2005-08-27 11:55:20Hans
品酒要訣(Principles of tasting wine)
品酒的幾項原則:
1:喝酒不止於物質的享樂,或酒精的催眠,更珍貴的是,該把它視為生活中的一種藝術,一種生活品味,和任何對事物的鑑賞力,這些細微要點當然都不止於品酒,總而言之,處處留心皆學問
2:品酒或許是很主觀的,但這並不代表不需思考不需仔細評量,在透過一些基礎式的概念指導,相信諸多人都會對他主觀色彩有些改變,但不管結論如何,尊重釀造者的
職業是一份道德,或許那是他一生汗水的結晶
3:適量的酒有益身體,但過量卻會危害一生
4:保持主見,在品酒之際,不應該讓他人引導你的味覺,你可以把味道說的天花亂墜,但那一定是你自己的心得,不得為他人左右
5:味道與香氣息息相關,確定在身心狀況適合下才品酒,否則,在口感與味覺一定會大相逕庭
有幾點是鑑賞酒時觀察的要點:
1 外觀
2 氣味
3 味道
4 嘴唇的
What to look for
There are five categories to evaluating a beer with your review:
Appearance - Note the beer’s color, carbonation, head and its retention. Is it clear or cloudy? Does it look lackluster and dull or alive and inviting?
Smell - Bring the beer to your nose. Note the beer’s aromatic qualities. Malts: sweet, roasty, smoky, toasty, chocolaty, nutty, caramelly, biscuity? Hops: dank / resiny, herbal, perfumy, spicy, leafy, grassy, floral, piney, citrusy? Yeast will also create aromas. You might get fruity or flowery aromas (esters) from ales and very clean aromas from lagers, which will allow the malt and hop subtleties to pull through.
Taste - Take a deep sip of the beer. Note any flavors, or interpretations of flavors, that you might discover. The descriptions will be similar to what you smell. Is the beer built-well? Is there a balance between the ingredients? Was the beer brewed with a specific dominance of character in mind? How does it fit the style?
Mouthfeel - Take another sip and let it wander. Note how the beer feels on the palate and its body. Light, heavy, chewy, thin / watery, smooth or coarse? Was the beer flat, over-carbonated?
Drinkability - The beer’s overall ease of consumption and your overall impression of the beer. Would you have another?
Temperature
Many drink their beer too damn cold. Cold temperatures will numb the taste buds and literally masks the beer’s true flavors, aromas and nuances. Use color (malts) and alcohol content to determine the best drinking temperatures. Try around 4.4-10 degrees C for paler or lower alcohol beers, and 10-15.5 degrees C for darker or higher alcohol beers.
Glassware (clean)
Is important. Instead of listing out the hows and whys, checkout our Glassware for Beer section. If you’re at home, stock up on some of the basics, otherwise do the best you can.
Serving preparation
As mentioned, clean glassware is a must. You should take note to not review a beer if: you know that the tap lines are dirty or your sample is from a recapped or abused growler sample - like a growler shipped across the US or growler that is poured into bottles and recapped to ship to multiple reviewers.
Order
Many suggest that beers should be tasted from the old "lightest to darkest" heuristic method. While this generally works, today it’s dated and flawed. Sure, malt flavors will intensify with increasing kilning temperatures, but often times color has nothing to do with tasting a beer. Color can be an indication of what you might be in for, but for the most part, and with most drinkers, it’s psychological. You’ll want to consider two things: alcohol content and hop levels. Keep your hoppy and high alcohol beers towards the end so you don’t ruin your palate early in the tasting. Exceptions to this might be certain specialty ingredients that have very bold and distinct characters, like: smoked malts in Rauchbiers, intense fruit beers, or the wild yeast and bacteria used in Lambics - all of which can be light in color, hence the flaw. You’ll want to save these for the end as well.
Don’t review a "bad" beer
Not a beer that you simply don’t like, but rather a beer you know to be spoiled due to reasons outside of the brewer’s control - like a skunked beer and beer past its prime. If you come across a beer like this, alert whoever you purchased it from and send a note to the brewer. Using your review to bitch about it won’t help anyone.
Don’t review at beer fests
If you’re planning on taking notes at a beer fest, don’t. With small sample sizes (usually 1 to 4ozs), loud environments, slew of smells, and tasting of numerous beer styles back-to-back, beer fests are not the ideal environment in which to review a beer. Doing so does a disservice to the brewer and could mislead others. It’s also not a good idea to have multiple people review from the same small serving or review by cell-phone light at night.
Don’t review from samplers
Along the same lines as beer fests, many brewpubs and beer bars offer samplers - typically 4ozs servings of a range of offerings. You shouldn’t review these either. Between the presentation and sample size, samplers are simply not worthy of reviews. You’re not going to get to know a beer off of a single 4oz sample.
Don’t review while intoxicated
You should always practice moderation when drinking, but never review a beer if you’re intoxicated. Your judgment will be clouded, as will your senses.
Cleanse the palate
It’s highly recommended that you have some water as well as plain bread, crackers or even air-popped popcorn on hand to cleanse the palate between beers and to help stave off inebriation. Avoid salty and greasy foods or anything that could overpower the senses - you want to clean/scrub the palate, not destroy it.
Take notes
Many view this as a rather geeky practice, but note taking can really help you to learn more about beer, train your palate and broaden your beer vocabulary.
1:喝酒不止於物質的享樂,或酒精的催眠,更珍貴的是,該把它視為生活中的一種藝術,一種生活品味,和任何對事物的鑑賞力,這些細微要點當然都不止於品酒,總而言之,處處留心皆學問
2:品酒或許是很主觀的,但這並不代表不需思考不需仔細評量,在透過一些基礎式的概念指導,相信諸多人都會對他主觀色彩有些改變,但不管結論如何,尊重釀造者的
職業是一份道德,或許那是他一生汗水的結晶
3:適量的酒有益身體,但過量卻會危害一生
4:保持主見,在品酒之際,不應該讓他人引導你的味覺,你可以把味道說的天花亂墜,但那一定是你自己的心得,不得為他人左右
5:味道與香氣息息相關,確定在身心狀況適合下才品酒,否則,在口感與味覺一定會大相逕庭
有幾點是鑑賞酒時觀察的要點:
1 外觀
2 氣味
3 味道
4 嘴唇的
What to look for
There are five categories to evaluating a beer with your review:
Appearance - Note the beer’s color, carbonation, head and its retention. Is it clear or cloudy? Does it look lackluster and dull or alive and inviting?
Smell - Bring the beer to your nose. Note the beer’s aromatic qualities. Malts: sweet, roasty, smoky, toasty, chocolaty, nutty, caramelly, biscuity? Hops: dank / resiny, herbal, perfumy, spicy, leafy, grassy, floral, piney, citrusy? Yeast will also create aromas. You might get fruity or flowery aromas (esters) from ales and very clean aromas from lagers, which will allow the malt and hop subtleties to pull through.
Taste - Take a deep sip of the beer. Note any flavors, or interpretations of flavors, that you might discover. The descriptions will be similar to what you smell. Is the beer built-well? Is there a balance between the ingredients? Was the beer brewed with a specific dominance of character in mind? How does it fit the style?
Mouthfeel - Take another sip and let it wander. Note how the beer feels on the palate and its body. Light, heavy, chewy, thin / watery, smooth or coarse? Was the beer flat, over-carbonated?
Drinkability - The beer’s overall ease of consumption and your overall impression of the beer. Would you have another?
Temperature
Many drink their beer too damn cold. Cold temperatures will numb the taste buds and literally masks the beer’s true flavors, aromas and nuances. Use color (malts) and alcohol content to determine the best drinking temperatures. Try around 4.4-10 degrees C for paler or lower alcohol beers, and 10-15.5 degrees C for darker or higher alcohol beers.
Glassware (clean)
Is important. Instead of listing out the hows and whys, checkout our Glassware for Beer section. If you’re at home, stock up on some of the basics, otherwise do the best you can.
Serving preparation
As mentioned, clean glassware is a must. You should take note to not review a beer if: you know that the tap lines are dirty or your sample is from a recapped or abused growler sample - like a growler shipped across the US or growler that is poured into bottles and recapped to ship to multiple reviewers.
Order
Many suggest that beers should be tasted from the old "lightest to darkest" heuristic method. While this generally works, today it’s dated and flawed. Sure, malt flavors will intensify with increasing kilning temperatures, but often times color has nothing to do with tasting a beer. Color can be an indication of what you might be in for, but for the most part, and with most drinkers, it’s psychological. You’ll want to consider two things: alcohol content and hop levels. Keep your hoppy and high alcohol beers towards the end so you don’t ruin your palate early in the tasting. Exceptions to this might be certain specialty ingredients that have very bold and distinct characters, like: smoked malts in Rauchbiers, intense fruit beers, or the wild yeast and bacteria used in Lambics - all of which can be light in color, hence the flaw. You’ll want to save these for the end as well.
Don’t review a "bad" beer
Not a beer that you simply don’t like, but rather a beer you know to be spoiled due to reasons outside of the brewer’s control - like a skunked beer and beer past its prime. If you come across a beer like this, alert whoever you purchased it from and send a note to the brewer. Using your review to bitch about it won’t help anyone.
Don’t review at beer fests
If you’re planning on taking notes at a beer fest, don’t. With small sample sizes (usually 1 to 4ozs), loud environments, slew of smells, and tasting of numerous beer styles back-to-back, beer fests are not the ideal environment in which to review a beer. Doing so does a disservice to the brewer and could mislead others. It’s also not a good idea to have multiple people review from the same small serving or review by cell-phone light at night.
Don’t review from samplers
Along the same lines as beer fests, many brewpubs and beer bars offer samplers - typically 4ozs servings of a range of offerings. You shouldn’t review these either. Between the presentation and sample size, samplers are simply not worthy of reviews. You’re not going to get to know a beer off of a single 4oz sample.
Don’t review while intoxicated
You should always practice moderation when drinking, but never review a beer if you’re intoxicated. Your judgment will be clouded, as will your senses.
Cleanse the palate
It’s highly recommended that you have some water as well as plain bread, crackers or even air-popped popcorn on hand to cleanse the palate between beers and to help stave off inebriation. Avoid salty and greasy foods or anything that could overpower the senses - you want to clean/scrub the palate, not destroy it.
Take notes
Many view this as a rather geeky practice, but note taking can really help you to learn more about beer, train your palate and broaden your beer vocabulary.