I am trying to improve my ability to taste a beer. For me that means having the "truest" and most consistent flavor/taste experience of the beer in which I am consuming. I do not want the foods/gum/beverage I previously consumed to effect the taste and special qualities of the beer Im drinking. Having said that, does anybody have a certain method or ritual in which they perform before consuming a high quality beer? Tonight I ate some delicious chinese food, mostly vegatables and mushrooms in a brown sauce. The beer I usually love, Rye Rebellion by Full Pint, tasted off and dull. I even opened a second bottle from a different batch to test against. Same result. It wasn't until about half way through my second RR that the taste and flavor I remembered, had appeared. Obviously my palate was clogged or something. Any input would be appreciated. Cheers!
I experienced this with BCBS once. After eating sushi for dinner, the 'soy sauce' flavor was really coming out of the beer. It hasn't tasted like that again any time since. Ive found that what works best for me is eating a plain piece of bread and then swishing a glass of water before each beer. This works especially well at tastings because the bread also soaks up the booze.
Some flavor compounds are water soluble, some are alcohol soluble, and some are oil soluble. Like Treyliff said, lots of water and salt-free crackers (or bread) will do the bulk of palate cleansing, especially between beers. But cleansing after certain foods can be tricky. I have a suspicion that whatever was effecting your palate tonight was alcohol soluble, and the beer you had was cleansing your palate as you were drinking it. I have had that same experience, so I know what you are talking about- all of a sudden you are tasting things normally again. As far as oil-solubility goes, garlic is one of them, and we Italians have a good way of dealing with that- we chew whole coffee beans. Coffee beans have natural oils, and the little pieces will get in between your teeth as you chew them, scrubbing as they go. This all washes away that 'garlic mouth' quite handily. So, how do you know what is the best course after a strongly flavored meal? I'd still go with the water/cracker routine, but also start off with a mild flavored beer to hopefully do a final cleansing, and then water/crackers again. Then you have your special beer. Also- if you know for a fact that you are experiencing garlic/onion mouth, then start with the coffee beans, and then do the above. Hope that helps. Cheers!
If you are going to drink beer and not just taste it then it has to go with the food you are eating. Revel in that chinese food. Slurp those noodles and then take a good swallow of your beer. With the food still on your tongue. Does it go well? or do you feel like something is not right? You are now going to pair food and beer. It's not as easy as it sounds. Food has aftertaste and so does beer. Get ready because you will be int he kitchen at 10:30 in the morning with the beer you think you are gonna have today and the dish you think you are gonna make with it. enJOY the nuances and don't be shy to realize what beer goes with witch foods. Then call people up and say YOU HAVE to come over I just made this great dish and am pairing it with the perfect beer. Always try it yourself first. OK I'm going, I'm going.
You think Chinese food mouth is bad? My allergies (or maybe it was a side effect of the Zyrtec I took for them) had my palette dead for about a week, to the point that a double IPA tasted no different than water other than the bitterness/dry mouth it caused. I wasted a half a dozen decent beers (and once I figured out what was happening, a bunch more mediocre ones) with this issue. Seriously though, saltines or bread and lots of water are the best, most consistent answer. I'm also a fan of the big, round oyster crackers
Just to be clear. I'm not talking about pairin food with a beer. I'm talking about getting my palate clean after I have eaten so that I can get the truest taste of the beer.
Unsalted crackers or pretzels, along with bottled spring water before tasting. Do some every once in a while during tasting ( not needed after every sip of beer). If the food before has been high in fats try sparkling water and crackers. Helps reset the palate. Many other things will change the palate but you want it to go back as close to neutral as possible.
The best thing is time... Things that help speed up the process are eat items that help cleanse your palate. White baguette bread, dry table crackers with no salt or seasoning baked into them. Place some on your tongue and eat a few. THen wait 10 15 minutes if you want to have a very fresh palate.
A few ideas: 1) I had heard coffee beans are good for resetting your nose, so to speak, but I've never heard about that for your palate. Worth trying though. 2) Consider drinking ice-cold water or just chewing on an ice cube. That will sort of numb your palate and could help, but definitely wait a good 15 minutes afterwards. 3) I once read that sweet and sour foods/drinks, including sour beers, are good for palate cleansing. That's why tasting menus at fancy restaurants often include sorbet or pickles in between courses.
Don't brush your teeth before drinking beer. Some time ago I had this brilliant idea that I was going to get my mouth all clean before drinking some good beer by brushing my teeth. The result was that the beer tasted terrible. After a few times, I realized it was caused by brushing my teeth. Those great tasting toothpastes may make your mouth taste all clean and fresh, but it will not do much for your beer tasting experience.
So...on this topic (sort of)...I am going to have the pleasure of trying Bourbon County Backyard Rye and Coffee variants later today. Which would you experienced people recommend I do first? Or doesn't it matter?
Something salty, usually pretzels, popcorn or crackers, and water usually do the trick. Even good ol' plain bread does the trick sometimes. Edit: Pickles have worked for me in the past as well.
