Beer Terms 101
Appearance
Often overlooked, appearance
can give one an idea of what to expect from a brew. But watch out! Looks can be
very deceiving
BEAD
Describes the bubbles in a beer. Well made beer will have very fine bubbles
rising from the bottom of the glass .
BELGIAN LACE
or BRUSSELS LACE
Traces of head left on the glass as a beer is consumed
CLOUDINESS
A condition not normal for beer except in bottled beer where yeast is added at
bottling. This brewing practice adds additional fermentation and depth of
character
COLOR/COLOUR
StrawYellowGoldBlondAmberCopperBrownRed-BrownBlack
Color
in beer is created by the addition of specialty malts. The degree of roast and
amount used create various nuances of color
HAZE
Similar in appearance to cloudiness, this occurs when a natural beer is
over-chilled. Certain proteins coagulate together forming the haze. This does
not harm the flavor of the beer and will dissipate as the liquid warms up
HEAD
Foam generated at the top of a beer as it is poured
OPACITY
The Simplicity Online Dictionary describes
OPACITY this way: the quality or state of a body that makes it impervious to the rays of
light. Simply put, the term describes the shadiness of a beer.
ROCKY
Beer with a thick, creamy head
THIN
Describes any beer without a great deal of texture
Aroma
This is the most fleeting of
impressions when tasting beer, and one brewers work very hard at. At its most
complex, hints of malt, hop and yeast can be detected. At its simplest, it can
be the straight-forward aroma of a single variety of hop, or the sweetness of
malt. Because it disperses so rapidly, sampling the aroma is usually the first
step in beer tasting
BOUQUET
Nose produced by the grain used in the
beer
CLEAN
Well-defined aroma/bouquet characteristics. Having impressions of apples, pears,
banana, black currant, etc.
COMPLEX
Interaction between aroma and bouquet producing many different impressions
EARTHY
A characteristic that certain varieties of hops bring to the nose of a beer
ESTERS
Produced by malt, these are impressions that can be floral, spicy, or citric
MALTY
Various impressions from sweetness to graininess
SKUNKY and/or
MUSTY
Stale beer or beer exposed to light too long often tends to have these
unfavorable qualities
SMOKY
Can be a very faint impression or powerful, as in a German rauchbier
VINEOUS or
FRUITY
Having the aromatic impression of grapes
Taste
The two most basic
impressions of taste in beer are sweetness which comes from the malts, and
bitterness or dryness which comes from the hops. And of course, what would beer
be without its great taste?
ALCOHOL
A bitterness that leaves a warm, often unpleasant, feeling in the mouth. If
alcohol taste is apparent in all but the strongest beers, the beer is said to be
out of balance
APPLEY
An ester produced from yeast's interaction with the malt
BALANCE
The relationship between the sweetness of malt and the bitterness of the hops
BITTER
Self explanatory impression. Bitterness is generally proportionate to the ratio
of hops to malt
CARAMEL
A higher percentage of crystal malt will produce this taste
CLEAN
A fresh impression with a good balance between the various elements
COARSE
A beer that is poorly brewed or one not in balance
CRISP
When all taste characteristics are well-defined, a beer is said to be in balance
DRY
Predominate hop taste with little or no sugars from the malt
DIACETYL
A by-product of fermentation with an impression of butterscotch
ESPRESSO
A higher percentage of black patent malt creates this taste
FLAT
A general lack of carbonation. Usually in old or poorly produced brew
HERBACEOUS
Impression of hop particularly noticeable in a fresh beer
HOPS
A main ingredient in beer, hoppiness
describes the general taste of bitterness, with impressions of spiciness or
earthiness
MOLASSES
Another variation in taste coming from malts
RICH
Describes a substantial malt body
SALTY
Often unpleasant impression left by excessive amounts of sodium, calcium or,
occasionally, magnesium
SMOOTHNESS
The palatable quality of having no rough edges through the palate
STRONG
Usually a favorable quality, the word STRONG here describes a high alcohol
content balanced by a richness of flavor
SWEETNESS
The general taste impression left by malt
THICK
Impression of fullness left by the beer while in the mouth
THIN
Watery tasting beer
VINEOUS
Grape or wine-like impression on the palate
YEAST
An acquired taste for the casual beer drinker, this characteristic is most
evident in German weiss beers