How to taste beer like a professional

Michael Donaldson is chair of judges at the New World Beer and Cider Awards 2022. Photo / Supplied

If you reckon you can drink 70 beers in a day and still manage to distinguish your doppelbocks from your dunkelweizens, then maybe you are cut out to be a professional beer judge.

The 2022 New World Beer & Cider Awards top 30 are announced today and that means somebody had the difficult job of tasting almost 700 entries.

Chair of judges Michael Donaldson and his (very) merry band of beer tasters spent three days tasting, sniffing, swirling, analysing, drinking and gently debating (bar fights are not allowed) to find the best drops.

And, unlike with wine where tasters spit, beer-tasters are required to drink the beverage down to determine its "finish".

But it takes more than a cast-iron constitution and a convivial disposition to judge beers.

It requires a discerning palate, a vocabulary of descriptive words and, presumably, for when drinking the modern craftier interpretations, a hipster beard (Michael does have a beard but swears he's not a hipster).

Although beers in the awards are judged on their adherence to style (lager/pilsner, pale ale/IPA, stout/porter, sour, hazy, hefeweizen or the aforementioned doppelbock or dunkelweizen, for example), the judges are looking for balance, drinkability and straight-up enjoyability.

The result is less a strict technical exercise in congratulating brewers for beer correctness and more a list of brews you would happily recommend to friends.

How to taste a beer like the professionals

So, how should you judge a beer?

1. Have a look
For starters, the beer should always be poured into a glass, which allows you to look at the liquid, take in the aroma and is better for tasting. Consider the colour and clarity. Does the beer retain a good head?

2. Have a sniff
Give the glass a swirl and stick your nose in to take in the aroma. It could be citrusy, give coffee notes or have a slight sulphur or medicinal quality - there will be many scents vying for your attention.

3. Have a taste
What flavours can you detect? It may be hoppy with notes of citrus or stone fruits, it may be malty or have tones of caramel. Consider the sweetness or lack thereof and think about the beer's finish and aftertaste as well as characteristics such as balance, bitterness and mouthfeel.

4. Simply enjoy it
Just taking time to consider what you are drinking is a great start and, until you've earned your stripes as a beer judge, try the top 30 and see if you agree with the results. My bet is you will.