Developing my palate...

-what’s the best way to develop my palate, and what in particular should I be looking for?
Here's a suggestion - find a good brewery (you can research ratings here) whose beers you like and try as many of their offerings as you can. Identify the styles that you like and seek out more beers from those styles. Do a little research and find out more about them, their histories, and their characteristics Just go wherever your tastes take you! There is no destination. It's all about the journey!

-what do you personally feel is the hallmark of a great IPA?
It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is what YOU think, unless you're buying beer for me, in which case I would say a nice hoppy flavor, good malt backbone, and an aroma that's like sticking your face in a bowl of ripe tropical fruit.

-what is the primary factor that gives an IPA its character (I really only think of things in terms of the ‘hops’ to ‘malt’ relationship, etc…but what about different hop varieties, etc)?
Do a little research on the beers you like and find out more about the specific varietals used. Most brewers are pretty open about this on their websites, especially if they're using citra or mosaic or something else that hopheads adore.

-as a ‘novice’ beer enthusiast (ive been drinking for 20 years, but without much consideration as to ‘why’ something tastes good), which aspects of a beer’s flavor am I most likely overlooking? For instance, people speaking of flavors being ‘up front,' etc. is new to me, so I never considered these qualities before I knew they existed…crude example, but I’m wondering what else I've only been vaguely aware of.
Read some info on beer tasting and beer appreciation. See if you can find a "flavor wheel" on the internet that you can use to help identify specific flavors and aromas. Most of all, write reviews!!! I cannot stress enough how helpful it is in developing your palate to try to articulate sensations of taste and aroma. Pick up one or two of Michael Jackson's books, especially those in which he reviews beers. Also, check out his old TV program. All the episodes are on Youtube. Just search for "Beer Hunter" and you'll find them.

Cheers!

 

Definitely check out a few MJ books, though they're becoming dated for some styles. I really enjoy drinking a particular beer while reading about it in one of his books.

In a more cold and clinical vein, check out the BJCP style guidelines (http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php). There are plenty of commercial examples listed for each style, though the other info is homebrew oriented. Very informative but not as much fun as MJ's books. And remember this is not the last word on beer styles; it's just a convenient catalog for homebrew competitions. Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer is also good. Finally, check out 'Beer Styles' here on BA.

 

I gained much knowledge when I was getting started in the world of craft beer by mainly reading All About Beer magazine. They review different styles each issue and have a nice forward about each style that will lend some insight in which you seek. Particularly helpful is a feature called Stylistically Speaking in which they get fairly in depth.

You could probably find the same info in numerous locations online whether it be here or elsewhere.

 

I was actually considering asking a similar question... Kind of falling off topic of what you were asking, but I don't like stouts or porters and I was hoping to eventually develop my palate so I'd enjoy them. I'm pretty certain that I can eventually conquer this feet because when I first had a beer I didn't like it and now I love it, same thing goes for my first IPA and now they are my favorite style. That is not enough for me though, to fully enjoy the world of beer I really want to be able to enjoy and have my own opinion of every beer not just a small sector of beers. Kinda makes me feel inexperienced with beer (which I'm sure I am, especially with some of the people on this site). So all in all, I just want to expand my horizon of beers. Sorry for going off topic... Now Back To You Beer Dummy

 

The questions you asked aren't dumb at all by the way and to tell you the truth everyone has a different way of perceiving taste, so it is possible that a lot of the people you are talking about can just taste a beer and are able to gather all the flavors in the beer... I on the other hand am not, I taste a beer and I can vaguely get some of the flavor out but not as in depth as some of the people on here... One thing I do know about myself and IPA's is that I like the unfiltered IPA's with a lot of fruit and floral notes to them

 

I've only been drinking 'craft' for a few years, but what helped me was:

1. Look before you smell & taste: the head and color can be very telling for what you're going to experience
2. The smell is critical; floral? Pine? Citrus? Coffee? Smoke? Malt? You'll be able to note different flavor profiles from the way they smell, and even better is the surprise when the smell doesn't giveaway the taste!
3. Don't take a big drink then swallow. Get enough to coat your tongue, move around a bit and then swallow. The profile will change from start to middle to finish and you'll start to note the basic differences (i.e., citrus vs. pine vs. malt, etc.)

In the end, trust your pallette and drink what you like.

 

It's beer. Be a man. Drink it . Try different ones. Grow. Don't. But please don't ask how to grow your palette. It's not a talent. It's no different than learning to like Indian food

 

Well i won't try to answer all the questions but for me I like the west coast style IPA. It's juicy and fruity but light as a feather with almost no malt in the mouthfeel. On the other hand I like the IPA's that have a soft caramel malt and bushels of fruitiness too with a mouthfeel that is like silk. IPA's can have a variety of character and aspects depending on the hops used.

Try all the beer. ALL the beer. Not just the top 250, not just the beer people are raving about. Singles are a great way to try a lot of beer in many styles without going broke buying sixes. Don't be afraid to check out WBAYDN thread and see what people are liking. I can't tell you how many times I have been inspired over there.

Don't be afraid to NOT like any beer. If you don't like it, move to the next one. Same with liking a beer. If you like it and want to drink the hell out of then do that. This is your beer journey and it is what you make it.

 

I don't have the ability to single out things in food or beer. I know other people can eat something and identify the spices, ingredients, etc. but I have no idea. I have a Beavis and Butthead palette: It's either cool or it sucks for the most part.

What I try to do is get a good understanding of the hops used in each beer and that gives me a good idea if I'll like a different beer. I'm not a fan of Simcoe hops so Enjoy By is not a beer I enjoy because of the onion taste.

Your palette horizon should expand over time. I couldn't drink Two Hearted for years but now I find it light and refreshing.

 

If your goal is to be able to pick out flavors, however nuanced in beer or anything for that matter you need to start tasting everything you can get your hands on. Not beer wise mind you, although that's fun in it's own right but all kinds of foods, spices, herbs etc. This will really help to build a database in your mind of the characteristics of those individual ingredients and will give you a reference point when you are tying to detect those flavors in beer, wine, spirits, etc.

 

Don't waste your time tasting flavors to build a database. It's just beer man.

buy it, try it, like it, buy more.
buy it, try it, don't like it, try something different.

You aren't trying to become a judge or cicerone (sp?), so please don't worry about a database of flavors.

 

Another learning experience that you might try is to experience comparison drinking. You can buy a mixed sixer of all stouts, or all porters, or all IPAs, or whatever, and see what nuances occur in those styles from one brewery to the next. To really refine your education experience (especially since you like IPAs) is to buy a mixed sixer of IPAs that you know which hops are used, and then learn the flavor contributions from them. If you can find nothing but single-hopped beers, then that gives you a heads-up on the specific flavor of one hop as opposed to a combination of hops.

 

I'm going to pull from my experience in the culinary industry and the Wine courses I've taken.

You're not going to develop a palate for beer by drinking beer. It's that simple. In school, we were encouraged to try anything and everything. If you don't like shellfish, give it another shot. Try some raw Oysters, from different parts of the world. Just because someone says they taste something in a beer or wine that you don't taste doesn't mean it isn't there, and it doesn't mean it was even meant to be there. Just that that person tasted that thing.

If you're the type of person who goes out to eat and orders the same thing every time. STOP. Order something new. Something you've never had. Be open minded, and remember that flavor. You can't tell me something tastes like Saffron if you've never had Saffron!

If someone says they taste Pumpernickel bread, that's because they've probably eaten Pumpernickel bread and their taste buds are telling them, "Hey, this tastes like Pumpernickel."

I can tell you when I've tasted a rock that's been in saltwater, because as an avid fisherman I've actually tasted that(not that I go around putting rocks in my mouth).

When someone tastes a wine and says, "I get figs, and dates, with some blackberry, even strawberry with hints of cloves and smoked leather." Doesn't mean the winery added some old leather boots to the fermentation, just that something in their brain is reminding them of that flavor. This stuff isn't complex.

You will never taste caramel in a beer if you've never had caramel. Get it? Your palate for beer will develop as your palate, in general, develops. Forget about the complexity and bullshit, drink the beer and enjoy it. Your 'palate' will catch on, eventually.

 

Firstly your palate will change the more you drink and the more you eat. The best way to developing your palate is to taste and smell everything(as long as it doesn't cause an allergic reaction), slow your consumption down while you eat and drink so you are able to identify those flavors.

Is it safe to say you are referring to the American IPA? As each IPA is as different as each brewer/brewery that produces them this "hallmark" can be combination of different factors. safe to say the BJCP definition is pretty accurate " a decidedly hoppy and bitter, moderately strong American pale ale". So you look for something that is Hoppy and Bitter beer between 5-7.5%

Each combination of malt and hop will produce different flavors. As there is over 100+ hop varieties some sharing the same flavor profile some with subtle differences and some smelling and tasting vastly different than the rest.

 

Nice thread so far, 17 posts and not one snarky one, things are looking up!!!

I find this a good read, thanks to everyone for taking the time to reply.

 

I think your music analogy holds quite well and certainly for me one of the keys in both music and beer was/has been learning what to look for. In the area of beer is where this site can be very useful. When you sample a new beer try and make the time to also review it for yourself--how does it look, what do you smell, what are the tastes, etc. There are two hard parts to doing this, learning what to "look" for, the subtle qualities, and developing the language to be able to describe what you are finding.

Once you've done a review, look the beer up in the database, sort by "top reviewers" and start reading through the reviews. In one or more of those reviews you'll find "echoes" of what you have at least partly tasted and been partly been able to describe. But you'll likely also find some things that you realize, after the fact, that you were able to taste but didn't have the words to describe. You probably will also find things described that you are convinced you dont remember tasting. (BTW, after you've done this a few times you'll discover those reviewers whose tastes are similar to yours and who can serve as useful guides in your future buying. I've learned that there are reviewers in the database whose reactions to a beer predict mine pretty well. That doesn't me I only blindly follow their recommendations, but it does mean I have lots of extra information on which to base a buying decision before I put a beer on my shopping list.)

This reviewing allows you to both develop your palate for tasting the range of flavors on offer and expand your vocabulary to use in describing what you think you've tasted. It also helps you to revisit a beer with some specific questions in mind such as, did I not taste this at all or was it there and I just didn't notice or couldn't describe it. Over time that knowledge stored in your head will go greater and more detailed and as it does which starts of seeming to be "just beer" will become a very a complex flavor filled beverage with all kinds of subleties and complexities. For example there are a number of BAs who love the flavors of ales, which are typically large, bang you over the head flavors, but who miss out completely on the subleties and complexities of the flavors that are part of a top notch lager and think they are flavorless.

 

Buy and study the book Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher.