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Prud’homme Beer Certification®
Beer SommelierLevel 3
The Physiology of Tasting Beer
In conjunction with Randy MosherSiebel Institute of Technology and Dr.
Charles Bamforth
What is good beer?
• It’s the one you are enjoying
• ‘Preferred flavour of a product is entirely a matter of personal preference.’Charles Bamforth
• ‘We should rejoice that there is a huge diversity of beer to enjoy covering all manners of aromatics and flavourful possibilities.’Charles Bamforth
Sense of Taste
• Evolved to– Inform us about environment – Separate good and bad food
and water
• Sweetness = high nutritional value
• Bitter = possible poison • 30 Separate pathways
– 30 different chemical classes
• Bitter chemicals evolved as defence by plants to keep from being eaten by animals
Sensory Perception
1. Pain –– CO2 – is perceived as pain by our brains– C02 is a chemesthetic which interacts with nerve fibers.– Chemesthetic sensations include the burn-like irritation
from chili pepper, the coolness of menthol in mouthwashes and topical analgesic creams, the stinging or tingling of carbonation in the nose and mouth, and the tear-induction of onions Some of these sensations may be referred to as spiciness, pungency, or piquancy.
2. Taste3. Smell
Bitterness
• More complex chemistry which is slower to respond and is therefore a delayed sensation
• Lingers longer on tongue • Bitterness is rare in food • May need a little training or
an acquired taste • ‘Almost entirely due to resin
fraction of hops’ (Bamforth)
Olfactory• Smell is wired differently – Slower response and
therefore lingers longer
• Olfactory signals go to: – Hypothalamus:
• appetite anger, fear
– Hippocampus: • working memory
– Amygdala: • emotional memory
Mouth feel sensations
• Very important in beer • Includes– Carbonation – Fullness – Oiliness – From diacetyl, glucans – Astringency – Temperature (which affects
perception of other things)
Mouth Feel Descriptors
• Warming• Flat• Gassy• Powdery• Astringent• Metallic
*Charles Bamforth, Flavor , ASBC Handbook Series
The Perfect Tasting Environment
• Free of distractions– Sights, sounds, smells
• No smoking! • Decent light • Water available • Bread or unflavoured crackers – (unless a beer & food tasting)
• Score sheets or note pads • Dump buckets
Mosher techniques
1. Smell first (Aroma)– many aromas escape rapidly
2. Look (Appearance)– clarity, carbonation, head
3. Taste – up-front flavours – mid-taste, bitterness kicks in – note body, texture
4. Finish / Aftertaste
Aromatics from fermentation
• Fruity: esters (made from alcohol and carboxylic acid)• Solvent: nail polish remover (excess esters) • Phenols: (spicy)• Fusels: (higher alcohols) • Autolysis: muddy tastes from dead yeast
Ester Characteristics
Ester• Isoamyl acetatye• Ethyl acetate• Ethyl octanoate• Ethyl butyrate• Ethyl hexanoate• Phenylethyl acetate• Ethyl caprylate
Flavour• Banana, bubble gum• Pear drops, nail polish• Apple, fruity• Papaya, mango, pineapple• Apple, aniseed• Rose, honey• Apple, sweet, fruity
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