I recently hosted a beer tasting at my place with a few friends that were new to the world of craft beer and introduced them to the a few choice beers, one of which was a sour. We went through the steps of how to taste a beer and as they held the glasses to their nose I heard, “Wet diaper”. There was an immediate hush and then total laughter (this was the last beer of the night). He asked me a really important and frequent question – “Is that right?” Well, in that case, I didn’t smell wet baby diaper, but I can’t say he was wrong.

When I read reviews online or when I listen to my friends describe beers, their language can become fairly colorful, literally. I often use the term “green” when describing IPAs. Some of my favorite descriptors include, pineapple, sour milk, pepper, horse blankety, apricot or yeasty. I take almost as much time smelling the beer as I do drinking it. When I sniff and swirl the beer, I am searching for the familiar and the odd. Does this smell evoke a memory or emotion? Or is it more direct and punching your nostrils?

In this episode of Al the Brewer, we will look into what makes a beer, smell like a beer? But first off, a little anatomy.

Your olfactory is THE most important tool when tasting beer – let me repeat that, the OLFACTORY (your nose) is the most tool when TASTING beer or anything for that matter. As I write this, I have had a cold for the past few days and have been sitting on a dark Saison since I first started feeling sick, why? Because a stuffy nose prevents you from tasting anything! Your nose is what tells your brain what you are going to taste. If it smells like pumpkin, you are going to taste pumpkin. But if you can’t smell anything, you won’t taste anything.

So where are do beer get their beery aromas from? A little break down of the ingredients of beer and how they contribute to their aromas.

HOPS

These little flowers can impart all types of great smells. Depending on the varietal used they can produce citrus notes, think orange, pineapple, grapefruit, etc, spice, pine, floral notes and so many more. Hops will impart more aroma the later they are used in the boil, typically the 30-0min range. Dry hopping, adding hops just before or after fermentation has begun, will do this as well.

YEAST

This amazing critter, well actually fungus, can be the shining star or total wallflower in the nose of a beer. Since so many beers are at least partly defined by the yeast strain they ferment with, each extends their own aromas to the drinker. I will cover a few that are fairly popular and distinct.

In Belgium beers, the yeast can impart dark fruit, almost prune like notes to funky sharp sour fragrances. In Heffs, it will create get banana, clove or even bubble gum. In Saisons there can be pepper, lemon grass, all spice and well nearly everything in between. Although, in IPAs, stouts and other such popular ales, the yeast is very quiet or clean in order to let the hops and malt shine.

GRAINS

For most ales, the malt on the nose it is normally sweet and bready. Specialty malts can range in sharp rye to aromatic Belgium blends. Stouts and Porters get their coffee and chocolate notes from the grains being roasted to varying degrees. The darker the grain color, the sharper and more distinct the aroma that will impart on the beer.

WATER

While the most prominent ingredient in beer, most beer drinkers give little thought to flavor or scent water can give to a beer. Normally with aroma, it is something you don’t want to notice. If you do, it is generally a sign that something has gone wrong. The most common scent would be the hint disinfectants, such as chlorine or iodine in homebrews.

ADJUNCTS

These are the extra ingredients that brewers love to experiment with. I recently tried Rouge’s Bacon Beer and well….it smelled like a campfire breakfast. Wasn’t exactly my thing, but I am glad I tried it. Common adjuncts are spices like coriander, lavender, stone fruits (think peaches), sour cherries, and honey. The list of adjuncts found in beers could go one for a few pages and is a veritable kitchen sink.

I hope that whenever you pick up your next pint, you take a little time to swirl and give it a good sniff. It is something I always recommend to enjoy your beer to the fullest.

Have you ever smelled something in a beer that really caught your attention? What is the oddest odor you have found in a pint?