SAB tells you how to taste your beer correctly
JOBURG - SAB Miller, the brewers of South Africa's most loved beers, is offering you some tips to drinking your favourite beer when you visit the SAB World of Beer in Johannesburg's Newtown precint.
What better way to cool down this summer than to head to your favourite bar or brewery and take in the malt and hops.
SAB Miller, the brewers of South Africa’s most loved beers, is offering you some tips to drinking your favourite beer when you visit the SAB World of Beer in Johannesburg’s Newtown precint.
Nobody wants to be the sloppy drunk person at the bar so it is important to line your stomach with some delicious foods before taking on the beer-tasting experience.
This will ensure that you don’t get too drunk and pass out before taking in all the flavours.
Danie Odendaal, consumer science and sensory manager at SAB, suggests you finish a meal at least 30 minutes before and avoid any spicy foods.
“Steer clear of heavily scented perfume, aftershave or body lotions as this can interfere with the sensory experience of beer tasting,” Odendaal added.
He also explained that when the waiter first places the glass in front of you, a moment should be taken to smell the beer and enjoy all the aromas before diving into it.
This is due to the fact that the first taste of the beer weakens the ability to gather all the scents and smell aromas properly.
Swirl the glass before tasting the beer to get the full range of scents.
Odendaal cautions that beer-tasters should not be in a hurry.
“Don’t be too tempted to swallow the liquid gold just yet,” he explained. “Let the beer dance on your taste buds. Key tastes to identify at this point are: sweetness, dryness or the acidity of the beverage, which can be determined by how sour the beer is; bitterness – this flavour comes from the hops (the bitterness that is added to balance out the sweetness of the beer) and is usually felt after swallowing.”
Castle Milk Stout for example, gives off hints of toffee, butterscotch and coffee and Carling Black Label brings through flavours of banana.
While most people do not have the experienced palate to taste all the underlying flavours in beer, it still makes for a fun activity with friends.
Details: 011 836 4900; rosemary.msibi@za.sabmiller.com
