Help me improve my palate

[The_Glue]

I've just opened a bottle of St. Bernardus Abt 12 (a stock one, not a clone) and to be totally honest with you it mostly tasted like a light commercial lager mixed with cola to me.

(i am not try to bringing this beer down btw, it could have been any light-hopped belgian beer i think)

(about my background: i started buying craft beers about 2-3 years ago, i only buy them like once a month because there is like only one shop in my country with the quality stuff, i have tasted about 50 different beers along that time, my favourites were HC IPA, Hop'Ottin IPA and I Hardcore You)

I checked out some reviews on BA and RB before i opened the bottle to see what "should" i taste but to be honest i just felt sweetness, a little alcohol in the background, some malty/roasty taste and fizzyness but none of the stuff in the reviews like different fruits, spices and other ingredients.

I am much more "receptive" to hops though, maybe i should stick to IPAs but this little beer tasting session almost caused a light existential crisis in me, like i should just stick to commercial lagers and give up on homebrewing.

The beer was around 58F when i tasted it.

 

[JonK331]

Exposing yourself to more non-beer aromas and flavors will make it easier to pick out what you're tasting. For example, it would be very hard if not impossible to pick a rosemary or thyme flavor out of a food dish if you've never tasted/smelled those herbs before. Try to expose yourself to different types of malts by actually tasting them in your lhbs. Also taste/smell all of the things that are used to describe beer flavors. It's kind of a fun exercise to actually have some of the descriptors of a particular beer when you are tasting it. If you read the description of a beer and it says there are hints of clove, banana, and bubblegum, go out and buy those things and taste/smell them with the beer. It helps your brain associate flavors with things that don't necessarily resemble what they look like.

 

[The_Glue]

Exposing yourself to more non-beer aromas and flavors will make it easier to pick out what you're tasting. For example, it would be very hard if not impossible to pick a rosemary or thyme flavor out of a food dish if you've never tasted/smelled those herbs before. Try to expose yourself to different types of malts by actually tasting them in your lhbs. Also taste/smell all of the things that are used to describe beer flavors. It's kind of a fun exercise to actually have some of the descriptors of a particular beer when you are tasting it. If you read the description of a beer and it says there are hints of clove, banana, and bubblegum, go out and buy those things and taste/smell them with the beer. It helps your brain associate flavors with things that don't necessarily resemble what they look like.

that sounds fun

can i make little 'soups' of different hops and compare them?

i think next time i will taste a beer i will taste some of the fruits, spices etc. mentioned in that beer's review

btw maybe i should have mentioned it but the beer was gushing when i opened it, maybe it was infected or something but it did not tasted sour or bad in any way

 

[cluckk]

Another thing is to pay attention at each part of the taste and try to pick out different characteristics. Sniff the beer, and ask yourself what aromas you can pick out. As you take a sip, draw some air in with it and allow it to flow over your pallet and ask yourself what your first impression was and as it flows around your mouth what things come to mind. Think about what flavors you are getting. To say sweet, there are many things that can be sweet. Is it a fruit, syrup or sugary sweetness? Does it remind you of anything? Even if it is just a passing impression, it helps. As you swallow the beer feel how it goes down your throat and ask yourself more questions. Does the flavor linger or is it replaced with an astringency, bitterness or other flavors? Afterwards does your pallet feel clean or coated?

For a long time, I found it hard to pick out flavors and describing beers. What helped was slowing down and at each step asking more questions in my head.

** replace pallet with palate at each point above. Don't pour beer over your pallets.

 

[erockdoc]

Start buying and brewing SMASH beers (Single Malt Single Hops), or beers with a constant malt profile, but different hops or different yeast, or vice versa. Mikkeller is a great brewer that does a lot of these, with the sole purpose of comparing different yeasts or hops side by side. Sam Adams also sometimes releases single hop beers that I find really helpful in narrowing my palate.

 

[drainbamage]

Try attending some beer tasting events at the breweries or bars. They've been helpful for me hearing from the brewer what malts, hops, and spices they used, plus you know you're tasting fresh batches that haven't been sitting in a warehouse or on a store shelf for God knows how long. At some of home ones I've gone to, they've had samples of the ingredients on hand for you to smell or taste alongside the beer. That way you can start to isolate certain characteristics in the beer.