How to Taste a Beer – Part I – Keeping a Journal

While it is very easy to taste a beer and know if you like it, it's sometimes a lot harder to know why you like it.  If you really want to begin understanding your own tastes in beer and knowing what you like and what you don't, and if you want to really explore your love for the sudsy stuff, I highly recommend starting a beer journal. 

Moleskine Pocket Notebook

I started my first beer journal in a little pocket moleskine notebook in 2007.  I used a rating system based pretty closely on that used by ratebeer.com.  RateBeer's system involves first rating the beer's attributes (appearance, aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel) separately, and then giving the beer an overall score.  The appearance and mouthfeel are weighted slightly lower than the aroma and flavor, but in the end the overall rating is more dependent on how the attributes work together than on anything else.

In my journal, for instance, I first record the name of the beer and the brewer at the top of the page.  I then wrote whether it was a bottle, can, or draft, the date I recorded the entry, and the Alcohol by volume (for my own reference).  I then rate the appearance on a rating of one to five, and make notes about the appearance.  Then, I rate the aroma on a scale of one to ten, similarly pausing to write notes.  When I taste the beer, I do so first for flavor, and then for mouthfeel.  The flavor is rated from one to ten, and includes any finish or aftertaste in the beer.  The mouthfeel is rated from one to five, and is based on how the beer feels on your tongue.  In the end, I go through all of the sensory experiences and consider them together, and rate the overall beer rating out of twenty.

This method has its advantages and disadvantages, but it really works well for someone just getting used to really paying attention to what's in his or her glass. 

Breaking the flavors and sensations of beer into the separate sensory experiences of the beer helps me to understand what parts of the beer work for me and what parts don't. 

Of course, I don't always drink beer this way.  As a matter of fact, most of the time, I just taste and enjoy.  However, when I really want to make sure I take my time and analyze a beer, I write it down.

Evernote for iPhone

Of course, there are lots of ways to record your thoughts on a beer.  Some more tech-obsessed aficionados might record audio notes on their phone, or type out there notes in text memos or emails to themselves.  I experimented for a little while with using EverNote for iPhone (a very handy app if you can wait for the pages to load.  You can even take a picture of the label, and it will let you search it later by tags.)  You might also go directly to ratebeer.com on your phone and record your notes online. 

My favorite method is still the pen and pocket notebook, but that is because it tends to be less intrusive, and takes less time than waiting for screens to load.  There are also pre-made journals out there.  There's one called "The Beer Journal" which seems like it might serve the purpose if you want to pay for it.  It's a little large for a pocket, and seems to try and force the beer drinker into trying 80 different styles.  Following through with it will definitely open the eyes of someone still trying to develop their taste for beer, but I prefer a little more freedom.

33beers utilizes a flavor wheel

There's also the far more promising journal from 33beers.com which uses a flavor-wheel, and is designed specifically for beer lovers by beer lovers.  I like that it asks you specific questions about the beer, and is designed for ease-of-use.  The flavor wheel also helps to break up the sensory experience into 16 sections, and the beer drinker maps the flavor according to his or her personal experience.

 I don't know, though.  I think I prefer my method.  It costs less and seems to work just fine.  You should keep a journal and do it your way.  You don't have to fit into any of these methods.  Keep it simple, though. After all, you don't want spend so much time rating your beer that you forget to enjoy it.