Glossary of Tasting Terms

Adjuncts

Any unmalted cereal grain or fermentable ingredients such as rice, corn or sugar added to beer which contributes fermentable sugar without adding flavor or nutritional value.

Amber

Describes the style or color of a beer between pale and dark, sometimes with a reddish hue.

Balance

The combination and relationship of components in a beer. When neither the sweetness of malt nor the bitterness of hops predominates a beer is said to be well balanced. (See well balanced.)

Belgian lace

Residual head pattern remaining on the side of the glass due to high glycerin levels.

Bitter

 

Hops and other herbs have bittering qualities that contrast with the sweetness of malt.

Big

Fullness of flavor due to the richness of malt, and usually the presence of high alcohol and/or sugar.

Bitterness Units (IBUs)

Scale used by brewers to determine the volume and intensity of hops.

Black

A term that describes dark brown, almost opaque beers.

Bland

Not complimentary. Mild, easy, characterless; not unpleasant.

Body

The texture or viscosity in the mouth as a result of malt proteins and dextrins that have not been fermented.

Bouquet

The overall effect or synergy of all of the different elements of a beer’s aroma.

Buttery

Self-descriptive smell and taste (not texture) caused by the presence of diacetyl.

Caramel

A slightly burnt, toffee-like flavor.

Character

A beer of any quality, which has unmistakable and distinctive features.

Clean

Absence of foreign and unpleasant odors or flavors.

Clove

A herbaceous flavor often associated with wheat beers.

Cloying

A sweet and heavy beer which lacks the acidity to make it crisp and interesting.

Coarse

Rough texture; lacking breed.

Crisp

A desirable feature in Weiss beers and pils; firm, refreshing, positive acidity.

Depth

Richness, subtlety; seemingly layers of flavors all interlocked.

Fermentation

Scientific term for the process that converts sugar into alcohol and CO₂.

Finesse

Grace, delicacy, breed, distinction. Elegant, with a stylish balance and refined quality.

Finish

The final taste. A beer cannot be considered well balanced without a good finish.

Flat

Dull, insipid, lacking carbonation and/or acidity.

Flowery

Fragrant, flowerlike. Hops are a flower with a beautiful herbal aroma.

Fresh

A beer without detectable traces of oxidation. Fresh beer can be several months or years old!

Fruity

The presence in beer of grape, apple, blackberry, cherry, black currant, newly mown hay, peach, pear, apricots, banana or other trace flavors known as esters. Not to be confused with beers such as Lambics which are actually made with fruits.

Full-bodied

An abundance of flavors, especially malt, in the taste of beers. Not necessarily high in alcohol.

Haze

Protein or yeast in suspension, giving beer a turbidity and mouth feel.

Head

The foam on top of a glass of beer. The best beers can have a head composed of small, tightly packed bubbles, or a large, billowing, uneven head. The head can easily be ruined by using a glass that is not "beer clean" (thoroughly rinsed with cold water until no soap residue remains).

Heavy

Not necessarily a complimentary term. Lacking in acidity and poorly balanced.

Hops

The female flowers of the perennial hop plant, Humulus Lupulus.

Malting

The process of moistening grain, allowing it to germinate, and then stopping germination by heating or drying in a kiln. Malting converts insoluble starch in barley into sugars that can be fermented.

Malty

A beer with an earthy flavor of roasted malt. Malty flavors include caramel, treacle, molasses, smoke, roasted, coffee-like and earthy.

Microbrew

Beer produced by a small brewery that makes all-malt beers according to traditional recipes.

Mouth feel

The texture and temperature of a beer as felt by the mouth.

Oxidized

Flat, stale, off-taste due to exposure to oxygen.

Rich

Should not automatically imply sweetness although it often does in barley wines and other high-gravity brews.

Silky

A firm yet distinctly soft texture on the palate. A characteristic of stouts and porters.

Smooth

Soft, easy texture. No rough edges.

Spicy

A rich aroma and flavor bestowed mostly by hops, and occasionally by other natural seasonings and preservatives such as oregano, orange peel, lemon, peppers and coriander.

Styles

Traditional categorization of classic beer tastes based on different recipes.

Taste

The sensory impression imparted on the taste buds when food or drink is consumed.

Thin

Deficient in natural properties; watery, lacking body.

Well-balanced

A beer in which neither the sweetness of the malt nor the bitterness of the hops predominates. (See balance.)

Yeast

An organic compound that feeds on the sugars present in the sweet wort and creates two by-products: alcohol and carbon dioxide. Louis Pasteur first discovered its true role in the late 19th century. In the Middle Ages, it was known as "God is good."