Beer Tastes + Aromas

Question 1

Acetaldehyde

Answer 1

Green apple aroma, a byproduct of fermentation.

Question 2

Astringent

Answer 2

A drying, puckering taste; tannic; can be derived from boiling the grains, long mashes, over sparging or sparging with hard water.

Question 3

Bitter

Answer 3

Bitterness of hops or malt husks; sensation on back of tongue.

Question 4

Body

Answer 4

Thickness and mouth-filling property of a beer described as “full or thin bodied”.

Question 5

Cabbagelike

Answer 5

Aroma and taste of cooked vegetables; often a result of wort spoilage bacteria killed by alcohol in fermentation.

Question 6

Caramel malt

Answer 6

A sweet, coppery-colored malt. Caramel or crystal malt imparts both color and flavor to beer. Caramel malt has a high concentration of unfermentable sugars that sweeten the beer and, contribute to head retention.

Question 7

Chlorophenolic

Answer 7

A plasticlike aroma; caused by chemical combination of chlorine and organic compounds.

Question 8

Clovelike

Answer 8

Spicy character reminiscent of cloves; characteristic of some wheat beers, or if excessive, may derive from wild yeast.

Question 9

Ester

Answer 9

Volatile flavor compound naturally created in fermentation. Often fruity, flowery or spicy.

Question 10

Estery

Answer 10

Fruity. Aroma or flavor reminiscent of flowers or fruits. Flavor and aroma of bananas, strawberries, apples, or other fruit; from high temperature fermentation and certain yeast strains.

Question 11

Grainy

Answer 11

Tastes like cereal or raw grain.

Question 12

Hang

Answer 12

Lingering bitterness or harshness.

Question 13

Hops

Answer 13

Herb added to boiling wort or fermenting beer to impart a bitter aroma and flavor.

Question 14

Hoppy

Answer 14

Aroma of hops, does not include hop bitterness.

Question 15

Light-Struck

Answer 15

Skunklike smell; from exposure to light.

Question 16

Metallic

Answer 16

Tastes tinny, bloodlike or coinlike; may come from bottle caps.

Question 17

Mouthfeel

Answer 17

A sensation derived from the consistency or viscosity of a beer, described, for example as thin or full.

Question 18

Musty

Answer 18

Moldy, mildewy character; can be the result of cork or bacterial infection.

Question 19

Oxidized

Answer 19

Stale flavor of wet cardboard, paper, rotten pineapple, or sherry, as a result of oxygen as the beer ages or is exposed to high temperatures.

Question 20

Phenolic

Answer 20

Flavor and aroma of medicine, plastic, Band-Aids, smoke, or cloves; caused by wild yeast or bacteria, or sanitizer residue.

Question 21

Salty

Answer 21

Flavor like table salt; experienced on the side of the tongue.

Question 22

Solventlike

Answer 22

Reminiscent of acetone or lacquer thinner; caused by high fermentation temperatures.

Question 23

Sour/Acidic

Answer 23

Vinegarlike or lemonlike; can be caused by bacterial infection.

Question 24

Sweet

Answer 24

Taste like sugar; experienced on the front of the tongue.

Question 25

Sulfurlike

Answer 25

Reminiscent of rotten eggs or burnt matches; a by-product of some yeast’s.

Question 26

Vinous

Answer 26

Reminiscent of wine.

Question 27

Winy

Answer 27

Sherrylike flavor; can be caused by warm fermentation or oxidation in very old beer.

Question 28

Yeasty

Answer 28

Yeastlike flavor; a result of yeast in suspension or beer sitting too long on sediment.