How long does it take to develop a palate?

Don't misconstrue verbose critique as an advanced palate. Better that you follow the trends in language use. You'll soon learn that its a game of ape. Which is not to say that marmalade and biscuits are not identifiable facets to an English pale ale, or whatever language is tripping your up - but its really all about notions. You smell something and it takes you to point X or Y. You'll see guava being used endlessly - and if you don't taste it, it's because its not there. Me, I vomit when I hear people say that IPA G is "tropical goodness".

 

Type random stuff? Can't speak for everyone, but I don't do it this way at all. I have a dart board with names of pretentious sounding flavors on it, instead of numbers, and I throw darts to find words to describe a beer I'm reviewing.

I have long ago realized that just because I don't have the ability to taste as much as some other folks, doesn't mean they are making shit up, or that I enjoy things less.

I will say after many years of drinking fine beer I am much better at understanding what it is in a beer I am tasting, and because of this I understand better what I like about a beer, so I can both pick it out more easily, and enjoy it more when I drink it.

 

Developing a knowledge of beer and wine flavors does take time. Having experience with world food, spices, culture, and a love for them is the key. Also, a nice imagination, good vocabulary, and often a tongue firmly in cheek are helpful.

 

You neglected to mention the most important organ: the brain.

It is the brain that takes in the varying sensory inputs:

• Appearance from the eyes
• Taste from the tongue (taste buds)
• Aroma from the nose (both direct sniffing and retronasal olfaction)
  
• Other qualities like mouthfeel, etc,

It is ultimately the brain that processes this varying and concurrent input into an overall drinking perception.

As with any activity involving the brain, learning and practice will refine its abilities.

Cheers!

 

Your palate can be developed over time, but it won't just happen, you have to work at it. It is all about connecting smells and tastes to a vocabulary to describe them. If you have never smelled or eaten a mango then there is no way for you to recognize it in the aroma or flavor of a beer.

So actively seek out the aromas and flavors you see described in beer reviews. Go to a good grocery store and get one of every fruit and vegetable you are not familiar with and smell the rind, the flesh, the seeds, taste it fresh then let it sit a while and taste it again. Hit a farmer's market and smell everything. Go to ethnic restaurants and try different things and concentrate on the experience. Cook with spices you are not familiar with. If you don't homebrew, find someone who does or go to a homebrew ship and then smell all the different varieties of hops then smell and taste all the different grains and notice the differences between pale malt vs pilsner malt vs vienna malt vs crystal 20L vs crystal 90L, etc.

If you have a chance, get into a BJCP prep class where you learn to taste and then describe what you taste. Having judged beers with Grand Master level judges, they can certainly pull out 23 different descriptors to a beer including the specific malts, hops and yeasts used in brewing the beer. When you give feedback on a judging form, you need to go beyond the basic descriptors so 'malty' isn't enough, you have to further describe it as toasty, roasty, bready, biscuty, etc. They also have off-flavor classes so you can experience the common off flavors you might not be able to describe like DMS, acetaldehyde, astringent, diacetyl, metallic, etc.

 

I will also mention that @utopiajane is a tremendous resource when it come to palate development.

Cheers!

 

All I can say is drink all the beers/styles you can and read all you can (books, internet, etc) It takes time but eventually things will come together. Then again, there are exceptions like the people who 6 months ago were drinking captain and coke but now tell me they can tell taste/smell differences between most hops and can detect the slightest of "off" qualities

 

It can take a few years of drinking many different beers and styles, but that's the fun of it.

The best part is that after you have a good hold on everything out there, something new comes along. Brewers are constantly pushing the boundaries of styles and adjuncts. Cheers!

 

Taste everything, not just beer, and it will help you create connections to flavors.

Some people create a laundry list of associations on just aroma. It's way too granular in analysis and they're probably making half the stuff up. Some people probably haven't even eaten the exotic descriptions they are describing. How often do you eat wild flowers or actually smelled a horse blanket?

 

How long is a piece of string? 2.3 inches, but that's beside the point.

There are many factors in developing your palate which will be impacted by the following:

1) Your sense of taste/smell - oddly enough I get the impression over the last 4yrs I've been reviewing beers that my sense of taste has dulled whilst my sense of smell has improved - these things change over time
2) Personal experience with foods e.g. If you've never had Jackfruit before how do you know how crazy it is?
3) Overall beer knowledge - being forearmed with the knowledge that an IPA is likely to taste like half a spruce tree mixed with citrus means you know what your palate will expect once you pour that delightful amber fluid into a glass
4) Beer drinking experience - if you've drunk a thousand shitty Lagers you will be able to pinpoint with greater accuracy exactly what flavour you're tasting and how it is different from another shitty Lager
5) Knowledge of flavour chemistry and flavour vocabulary - this is what separates the layman from the beer-science-man... I have personally read at least 3 articles on the subject, including Wikipedia, and there is a massive body of knowledge behind how the brain perceives flavour chemicals and why a Phenol may taste like cloves, etc, etc.

I don't proclaim to be an expert, but to me the people whose reviews I most read and respect on BA are the people who have all of the above qualities are the people who I like to learn from, maybe one day I'll be as good as them (you know who you are *cough* @BEERchitect *cough*).

TLDR: Saying it takes time is obvious but there are many factors in developing your palate - go back and read the above points I've made dammit!

 

I think sometimes people make that shit up! Who tastes marmalade? Uh oh, hope I didn't start an uproar.

 

Sir, it was a joke. Still, your sarcasm was funny.

 

A lifetime.

 

don't let yourself feel inadequate for not tasting something that someone might mention in a review. just note what you do taste/smell/see, and go from there.

 

You should seek out horse blankets and smell them. I think that's a prerequisite to tasting saisons and brett beers.

 

I recommend some kind of signal that your posts are a joke. Adding a degree of humor often works

 

Smoke signs maybe?

 

Taste and smell new things all of the time. The documnetary Somm had a great segment about picking out strange flavors or sents. Basically if you have never tasted or smelled something how are you supposed to know what it is when you smell it or taste it.

 

I very briefly mentioned it . Thanks for mentioning retronasal olfaction... I usually bring that up in posts like these!

 

I went back and yes you did parenthetically mention the brain in your prior post.

Apparently my brain does not process parenthetical text.

Anyway, since the brain responds to learning and practice I suppose that was the 'highlight' of my post.

Cheers!