Your Guide to Beer Tasting

In Short:

Here at Majestic, we don’t only have the inside track on wine – we know a thing or two about beer too. So if you’re a beer aficionado or just appreciate a refreshing brew on a sunny day, explore our handy guide to all things beer below, from the best temperature to serve your favourite pint to how to properly experience a beer’s aromas.

Does a beer’s temperature matter?

To properly appreciate the taste of a beer, it needs to be served at the right temperature depending on its style. This will open up its aroma characteristics, and in turn, elevate your tasting experience.

Top Tip!
As a general rule of thumb, he lighter the beer, the colder it should be!

At what temperature should you serve… lighter lagers

Lighter lagers like Peroni Nastro Azzurro are best served well-chilled, somewhere between 4 and 6 degrees Celsius. This temperature preserves all the flavours and aromas of the beer, whilst guaranteeing a fresh and delicious texture – perfect for a summertime tipple!

At what temperature should you serve… Spanish beer

Full-bodied, extra smooth Spanish beer like Alhambra Reserva is best served at a cool 6-8 degrees Celsius, to bring out its perfect balance of bitter orange notes and a slightly caramelised finish.

At what temperature should you serve… English bitter

Bronze-coloured English bitter like St Austell Tribute has a rich aroma of biscuity malt and tart citrus fruit, ending with a long and lingering finish. A serving temperature of 12 degrees Celsius would open up its flavours and allow you to appreciate it at its best!

Varying shades of beer

Hold your beer up to the light to observe its hue. This can range from straw-coloured to black. Note that in beer, clarity is not indicative of quality and a cloudy appearance can be either intentional, or dependent on its filtration method.

What does the head of a beer tell you?
The head of a beer can also reveal interesting details, for example, beers with a lower alcohol content should have good head retention. Head retention can also indicate a well-crafted beer made from high quality ingredients.

Don’t underestimate the importance of a beer’s aroma…
Aroma makes up 80% of flavour, so it's incredibly important to take the time to appreciate and evaluate it. To properly experience a beer’s aroma, gently swirl the glass, which helps oxygen to mix with the beer, releasing a more pronounced scent.

What makes up a beer’s texture?

Texture, or ‘mouthfeel,’ will vary massively across different types of beer and can be broken down to the following components

Body
Astringency
Carbonation

Top tip!
Taking a series of short and long sniffs before you take your first sip will build up your familiarity with different aroma characteristics, helping to evolve your palate.

How to pair beer with food

Thanks to the huge variety and relative incomplexity of beer, it intreacts wonderfully well with food. Our Beer Buyer Jono recommends pairing a fragrant Thai curry alongside a crisp and clean Paulaner Münchner Hell.

Top tip!
Here are more delicious beer pairings you might want to try…