Today is the off flavor taste test for benzaldehyde, colloquially known as “almond”, although I don’t really think that’s a good descriptor of it. The almost I know is a earthy, crunchy, dry, and nutty flavor. Although I understand now that they mean more of a ‘candied almond paste’ effect, like marzipan, calling it almost […]
Beer Tasting
Off Flavor Taste Test #2: Acetic Acid
As a continuation of my comprehensive taste test kit I bought from Siebel Institute, last weekend I conducted off flavor taste test #2 and #3. If you missed #1, acetyldehyde, think…raw pumpkin and fresh cut grass. But today we are going to be talking about acetic acid, which is probably much more easily identifiable, but harder […]
Off-Flavor Taste Test #1 : Acetyldehyde
About two weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and purchase Siebel Institute’s Comprehensive Sensory Training Kit to improve my craft beer tasting skills. It was pricey at $250, but because I’ll be using it myself I can get a few tests out of each flavor. Each vial is enough to dose 1L of […]
Tasting Notes for West Coast (American) IPA: Green Flash, Dogfish Head, Red Hook, Stone
I was pretty excited to do my IPA tasting for two reasons. One, my ESB tasting (link) last week went really well and I think I learned a lot. But the biggest reason is that hops are a huge part of brewing craft beer (and beer in general), but I still can’t identify the various hop flavors very well. The difference between floral, grassy, citrusy, earthy, and other hop flavors is still a mystery to me.
Basic Beer Tasting Skills: Malty VS Hoppy and Body
Tasting beer can seem a little complex, particularly for people who have not tried it much before. There is much more to tasting beer than simply taking a gulp and saying whether the beer was any good or not.