Craft brewery is quickly transforming into a community hub as purveyors of all ages gather to enjoy a common love for the finer things in life. Beyond your usual wine and dine, tasting rooms are making room for craft beer in their shelves as experimental products and delectable beer emerge left and right.
Fortunately, you don’t need to be a connoisseur or a seasoned expert to taste the latest trends and releases. Knowing the proper etiquette to tasting craft beer can make a world of difference in your experience, so hop on board and try not to get trashed along the way:
1. Pour Into a Glass When Trying New Beer
Whether you’re served with canned, bottled, or draft beer, the best way to explore the cold drink’s full flavour and aroma is to pour a considerable amount onto the right glassware. This will help you see the colour of the beer up close – from a light, pale-golden, a rich amber, a vibrant dark brown to nearly black hues.
It serves as a visual cue for the qualities of the beer as you go from crisp to bold as the colour goes from light to dark. As for the glass, the type you choose will have a significant influence on the beer’s flavour.
2. Choose the Appropriate Glassware
As for the glass, the type you choose will have a significant influence on the beer’s flavour. The imperial pint, for instance, has a small lip at the mouth for tasting ales and lagers.
Pilsner glasses, on the other hand, is designed to be tall, slim, and wide at the mouth to showcase the sparkle and clarity of lighter beers. Tulip glasses are best for promoting the aroma and enhancing your sensory experience as the bulbous body and flared lip stimulates the flavours.
3. Always Taste Beer at the Correct Temperature
If you want to explore the full flavours of craft beer without any limitations, take a cold swig on this fact: don’t overchill your drinks. Colder temperatures can inhibit the tongue and numb your palate, which will blunt your taste buds from enjoying the nuanced flavours of craft beer. With that in mind, it’s best to enjoy winning titles like the British Ale, high-gravity Barley Wines, and Bocks with a slight chill to open up the volatile aromatics.
4. Drink Your Beer Selections in Order
Drinking beer in one sitting requires careful thinking and strategy if you want to maximize the experience. A smart tactic to preserve your taste buds is to drink your beer selections in order – from the lightest mouthfeel to the heaviest ABV beers. Starting from a stronger batch can overwhelm your palette and ruin the taste of lighter beers, so be sure to taste in order to prevent muddling your tongue.
In Conclusion
Tasting craft beer goes beyond chugging down drinks after drinks as an ender to a late-night grub. It takes restraint and basic knowledge to get the most of your suds, that’s why the guide above aims to help you get started on exploring the hop of the class in your local brewery.
If you are looking to go for beer tours in the Geelong region of Australia, book your tour with us today!