The new breed of barrel aged brewers adds the complexity of wood flavours (including the depicted whiskey lactone with woody, green and coconut undertones – Figure 3) along with vanilla notes and far more besides. Understanding wood chemistry and its effects on beer maturation is in its infancy.

We do not even discuss the flavour complexity of Brettanomyces – “Brett” beers, spontaneously fermented and sour beers here – maybe next time? Unwanted microorganisms create a plethora of taints and off-flavours. Oxidation of the beer promotes staling reactions with cardboard, papery, bready notes – but enough of the bad stuff. Back to brewery fresh, quality beer. Ten key flavours found in alcoholic beverages with brief flavour notes are illustrated in the infographic wheel in Figure 3.

Figure 3

While not all points illustrated in the three figures are mentioned, the article will provide a concise introduction to beer from the perspective of the key flavours. When these flavours, and a few other components, are understood the brewer should be poised to better grasp the quality issues involved in brewing which can then help ensure more consistency and higher quality beer production.

Delving deeper into the literature or the wealth of information on the web or consulting the author will provide further gems of information introducing the reader to the fascinating world of the sensory evaluation of their favourite beverage. We encourage you to look up terms in your favourite search engine and explore a little more about each flavour note mentioned above