The tasting of beer is one of the most interesting but also one of the most complex processes in the long way of its production. It is a peculiar outcome of many hidden processes, which have taken part before it, and still they contribute through themselves to the character of the drink offered for a tasting verification. Tasting itself aims to give an easily perceptible and accurate expression of each and every visual, aromatic and taste sensation caused by a sip of the drink. A good estimate always opens the magic door through which the drink has the right to walk across and to get in the broader world of the consumer. The value is an expression of all the positive and negative impressions and emotions experienced by the taster. It allows each of us to quickly get a glance of the nature, quality, and even the character of the drink. While the assessment itself is one of the simplest numeric expressions, it hides a very special and glamorous bouquet of qualities inherent to any good taster. It is an indeed genuine and meaningful description of the qualities we find in the tasting drink. A description that will direct anyone to color intensity, aroma, taste and body of the drink. This in turn is associated with much experience and very good sensory memory, which is the ability to accurately compare a color, flavor or taste of something familiar and real. All this is not always associated with innate talent. Sometimes it is done with a lot of hard work, good training and knowledge of the nature of the drink. This ability has put up a boundary between a consumer and a true taster. Not accidentally, tasting is an art, and those who are the best at it are respected and wanted people.
Conditions for tasting
Tasting hall
First of all, tasting is held in a special separate tasting room where there are all of the necessary conditions - light, fresh air, a constant temperature, comfortable workplaces and matching accessories. Compliance with the appropriate conditions is one of the prerequisites for conducting a complete tasting, for the simple reason that tasters rely primarily on their senses, and they in turn can be influenced in one direction or another by the surrounding conditions. The tasting room itself should be bright and with broad access to natural light. It is desirable for the furniture to be in bright colors that do not cause excessive reflection and do not distract with needless extravagance. The air in the room should be without external fresh flavors.
Temperature
Beer is pre-cooled to the optimum temperature, at which the unique qualities are fully revealed. Of course slight corrections of these temperatures are possible, which may be coordinated in accordance with the different types of beer that will be tasted.
Glass
The nature of the glass itself, as well as its form, has a direct impact on visual perception. But when it comes to it, let it be a cup with a slight narrowing section towards the top. This in turn contributes to a kind of concentration of beer flavors - respectively, their easier understanding and correct interpretation. There are also many different types of glasses.
Main assessment markers
Color and clarity
Originally beer is judged by its color and intensity. Again we must clarify that there are many and diverse-natured beers, so it is necessary to comply with this.
In Bulgaria, we are acquainted with almost all of the light beers, and some of the dark ones. So, it is possible to ignore the qualities of beers unknown to us, which of course is a mistake.
Light beer is characterized by a straw yellow, amber color, which varies between light and special beer, while others may change their shades, and color to pass through the caramel, cherry, even close to coffee color. It is absolutely essential to comply with the type of beer which is being tasted. In visual assessment this includes the clarity of the beer. Usually it is a crystalline clarity that is to be desired, but in so-called "Live beer" it is its turbidity that is the most wanted feature.
Aroma
After evaluation of the peculiar color and clarity of the Beer, we come to its flavor. Descriptive assessment in its true form would be quite difficult because of the richness of language and the individual sensory capability. The whole of the aromatic complex is easily felt with a simple twist of beer in the cup. However, it is important to assess whether a specific aroma or bouquet, seems typical for the given beer. In a light beer, a prominent pure malt and hop aroma dominates, while in a special Beer - dark, caramel flavors begin to dominate the others and this is quite normal, given the fact that special dark malt is used.
Taste
Touching the fresh aroma of beer, since it must be sipped too, is the best part of the tasting process, because we may become enchanted by the dreamy and sparkling color, and the fresh flavor, but it is embodied in the true purpose of a sip of beer - to deliver true delight.
Unlike with other drinks, while tasting beer is gulped. This contributes to a full and true sense of taste, body and hop bitterness and carbonization. The result is a rich complex of feelings which should be directed to a specific type of beer, that which is being tasted. Beer variety is large; respectively each one has its specific features. Light beers have unsurpassed freshness and balance. For these a typical feature is slight bitterness, which usually enhances the special and highly - extractive beer. Dark beers, however, combine some of these features with their inherent, slight caramel sweetness and rich, clear malt bitterness in taste. Here bitterness is slightly disguised by the dominant coffee notes. In fact, there is a vast fortune of tastes, a part of which is open for every lover of quality fresh Bulgarian beer.
