Can we talk about mouthfeel?

Mouthfeel & finish for me is almost equally important as nose & taste. Not sure what else to say...

Cheers!

 

It can make a huge difference, right down to the type of carbonation (conditioned vs forced)

 

Fairly important, I have had beers that tasted and smelled quite good but were shut down for me by their awful watery mouthfeel.

I love a full velvety mouthfeel usually found in stouts.

 

I think mouthfeel matters as well. Who wants a watery thin bodied quad or stout, or a heavy full bodied IPA?

 

It's important to be appropriate to the style. I think the way many people now view it is super over the top. If it's not motor oil, it's watery. That shit can die right now .

 

Its one of the main differences between the New England ipas (Trillium, Tree House) and the OG vermont ones (heady, sip).
Improves it considerably in my opinion

 

Like wine, where the rating and reviewing coined the phrase, all beverages have a physical oral sensation. With beer, some are like grapefruit juice and others are like chocolate milk. No mystery at all. That's why we love it!

 

This was the first thing I used to mock about 'pretentious beer snobs' when I first got into craft, and now its the first thing I consider when drinking a stout.

I cant seem to enjoy one that has a watery mouthfeel (if anyone can convey what they like about a thin-feeling stout, I'm all ears, I don't like living this way).

 

Agree to an extent as lots of BA's tend to exaggerate these in my opinion. I've never had a watery stout, nor a motor oil one, but I have had a few RIS's that are almost molasses thick and some Stouts that are much lighter bodied than I expected.

Some examples for me personally:

• It's not always a bad thing, some of the Belgian beers for example are much lighter in texture than their NA counterparts, often in a very good way too.
• Malt Forward dark ales are more pleasant when they are thicker and full bodied
• I dislike Pilsners that don't have a crispy finish, for one it's stylistically correct to have a crisp and bitter finish, and two it tastes way better when it does.
• Saisons aren't saisons unless they are well carbonated, conditioned and have a light fluffy mouth feel
• I much prefer bottle conditioning, the smaller and more consistent bubbles create a much nicer, softer mouth feel in the beer. Sometimes, forced carbonation is a bit much, especially for beers like Belgian Blondes and Ales.

 

'Drinkability'

If we're talking IPA, I'd consider Two Hearted to the gold standard. Smooth and easy drinking, but assertive and creamy if allowed to do its thing.

 

I prefer moderate-high carbonation in my lighter beers (i.e. wheats, IPA's, and pale ales). If it is dark and rich, I want some substance with a lower carbonation; not flat, but more of a moderate-to-low level. Too little carbonation on a lighter beer detracts from the flavor and makes it feel too watery, distorting the flavor of a beer that could be fantastic. Too much carbonation in a thicker beer also makes it feel too watery, but then again, I am a huge fan of viscous darker beers (i.e. stouts and porters). Mouthfeel IMO plays a vital role in the overall taste of a beer.

 

Mouthfeel is very important. A lot of people will claim it doesn't exist, or that it and appearance are unimportant in judging/enjoying a beer, but it is an integral part of the act of consuming and savoring a beer.

Here is an extremely interesting (to me at least) write-up by Randy Mosher about what is involved in mouthfeel, different aspects of it, what to look for in different beers, etc. http://allaboutbeer.com/article/mouthfeel-beer-stealthy-charm/

Enjoy!

 

Dry Irish Stouts, if done right with a thin mouth feel but roasty flavour and dry finish can be wonderful!

 

I find appearance to be very, very low on the scale of importance. However, I've had a few beers that looked like muddy water and it was a bit of a turn off, one even tasted like muddy water.

 

I prefer a numb mouth feel after most beers.

 

Definitely an important characteristic of any beer for me. I've always felt it should count for more than the 10% it does in the current rating system. If the body, carbonation, or texture is off it can completely ruin the drinking experience.

 

Mouthfeel is like a frame for a painting, a great one frames the taste so it can really shine.

 

This a thousand times. It's laughable to read reviews about people complaining that the blonde ale they had was "very watery".

 

Not sure what I can add to this conversation other than this: I find that . . . Taste, Aroma and Appearance can all be pulled off or considered a success to some degree. But Mouthfeel is something that only the best have and totally sets World Class beers apart from the rest of the pack.