You may be surprised to learn that how you taste beer can impact your experience with it. While this beverage is often associated with simple pleasures like relaxation and sporting events, there’s a lot more complexity to it than most people realize. Don’t neglect the following things if you want to develop your relationship with beer a little more:
Pre-Prepare for the Occasion
What you’ve been doing before drinking beer may impact your experience. For example, you may feel intoxicated faster if you haven’t eaten, or tired if you’ve had a full day of entertainment before settling in for a beer-tasting event.
Pre-prepare for the occasion by ensuring you’re hydrated, satiated, and in good spirits. If you’re taking other substances like Delta-8 THC before beer-tasting, ensure you’ve left enough time for the effects to subside.
Choose Your Order Wisely
If you are attending a beer tasting event with other people, it can be tempting to taste those that are closest to you at that moment. However, how your taste buds react to different flavors can end up impacting your experience.
Begin with the sweetest or mildest beers first, when your taste buds are fresh and able to appreciate their subtleties. You can then move on to flavors with more intensity, such as stout or porter. The richer the beer, the more critical it is to taste them after you have explored your lighter, fruitier beers first.
Pour and Drink With Care
Most beer guides will state that there is a right and wrong way to pour, serve, and drink beer. Unless you are attending a tasting session with pre-poured drinks, it may help to be aware of how you can improve your experience based on these factors. Always pour beer into the center of a room-temperature glass. If the glass is frosted, it may kill the beer’s carbonation. Wait for the foam to settle after you pour it, then drink it in small sips.
Drink It At the Right Temperature
According to the Homebrewers Association, all beer should be served between 38 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Lagers should be colder than ales, and darker beer warmer than lighter varieties. Paying attention to temperature is also crucial with craft beers. The colder the beer is, the more your taste buds can be inhibited. Some beers are best served slightly chilled to allow their flavors to shine through.
Use the Correct Glassware
When you attend beer tasting events, beers are served in the most appropriate glasses to enhance their flavor. However, if you are simply enjoying a glass of beer at home, you may not know how much the shape of your glass can impact the beverage’s flavor.
If your beer of choice has a high ABV, a chalice or goblet may be the better choice. A pilsner glass may be the best option for lagers and pilsners, while aromatic brews partner beautifully with thistle or tulip glasses.
While you might think flutes are only for champagne, they actually suit fruit beers quite well, and you may not go wrong with a pint glass for most store-bought beer varieties when you are in a pinch.
Getting the most out of your beer-drinking experience can require research and practice. Attend special tasting events and make a point of always finding out more about particular beer varieties before you try them. Most importantly, drink responsibly.
