of the actual bitterness that we will perceive in the beer. It is widely believed that bitterness has a threshold taste of about 4 IBU and an upper limit of perception somewhere around 80 IBU. The body and sweetness of the beer or inversely its dryness will swing the balance of how prominent that bitterness seems. We also experience in our mouth other sensations such as astringency (best described as a prickly, puckering effect on the palate), alcohol heat (also detected in different ways by the nose) and importantly the body of the beer and the degree of carbonation. The body of the beer is made up of residual sugars/dextrins left behind by the yeast, and proteins from the malt and is the familiar fullness or dryness that we experience whilst the beer is in the mouth and after we swallow. The degree of carbonation that the beer possesses will also have an influence on how the body of the beer feels (higher carbonation levels seemingly lower the perceived body) as well as contributing varying degrees of a prickling acidity that is felt on the palate. In general, when tasting/drinking beer we swallow rather than spit. We are after all civilised people, no need for spitting or wasting beer.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Common Aromas and Flavours found in beer Yeast/bacteria derived flavours and aromas Sweat, soap

A sign of yeast in poor health.

Indicators of the presence of wild yeast. Horse blanket, barnyard, cigarette ash, leather, pineapple

Butter, butterscotch

Diacetyl a by-product of all yeast and some bacteria. Acceptable in very small amounts in English ales. Unacceptable in all lagers.

Solvent

An aroma that can occur due to higher alcohols or from bacterial infection.

Rotten eggs, matchstick

This is sulphur, a normal yeast by product although one that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to see in anything other than very low doses. Is usually more noticeable in lagers than ales.

Meat, broth, vegemite, soy sauce

All signs of yeast autolysis, which is in short, yeast breaking themselves down.

Vinegar

Sign of infection by bacteria. Often accompanied by a white ring or film in the bottle.

Sour milk, yogurt

Sign of bacterial infection.

Banana, bubble gum, plum, prune, date, rose, pear, peach

Common esters in beer, pleasant in the right quantities.

Medicine, clove, smoke, bandage

Common phenollics in beer. Some are pleasant, some very unpleasant and can be a sign of infection.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Common Aromas and Flavours found in beer Malt derived flavours and aromas Bread, cookie, molasses, caramel, grain, hay, straw, cereal, chocolate, coffee, toffee, toasted, roasted, burnt, nutty, meal, cola, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup

Normal malt flavour profiles

Celery, corn/cabbage

A sign of DMS (dimethyl sulfide) a character sometimes found in beers, usually from a poor boil. In rare cases it can be from infection

Smoke

From smoked malt of course.

Tar, charcoal

Can be caused by over use of roasted grain.

Hop derived flavours and aromas Flowers, perfume, herbs, grass, pine, spruce, resin, citrus, grapefruit, passionfruit, orange, lemon, lime, leaves, marmalade, mango, wine, tobacco

Normal hop flavours from different hop varieties

Cheese

A sign of old or poorly stored hops

Skunk

A sign of light strike

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

THE BREWING PROCESS by Dr Peter Aldred

There is a huge variety of beers and beer styles and most are essentially made from four main raw materials â&#x20AC;&#x201C; malted barley, water, hops and yeast. Malted barley provides most of the carbohydrates that will ultimately be broken down into sugars and fermented to produce the alcohol. Malt also provides the colour and flavour to the beer and a range of other substances important to the brewing process. There are many other sources of carbohydrates that can be used for beer production including: malted and unmalted wheat used in wheat beers and witbiers; rice, corn and cane sugar used as brewing adjuncts; rye and triticale to provide different flavours; and sorghum for gluten-free beers. Hops provide bitterness and flavour to the beer. There are probably over one hundred different hop varieties and they can produce a range of different flavours such as fruity, floral, citrusy, piney, spicey, earthy and vegetal characters. There is a whole range of other ingredients that can be used to make different styles and types of beers - herbs and spices, fruits and vegetables, chocolate, coffee, chilli have all been used to produce interesting beers. The judicious choice of raw materials and the processing techniques are important to producing beers of individual character. MALTING Before barley can be used in brewing it must be malted. The malting process is a partial germination of the barley, where it undergoes a number of modifications which result in a product more amenable to beer production. Barley grains are the seeds of barley plants - in each seed there is an embryo which will form the new barley plant, and a store of nutrients for the growing plant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the endosperm. The endosperm is mostly starch, but is surrounded by cell walls and protein. The aims of malting are to germinate the barley grains under controlled conditions in order to change the structure of the endosperm to allow access to the starch. Malt also provides the colour and flavour to the beer and a range of other substances important to the brewing process such as enzymes to break down the starch, and amino acids, vitamins and minerals necessary for yeast growth. Malting has three main steps: - Steeping - Germination - Kilning

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Steeping The initial step in malting is the steeping process, where the barley is soaked in water, increasing the moisture content of the grain, and initiating germination. The barley grains are usually soaked in water for approximately 10 hours, and then the water is removed to allow the grains to “breathe”. They are then usually submerged for another 6 – 8 hours. By the end of this steeping process germination has usually started, and chitting has occurred – the root cap being visible from the base of the grain. Germination The second step of malting is germination, where the grains are maintained in ventilated conditions, and the natural process of germination allowed to occur. Many important changes take place during the malting of barley. Firstly, a number of enzymes are produced by the germinating barley. Enzymes perfom three major chemical reactions in the barley: Break down of cell wall material; break down of proteins; and, break down of starch. The protein and cell wall material can be responsible for a number of brewing problems. Therefore, it is important to get sufficient break down of these components but without excess breakdown of starch. In Australia, germination usually takes about four days. The germinating barley is held in large ventilated vessels of consistent temperature and humidity. When germination has proceeded sufficiently, it is halted by kilning. Kilning The final stage of malting is the kilning where the germinated grains are subjected to gradually increasing temperatures to dry the grain. It is important that the temperature does not get too high when there is a high level of moisture as this would destroy the enzymes. The germinated barley is first subjected to low temperatures with large airflows to reduce initial moisture. Once the moisture gets below a certain level the temperature can be increased to gradually remove more moisture. Finally, the temperature can be increased to its curing temperature where colour and flavour development occur. The kilned malt is also in a more stable form for storage.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Types of Malts There are many different types of malts. Most beers will have a significant amount of base malt – usually a pale ale or pilsener malt. These malts are relatively light in colour, and have lots of enzymes necessary to break down the starch during mashing. They commonly make up 70 – 100% of the malt bill. Most other malts are added to provide colour and flavour to the beer. Munich and Vienna malts are essentially made the same way as pale malts, but have a slightly higher kilning temperature, resulting in slightly darker colours. These malts will provide malty, biscuity flavours to the beer. Darker malts such as amber, chocolate and roasted malts are pale malts that have been roasted in a coffee roaster for varying degrees. The increasing degree of kilning will take malts through toffee, chocolate, coffee, and finally roast / burnt and astringent type characters. Crystal malts are made slightly differently in that they are not kilned before being roasted. This results in the formation of a hard “crystal-like” endosperm. These malts can provide caramel, toffee, treacle type flavours and are often used to add a little extra body to beers. Neither the roasted or crystal malts have residual enzyme activity and rely on pale malt enzymes.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

HOPS Hops are the flowers or “cones” of a climbing vine and are the source of bitterness in beers. Hops grow in temperate climates requiring long cool summers and in Australia are predominantly grown in Tasmania and the Ovens Valley in Victoria. The bitterness comes from the alpha acids in the plants. Hops are boiled in the kettle and this causes a change in the structure of the alpha acids termed isomerisation to form iso-alpha acids. The iso-alpha acids are more soluble and provide the bitterness in beer. Different hops have different amounts of alpha acids, and those high in alpha acids are normally termed bittering hops, and favoured for solely providing bitterness. These hops are added early on in the kettle boil to optimize the extraction and isomerisation. Other hops are lower in alpha acids but favoured for their aroma and flavour qualities – these are termed aroma hops. There are some varieties that are used for both bittering and aroma. There is a large range of aroma hop varieties that provide a range of different flavours and aromas in beer. Hops can be added at a number of stages in the brewing process. A longer time spent at high temperatures will increase the bitterness, but more hop aroma will result the later they are added. Some hops can even be added to the fermenter or cask – termed “dry hopping”. WORT PRODUCTION The first phase of the brewing process is the wort production. Wort is the name for the unfermented beer – it is a sweet sticky solution. This stage occurs in the brewhouse and consists of a number of steps. Milling Milling is the process where the malt is crushed to release the starch from the grain. The malt usually passes through a series of rollers designed to give a consistent crush. It is important to break up the endosperm to allow enzymes to break access the starch and break it down into sugars. However it is also important to ensure the husk is not broken into too small pieces because it is used to filter the wort later in the lautering process. The milled grain is called grist.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Mashing The grist malt is then mixed with hot water to form the mash which has porridgelike consistency. The simpler mashing programs have the mash resting at approximately 65°C for half an hour to an hour. This is commonly called infusion mashing and is well suited to well-modified malts. There are much more complicated processes of mashing such as decoction mashing. In decoction mashing the mash starts off much cooler, eg 45°C, then a portion of the mash is removed, boiled and returned to the original mash. The process is then repeated for a double decoction or performed a total of three times for a triple decoction mash. This causes a step wise increase in temperature. Decoction mashing is commonly used when malt is under modified. A range of different reactions occur during the mashing process. Firstly, the hot water swells and dissolves the starches and allows the enzymes to break them down into sugars. A group of enzymes termed amylases, produced during barley germination, are responsible for converting starch, which is a long chain of glucose residues, into fermentable sugars. Wort Separation After the mashing is complete, the next step is to remove the wort from the “spent grains” - the malt husks and other materials left behind. The most common method is to use the spent grains as a filter, supported on a sieve-like false bottom. Initially, the wort will be cloudy so it is re-circulated back into the vessel until it runs clear and then will be transferred into the kettle. Once the major part of the wort is removed the spent grains will be “sparged”. This involves sprinkling hot water onto the grain bed to wash the residual sugars off the grain. In many smaller breweries, both the mashing and wort separation are done in the same vessel - termed a mash tun. In larger breweries the mash is transferred to a larger diameter vessel which also contains a sieve-like false bottom and a set of rakes. The larger diameter and rakes increase the speed and efficiency of wort recovery. Wort Boiling The wort is then boiled in the kettle or “copper”. Boiling provides a number of important funtions in the production of wort. First of all boiling makes the wort “sterile” – killing all the unwanted bacteria and yeast. The second important function is to extract the bitterness compounds from the hops. The bitterness compounds are termed alpha-acids, and they are extracted and undergo isomerisation in the boil to produce bitterness in the beer. Other substances are also extracted from the hops which provide other flavours and aromas. Many of these are volatile so they are added much later in the kettle boil, whereas hops for bitterness are added early in the boil.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Other compounds from the malt are also evaporated at this stage. Some of the malt compounds which give unwanted grassy, cereal or even sweet corn aromas in beer are also reduced during the boil. Boiling also precipitates unwanted proteins which can cause haze in beer. Some adjuncts such as cane sugar or candy sugar may also be added at this stage. Wort Clarification and Cooling The next step in the process is the whirlpool, where the wort is transferred into a vessel tangentially, causing a “whirlpool” action. This helps to settle all of the precipitated proteins (called trub) to the bottom of the vessel, similar to tea leaves in a cup of stirred tea. An alternative method of removing the wort is a hop back, where it is filtered through some hop cones. This has the added advantage of adding more hop aroma. The clear wort is removed from the whirlpool or hop back and chilled to fermentation temperature using a heat exchanger. At this point air or oxygen is added to increase the oxygen in the wort. The oxygen is necessary at this stage to assist the yeast to grow and divide. It is the only time when oxygen is required. It is now ready for fermentation. FERMENTATION The wort is transferred to the fermenter and the yeast added or “pitched”. There are two major classes of yeast used in brewing - the ale and lager yeasts. Ale yeasts are top fermenting, that is, they form a thick frothy head on top of the fermentation. The yeast is usually harvested from the top of the beer by skimming, and can be used in other fermentations. Ale yeasts are generally used for the production of ales and stouts, where they are exposed to warmer ferments, usually 15 - 25°C. Under certain conditions (eg cold temperatures) ale yeasts can also sink to the bottom of the vessel. Lager yeasts are bottom fermenting and are generally used for cooler ferments (usually <17°C) and hence the fermentation times are longer than those of ale yeasts (6 - 10 days as opposed to 4 - 7 days). They are harvested from the bottom of the vessel, where they settle at the completion of fermentation. During the fermentation the yeast converts the sugars to alcohol and carbon dioxide. The yeast also produces other chemical compounds which influence the flavour of the product. These include esters which will often provide a fruity flavor to the beer. For example isoamyl acetate has a banana aroma and is commonly found at detectable levels in ales and wheat beers. As with the other raw materials, the choice of yeast is particularly important in terms of the style of beer because of the different flavour components produced. Control of temperature is critical during fermentations, as minor changes to the temperature can result in large changes to the flavour profile – eg higher temperatures will lead to increased ester production.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

At the completion of fermentation the fermenters are chilled to less than 4°C to sediment the yeast. The yeast is removed and either stored for reuse or disposed of. The beer is transferred to the maturation vessel. There are many different types of vessels used for fermentation, they range from small open fermenters more often used in the UK to other larger stainless steel vessels holding well over 500,000 litres. These large fermenters will need many brews added before they are full. FINISHING The beer undergoes a number of final processes to ensure a consistent and palatable product is distributed. Flavour Maturation After the beer is removed from most of the yeast, it is placed in cold storage (approximately 0°C) for 14 - 21 days for flavour maturation and cold break formation. The remaining yeast will continue to act on the beer and to remove unwanted flavour compounds such as diacetyl, which has a buttery or butterscotch like aroma. This is very important to get good flavour particularly for lagers. The maturation also gives time for yeast and other haze forming particles to sediment and settle to the bottom of the maturation vessel. This “lagering” or storage is a most important stage in production of lagers – characterised by their smooth taste and clarity. It also helps to prevent the formation of haze in the final container. Clarification Most beers undergo filtration to ensure the final removal of yeast and haze, and ensuring a clear product. It is placed into a bright beer tank ready for final checking and packaging. In some cases the beer is passed through a fine filter to ensure removal of all bacteria - sterile filtration. This beer does not require pasteurisation. Not all beers are filtered, and many undergo a second fermentation in the bottle or keg – so called bottle conditioned or keg conditioned. This is an alternative method of carbonating the beer. These beers will still contain yeast in the bottle or keg and will often have a cloud or haze.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

Quality Adjustment & Control Final checks are done on the beer to ensure a consistent product. These include checking the alcohol level, pH, colour, bitterness, flavour and carbonation. In some cases bittering substances - â&#x20AC;&#x153;hop extractsâ&#x20AC;? are added at this stage. Packaging The beer is now ready for packaging into kegs, bottles or cans. Beer that is packaged into kegs is flash pasteurised before transfer into the vessel, whereas beer packaged into bottles and cans is packaged first, then pasteurised in the container.

The Beer Lovers Guide to Tasting Beer

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