MORE THAN BEER-Y GOOD: HOW TO DESCRIBE THE BEERS YOU LOVE

Have you ever wanted a specific flavour in your beer, but couldn’t describe it? Maybe you thought a juicy mango IPA would hit the sweet spot, but found it a little more bitter than you hoped for. Or perhaps you’ve been listening to the bartender rattle off the beer list in hopes of finding your desired flavour, but simply can’t make heads or tails what any of the words mean – or, you know, taste. 

Because what does “hoppy” taste like? (Don’t fret, that’s a question we get often.) If you’ve read our previous article introducing classic beer styles, you’ve already taken the first step into the world of beer. But unfortunately, an IPA isn’t always bitter, and a stout isn’t always roasty – so how do you navigate the taproom and find the perfect pint for you? Here’s an introduction to some of the most commonly-used words to describe beer.

Malty Beer

Malt is the soul of beer. All beers contain malt, so when the bartender tells you a drink is malty, they probably mean its malt flavours are more prominent. Commonly obtained from grains such as barley, wheat, rye or oats, malt provides the sugar source that yeast uses to convert into alcohol. As such, you can expect malty beers to have a degree of sweetness in them. It can range from the more rustic – bready, toasty, and biscuit-like – to more saccharine flavours such as honey, caramel, and chocolate. Depending on the grains used, it might even taste nutty, roasty or smoky. Some beer styles that might host a more malt-forward flavour profile include amber and brown ales, porters, stouts, dunkels, dubbels, and barley wines, just to name a few. If you’re looking for something malty, try the HK Beer Co Amber or the 1925 Brewing Co dark ale.

Hoppy Beer

You’ve probably heard someone declare that they “don’t like hoppy beers”. What they probably mean is that they don’t like bitter beers. Some people use the word “hoppy” to indicate the bitterness of a beer, and while hops can definitely add to a strong bitter flavour, it is a misconception that hoppy equals bitter. Like malt, hops are one of the key ingredients in beer, and all beers have hops. Similarly, the word “hoppy” simply describes the prominence of the flavour of the hops in the beer. Hops are incredibly aromatic, and can have many different characteristics – floral, earthy, fruity, piney, citric, herbal, and spicy – so you might find that you prefer some types of hops to others. One reason hoppy beers are so popular is that hops tend to provide the beer some complexity in taste, with its lingering ending notes and fragrance on the nose. Beer styles that are typically more hoppy include the entire pale ale family – pale ales, IPAs, session IPAs, New England IPAs, to name a few – as well as bitters and hoppy lagers. If you’d like to start off with a light hoppy beer, try the Red Dot IPA.

Hazy Beer

Now “hazy” is a complicated one... it’s not even a descriptor of taste! But we definitely have to talk about it as hazy beers have gotten hugely popular in recent times – specifically, the Hazy IPA.

At first glance, the word “hazy” connotes an image of beer, thick, murky and cloudy instead of its usual translucent golden bubbly. To achieve this texture, brewers play around with different yeast strains, using malt that has naturally higher amounts of protein, with hops being added later in the brewing process. To create beers that were even hazier, they sometimes added lactose, resulting in smoother and creamier mouthfeels. This means that the hazy beer is able to retain the strong fruity aroma and flavour of its hops without being too bitter. Combined with its medium to full-bodied texture, the hazy beer reminded people of the juice of tropical fruits such as orange, mango, pineapple or passionfruit.

If you’d like to ride the hazy wave, try the Brewlander Peace Hazy Pale Ale.

Fulfill Your Beer Cravings

Whether it’s malty, hoppy, or hazy, we hope this helps you find the bubbly thirst quencher your palate desires. While a lager is safe, delicious, and no doubt perfect for a sunny day – with this handy dandy flavour guide, you just have to drink more to figure out exactly what’s your type. Order yourself a little tasting session today with our free, next-day alcohol delivery services (for all orders $99 and above). Choose Cellarbration as your preferred beer delivery service today!