How to Drink and Taste a Beer Like an Expert

Are you someone who thinks they don’t like beer, but want to give it another chance? Or maybe you already love beer, but want to know how to love it more. We spoke to professional bartender Bryan Sullivan to learn how to get the most out of a beer, how to pour it, and how to taste it like a true aficionado. Then, if you’re still not in love, we’ll offer plenty of ways to help you cozy up to a cold one.

Getting the Most From Your Beer

Make sure your beer tastes the best it can by serving it chilled and in a glass. To pour the perfect beer, hold a glass at a 45-degree angle and pour the beer down the side. When you get about halfway, level out the glass and finish the pour straight-on. Observe the color and aromas before taking a sip.

Section 1 of 4:

Getting the Best Taste from Your Beer

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Choose a beer that suits your taste. Sullivan says that if you aren’t a fan of beer, “you haven’t found the right beer yet.” These days, there are an infinite amount of varieties out there to order and try, meaning there's definitely a beer out there that matches your ideal taste. Here's a quick rundown of common and popular beers:^{[1]
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- Ales: These are generally a bit sweeter, fuller-bodied, and have a fruity flavor. India Pale Ales (IPAs) have more hops and are generally bitter. This category includes pale ales, wheat beers, bitters, porters, stouts, barley wines, brown ales and tripels. Watch out for tripels—they've been fermented several times and can knock you off your feet.
- Lagers: These tend to have a "crisper" flavor than ales and are, in general, less "hoppy." Think of Heineken, Bud Light, Natural Light, Harp, Corona, Miller Genuine Draft—these are all light lagers. This category also includes pilsners, Vienna lagers, bocks and martens.
- Stouts: These really fall under the "ale" umbrella, but they are their own beast. A stout is dark and often creamy, with tastes of chocolate and coffee undertones. There are also oatmeal and oyster stouts, too. For these, think Guinness, Beamish, and Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stouts.
- Bitters: These are English ales that have a deep bronze look and a well-hopped flavor (in other words, bitter). In general, they have greater depth than IPAs. It's hard to qualify their taste beyond that, as there are several categories: session or ordinary bitter, best or regular bitter, and premium or strong bitter (often called Extra Special Bitters (ESB)).
- Wheat Beer (or Hefeweizen): This is an ale with a light yet hazy appearance. It often has a slight banana or clove flavor. Sometimes it's spicy or apple-y, too. It's not bitter and it's often served with a wedge of lemon.
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Drink out of a glass for the best experience, and choose the right glass. Sullivan tells us to “pour your beer into a glass that is meant for the beer you are drinking,” and that different glasses can affect the chemistry and taste of the beer. There’s nothing wrong with drinking from a bottle or can, or even just a random glass from the cupboard, but getting the right glass can elevate the experience.^{[2]
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- Glass mugs: Good for IPAs, red, black, brown, and blonde American Ales, Pilsner, English Stouts, smoked beers, witbiers, American and English Porters
- Pint glasses: Good for American Ales, IPAs, Pale Ales, English Bitters and mild English Ales, cream ales, dark Lagers, and Stouts.
- Goblets: Belgian IPAs and strong, dark ales, quadruples, and tripels
- Pilsner glasses: Vienna and Japanese lagers, Euro darks and strong lagers, American malt liquors, pale and red lagers, doppelbocks
- Weizen glasses: Dark and pale wheat ales, and all "weizens"
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Drink the beer cold. It's important to store your beer in a cool area, away from direct light, heat and at a constant temperature. Sullivan says that, ideally, most beers should be kept around 50–60 °F (10–16 °C). Anything higher and the lifespan of your beer will be shortened; anything lower and you'll make it hazy or cloudy. Generally, the lower the alcohol content, the colder your beer should be.
- Strong beers (like barleywines, tripels, and dark ales) will be best enjoyed when kept just below room temperature, around 50–60 °F (10–16 °C).
- Standard ales (like bitters, IPAs, doppelbocks, lambics, stouts, etc) should be at “cellar temperature,” or 50–55 °F (10–13 °C).
- Lighter beers (think lagers, pilsners, wheat beers, milds, etc) should be around refrigerated temperature, or 45–50 °F (7–10 °C).
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Choose the right beer to complement your meal. Just like wine, beer pairs fabulously with food, but pairing the right beer with the right flavor profile is key. Lighter foods like salads and fish go with lighter beers. Heavier foods and meatier meats go with darker beers. “Regional" beers are also often paired with foods of that region. Apart from that, here are a few things to remember:^{[3]
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- Does your beer have a caramel, cocoa, or coffee flavor? Pair it with a smokey flavor, like with char-grilled foods.
- Is your beer hoppy? This can provide an herbal balance to fattier foods, like salmon, pizza, and fried foods.
- Is your beer sweet and fruity? It’ll be great with appetizer plates, like grapes, cheeses, and bruschetta.

Section 2 of 4:

Pouring Your Beer Correctly

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Clean your beer glass with hot water beforehand. A dirty glass might contain oils or grime that interferes with the true flavor of your beer, and also affect the head, or foam. Run your glass under hot water and use a clean sponge to scrub it, for a quick clean. For a more thorough clean, combine 2 tsp (12 g) of salt, ¼ tsp (2 g) of baking soda, and 4 teaspoons (20 mL) of water, then use the mixture to scrub the glass, rinsing it with hot water afterward.^{[4]
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- Don't mix your glasses, either. If it's a beer glass, use it as just a beer glass. Try putting beer in a milk glass and you'll get the picture.
- Also, stick the empty glass in the fridge ahead of time to enjoy a more thoroughly chilled beer.
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Start pouring the beer into the glass at a 45-degree angle. For the perfect pour, aim for about 1–1.5 in (2.5–3.8 cm) of "head,” or foam. To achieve this, private chef Ollie George Cigliano recommends tilting the glass itself, then pouring. The beer should stream down the midpoint of the side of the glass, allowing it to aerate. This creates the "head."
- Having a head is very important to get to the true flavors of the beer. Without it, you'll lose part of what makes your beer tasty and delicious. It'll also provide a stronger, more decadent aroma.
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Level the glass when it’s half full, and start to pour straight in. When the glass becomes half full, start leveling it out slowly, pouring straight into the glass. This minimizes carbonation and reduces the amount of head created, giving you the perfect amount.^{[5]
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- If your head is forming too quickly (this happens with some beers), start pouring straight down the middle sooner. If it's not forming, keep it at an angle.
- Pouring straight into the bottom of the glass is called a “hard pour,” while pouring down the side is called a “soft pour.”
- Some people prefer a “double pour” for heavier beers like Guinness, and say it enhances the aroma and flavors. This is when you pour it half full, wait for the head to dissipate, then finish the pour.

Section 3 of 4:

Tasting Your Beer the Right Way

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Examine your beer’s color and carbonation. Beer isn’t all about flavor—you can tell a lot by its appearance, too! Start by holding your beer up and examining it. What color is it? Is it more clear, or more opaque? What does the head look like?^{[6]
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Research source} Keep the answers in mind as you move on to taste it, and you’ll learn a lot about how a beer’s looks hint at its taste.
- Is the head foamy? Creamy? Quick to disappear?
- Consider its color. Is it more golden, red, or chestnut? Pale or deeply colored?
- Test its consistency. Is it creamy? Thick or thin? Hazy with debris or clean as a whistle?
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Swirl your beer a bit, then give it a smell. A gentle swirl releases the aromas and fragrances of your beer and tests its head retention. After a swirl, bring your nose to the rim and sniff, considering its aroma. Does it smell earthy? Sour? Sweet? Woody? Chocolatey? Fruity? Smell contributes to your sense of flavor, so you’re already getting a little taster here!^{[7]
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- Also inhale through your mouth to see if the beer’s vapors have a different presence on your tongue than in your nose.
- Ask: does this beer differ from other beers you're used to when you swirl it around? How does the carbonation loosen? What happens from the bottom to the top of the beer?
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Take a few small, thoughtful sips. Let the beer linger on your tongue at first. Small sips let you pick up on flavors and sensation without overwhelming your palate.^{[8]
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Research source} As you sip, consider: How does it feel in your mouth? Now breathe out (this could change the taste as mucus gets released). Detect even the smallest flavors, like salty or sweetness. How does it change as it warms in your mouth, too?
- Then swallow. Then repeat. Repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat. How is it changing with every sip? Does it change as you reach the bottom of your glass?
- Once you’ve sipped and thought about the flavor, feel free to drink up before it gets warm! Otherwise, it can “skunk” and the flavors with spoil.

Section 4 of 4:

Enjoying Beer When You (Still) Don’t Like Beer

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Choose lighter beers that aren’t as intense. If the inherent flavors of beer tend to put you off, reach for a milder, lighter variety to help you enjoy the beer. These tend to more closely resemble things like ciders, wines, or seltzers, while still being beer. For example, pilsners tend to be easy drinkers that are light on the palate.^{[9]
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- Other good “beginner beers” are light ales, fruited or fruity beers, goses, and weisses.
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Drink it cold to dampen its flavor. The colder the beer, the less you can pick up on its flavors, including the flavors that make it bitter, hoppy, earthy, or anything else you might not like.^{[10]
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Research source} If you’re determined to drink a beer but don’t want to taste it, reach for a cold one—an ice-cold one.
- Also, take large drinks and swallow quickly, so the flavors don’t linger on your palate. Or, take smaller sips while you’re distracted, like when you’re talking to someone.
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Mix it with other drinks to transform it. Beers can be made into cocktails, just like any other alcohol! Generally, lighter beers mix well with lighter beverages, and darker beers are better with darker beverages, but experiment with small portions to find one you enjoy. Here are a few to get you started:^{[11]
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- Make a refreshing grapefruit radler by adding grapefruit juice (or orange juice) to a light beer, like a pilsner.
- Make a delicious shandy by adding citrus juices or other fruit juice to a light beer.
- Make a traditional German cocktail by mixing a dark beer with Coca Cola.
Sullivan reminds us that it’s okay to just not enjoy beer. If you’ve tried it but just can’t get into it, there’s no shame there! Reach for a cider, seltzer, or something else. After all, the idea behind any alcohol is to enjoy yourself, not make yourself miserable by doing something you don’t enjoy!

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Does warming beer up on a gas column spoil it?

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Yes, you should not warm it up and especially should not boil it. It should be drank cold or at room temp if you have to.

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What can I add to it as mixer?

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Lighter-colored beers (not stout, brown ale, porter, or bitters) can be mixed with lemonade to create a radler or shandy. There are also beer cocktails, the most famous of which is the black velvet, which is Guinness (or alternatively, a good stout) mixed with champagne.

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Carbonation is what makes you feel bloated after a beer. By pouring straight into the glass, you release the carbonation along with the aroma of the beer.^{[12]
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Always drink responsibly, and NEVER drink and drive. Doctors recommend that men drink no more than 2 beers each day, and that women have no more than 1 each day.^{[13]
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You can tell if a glass is clean after you pour a beer into it while tilting the glass slightly. If the head sticks to the sides of the glass, it is clean. An unclean glass will make your beer go flat quickly, usually within a minute.

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