Ah, the beer commercial. What an art form. The way these labels know how to pick the perfect busty, shiny, fun-loving girl to sport a risque outfit and bounce a sexy mansion, or sexy airplane, or sexy boat, or sexy golf course. It's just all so ground breaking (sarcasm...cough). I mean, when put like that it sounds kind of sad, but what is even worse is that it works, for men. But do men really need a reason to get sauced, the short skirts are more like value-added. My real question is, what works for women? (www.bounceideas.ca/blog/bid/120805/Beer-for-Women-The-Story-of-The-Princess-And-The-Pint)
Current efforts to portray traditional beers as modern unisex drinks seem to be missing the point. It's not bitter on Twitter or the 'ale' in 'female' that counts if you want to turn young, funky types on to cask ales...Judging by the wholly unbelievable pictures of attractive, cosmopolitan middle-youths enjoying a pint on the Cask Ale Week home page; Monday's Twitter-based beer tasting with Roger Protz; and such innovations as the new Cask Marque iPhone app, there is a real desire among interested trade bodies in giving real ale a contemporary makeover.
This isn't the first attempt to make real beer appear young, sexy and thrusting and it won't be the last. But if our brewers, landlords and beer enthusiasts really want to break with the stereotypes nailed so accurately in Viz's Real Ale Twats (www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/mar/31/
beer-real-ale-malt-manifesto),
Ik zou zeggen, de smaak; mond-op-mond-reclame, zoals bij Tupperware-partys....
Okay, so we have the guests, the beer, and the glasses. Now the fun begins – it’s time to taste. Wait a minute! First you have to pour the beer into the glass.
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Use the same tasting process for beer as with wine tasting to savor each step. Swirl your beer a little in the glass to bring forth the aromas (not too much – remember the carbonation), then smell the beer.
Nearly 90 % or more of what we perceive as ‘tastes’ are actually smells or aromas. The trained human nose can detect over 1000 distinctive smells, whereas the tongue has only five different sensory zones: bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and savory. Don’t believe it? Try a little experiment at home with cinnamon – by the way, a little goes a LONG way, so go lightly. Smell a little cinnamon and put a touch on your tongue. Rinse with coffee, pop, or lemon water. Now, hold your nose and do the same experiment again. Do you taste cinnamon? Or do you only detect texture and chalkiness? Certainly not cinnamon! Taking a moment to smell your food and beverages can add layers of complexity to the 'taste' (http://letspartymagazine.com/uncategorized/beer-tasting-2/).
Now that’s settled, put a little in your mouth and swish it gently. Respect the carbonation or it may come out your nose – not a recommended part of the tasting process! Notice the flavors from the aromas. Is it citrusy and peachy? Does it have spicy aromas like nutmeg or cinnamon? Can you distinguish bigger or bolder flavors, like coffee, chocolate, or anise? How does it feel in the mouth? Is it full and rich in texture as well as flavor? Or is it light and delicate on the palate?
Now pay attention to the finish. Does it linger? Is it a ‘good’ linger or is it unpleasant? Does it fall flat on the finish, kind of a ‘there and gone again’ sensation? Or does the flavor of the beer linger, so that you continue to savor the flavors long after you’ve swallowed?
Different styles of beer have completely different finishes. A light and citrusy summer beer has a very short finish, but can be perfect for drinking outside or at the lake. A bigger, bolder stout or porter would be a complete disappointment if it didn’t have a longer, more complex finish. Imagine that you eat a bold and spicy Thai dish, and after that you try a delicate sushi or seafood dish. The seafood is going to fall flat because your palate has been overwhelmed by bigger and bolder foods. This difference in style and structure is one of the many reasons for tasting from lightest to darkest (http://letspartymagazine.com/uncategorized/beer-tasting-3/).
