It seems like wine gets all the glory when it comes to tasting. But beer tasting can be just as nuanced and there are, in fact, guidelines for describing and enjoying certain types of beer. We’ve put together a handy little cheat sheet so you can start beer tasting like a pro and add beer sommelier to your list of survival skills. 

What Is The Process Of Beer Tasting?

Proper beer tasting involves five steps for five senses, of course: Look, Smell, Taste, Feel, and Hear. Just kidding, you don’t listen to the beer. You can if you want to, though. “We listen, we don’t judge,” and all that. 

Anyway, the first four are correct. But before you Smell, you Swirl. Let’s go in to way more detail:

Beer Tasting Step 1: Look At It

Before your taste buds get involved, your eyes set the stage. Just like with wine or a fine meal, appearance matters.

What to Observe:

• Color: Beer comes in a rainbow of hues—from pale straw to deep amber, ruby red, coffee brown, and even jet black. These colors come from the malts used and may hint at flavors like caramel, chocolate, or roast.
• Clarity: Is it brilliantly clear, slightly hazy, or completely opaque? Some styles (like IPAs or saisons) are intentionally hazy, while lagers are often filtered for brilliance.
• Head Formation: The frothy foam, or “head,” tells you a lot about carbonation and ingredients. A thick, persistent head with fine bubbles is usually a good sign of quality. Observe how quickly it dissipates and whether it leaves “lacing” (foam trails) on the glass.
• Bubbles: Notice the stream of carbonation rising from the bottom—are they small and consistent, or big and aggressive?

Pro Tip: Always use a clean, stemmed glass for tasting. Residual oils or detergent can ruin head retention and alter aroma perception.

Beer Tasting Step 2: Swirl It 

A gentle swirl is more than dramatic flair—it activates volatile compounds in the beer to release hidden aromas.

Why Swirl?

• It agitates the beer slightly, introducing oxygen and allowing trapped scents to escape.
• It helps assess head retention and carbonation behavior after agitation.

Pro Tip: Hold the glass at the base and give a small wrist twist. Don’t go full tornado—you want to awaken the aromas, not flatten the carbonation.

Beer Tasting Step 3: Smell It

Your nose is more sensitive than your tongue—roughly 80% of what you “taste” is actually aroma. Take this step seriously.

What to Sniff Out:

• Hop aromas: Citrus, pine, floral, grassy, tropical, herbal, dank.
• Malt aromas: Bread, biscuit, honey, toast, toffee, caramel, coffee, chocolate.
• Yeast characteristics: Fruity esters (banana, pear, apple), spicy phenols (clove, pepper), funk (barnyard, leather) in wild or Belgian styles.
• Other notes: Vanilla, smoke, oak, herbs, or adjuncts like fruit and spices.

How to Smell:

• Take quick, shallow sniffs first.
• Then take one long, deep inhalation.
• Smell with your mouth slightly open to engage retronasal olfaction. This might sound a little nuts, but have you ever watched a wine sommelier? That gargle, swish, and spit that shiz back out again. A little retronasal olfaction is pretty normal by comparison.  

Pro Tip: Cover the glass with your hand after swirling, then uncover and smell immediately for a more concentrated hit of aroma. It’s why they cover candles. 

Beer Tasting Step 4: Taste It 

Finally! Time to take a sip—but don’t rush it. Let the beer roll over your entire tongue.

Flavor Components to Identify:

• Sweetness: From residual sugars and malt.
• Bitterness: Mostly from hops, though dark roasted malts can also taste bitter.
• Sourness or acidity: Common in sour styles, often from lactobacillus or wild yeast.
• Saltiness or umami: Rare, but present in styles like Gose or smoked beers.
• Balance: Are any flavors overwhelming, or is there harmony?

Flavor Journey:

• Attack (first impression): What hits you first?
• Mid-palate (development): How do flavors evolve as the beer warms?
• Finish (aftertaste): Does it end clean, bitter, dry, sweet, or lingering?

Pro Tip: Take small sips and “chew” the beer to expose it to all taste receptors. Take notes on changes as the beer warms slightly—temperature affects flavor.

Beer Tasting Step 5: Feel It

Mouthfeel is the tactile sensation of the beer in your mouth. It’s like the difference between sipping milk and sparkling water—same temperature, totally different sensations.

What to Notice:

• Body: Light (like a pilsner), medium (like a pale ale), or full (like a stout).
• Carbonation: Fizzy, soft, prickly, or creamy?
• Astringency: A drying sensation, sometimes from hops or dark malts.
• Creaminess or slickness: Some beers, especially those with oats or lactose, have a silky or oily texture.

Pro Tip: Compare different styles side-by-side to really highlight differences in mouthfeel. A West Coast IPA and a milk stout will feel dramatically different. 

Can You Actually Be A Professional Beer Taster?

Yes, you can. A beer sommelier is called a “cicerone,” and the certification program is not dissimilar from the wine tasting process. Like the sommelier test, it involves four levels (but with different names):

1. Certified Beer Server
2. Certified Cicerone®
3. Advanced Cicerone®
4. Master Cicerone®

The highest level test is difficult but not as infamously rigorous as the Master Sommelier certification, which only some 3-6 percent pass the first time. Still, only 10-15 percent pass the Master Cicerone on the first go, so it’s no cakewalk.

Both the Master Somm and Master Cicerone focus on food pairings and service and include a blind taste test. The cicerone will also be able to identify “off” flavors in beer. 

BJCP – Beer Judge Certification Program

For those more focused on competition judging, the BJCP trains people to objectively evaluate beers according to style guidelines. BJCP judges are commonly seen at homebrew competitions and festivals.

Test Your Beer Tasting Skills With Us

Now that you’re a profesh, come wow our tasting room with your skills. We’ll draw you one on tap, and you tell us what you think. Oh, this is gonna be fun. And remember that practice makes perfect, so you’re going to need to drink a lot of beer. For science. And a career. Hey, that rhymed! 

Join us this Saturday, April 26, for our Fish Fry Event: we’re tapping our Colorado Greenback IPA alongside Nashville Hot Fried Fish by Number 38. The crisp, grapefruit flavors of the Greenback were made to be enjoyed alongside a piece of fried fish goodness. Oh, and we’ll have live music by Tennyson, too. Be there or be square. 

The Diebolt Crew

We're a family-owned craft brewery serving Denver, Colorado since 2013. We love making beer, talking about beer, thinking about beer, and especially drinking beer.

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