Beer School: How to taste beer like a beer judge | The Craft Beer Channel

Sometimes a beer should be served cold and slung back, other times we should think about what we're drinking. Jonny meets Ray Daniels, founder of the beer-serving accreditor Cicerone, to find out how to taste beer properly.
Turns out he's done it wrong all these years... but you probably knew that.
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Remember to drink responsibly(ish) and not be that guy...

[@joshwhitaker5453]

Followed along with you guys with my own beer in glass, it's amazing how much more I was able to pick up just by doing these simple techniques. One of the many reasons I love this channel, it's as educational as it is entertaining! Prosit!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Josh Whitaker cheers chap! It's what we love about the beer school episodes. More coming soon.

[@LiftingDad]

Ray Daniels could easily do voiceovers for Farmers Insurance, they sound exactly alike. Great techniques for beer tasting as well.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Don't forget to grab a beer and drink along with this one! Especially if you have a Gamma Ray like we do...

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

It's just occurred to me he's called Ray and we were drinking Gamma Ray. Opportunity missed.

[@shredsurf82]

Gad zukes man! What took so long? I absolutely loved these and have watched them all dozens of times, so glad you guys made another one! Keep them coming!

[@1-hitter802]

3:48 genuine true pleasure from the guy on the right. Cheers.

[@BeerByTheNumbers]

So glad to see another Beer School! And with Ray Daniels no less! Great video!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

cheers! He's a man who knows how to drink...in the theoretical sense of course.

[@slightlybuzzedpodcast3337]

Very informative.. Thanks for this video! We are taking notes!

[@ryanmars195]

Loved this! Just started doing beer review videos, and I love seeing how a real judge goes about his process

[@tomwhitworth5947]

I’ve always wanted to learn about beer from J.K. Simmons.

[@HopZine]

Great video. I met a slightly drunken Ray in Sheffield Tap early this year. Seemed like a lovely chap. I love listening to educated and passionate beery folk talk. I have a Zero-diacetyl-tolerance policy.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Haha, we had a few beers afterwards and we all got a bit ranty. A lot of people I drink with hate diacetyl too but I seem to tolerate it pretty well so long as it's not in an IPA. Had a nightmare time at a Czech beer festival where all the IPAs tasted like Urquell made with American hops. Terrible.

[@the_thirsty_samurai]

Amazing freaking video! Always more to learn, and slightly jealous you got to meet Ray.

[@blakeyoung8874]

I love the channel! You do a great crash course for people that arent very familiar with beers. I really hope you keep it up!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Blake Young cheers! No intentions to stop yet. New video out on Wednesday.

[@jmccormac01]

Is it just me or does Jonny have the best job ever? Also, it must be pretty sweet to have a buzz on at work and have it as a sign of productivity! :D

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

haha! Yeah it's pretty sweet but not my full time job yet. Maybe one day!

[@Arminius757]

Awesome video! Was starting to get scared that we wouldnt see anymore videos like this. This is one of the reasons I found your channel in the first place! Keep up the great work.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Cheers Mark - two more coming this summer so keep watching!

[@ale-iensbrewery8871]

Still catching up. Can’t believe you met Ray Daniels. I definitely needed some help with tasting an now have it. Many Thanks

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

You are welcome! Glad it helped

[@RR-ir6ss]

One of the best "How to taste beer" videos I have seen - if not the best.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Raul Ruiz de Velasco cheers Raul! Glad it helped.

[@alwaysgood6200]

The Craft Beer Channel yes truly a very good video I am a Brewer for a large craft Brewery we have a bottling line and the men who run it they like beer would not be educated in the different type and styles of tasting but always curious and always asking questions which I encourage because they should know but I think I will be referring them all to this video from now on and channel good job

[@ABeerinReview]

Wow, really great info! Thanks!

[@steamedbeech967]

Good work, thanks.

[@The_Buddster]

I only wish I hadn't watched this at breakfast. How early is too early to "taste along"?

[@user-cv3gd2wr5q]

I mistakingly did the same. FML! 🍻 cheers my friend...

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

If it's a breakfast stout, it's never too early.

[@The_Buddster]

Unless explicitly labelled ALL stout is a breakfast stout. ;)

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Graham Budd this is a dangerously excellent point of view to have.

[@norabder1008]

as they say "It's five o'clock somewhere"!!!

[@CM-ef8fu]

Cheers guys!!!

[@thetommyandbobbyshow]

You're the man. Wicked video, keep ''em coming! Thanks for the brew tips. We gotta get you on as a guest BEER JUDGE on our beer show in season 2. Cheers mate!!

[@beeravenue7949]

Whoa, so many ways to sniff a beer. :D

[@lissenden1]

It would be awesome if you you could do a tasting of a few benchmark beers with Ray so that us at home could taste along with you guys.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Nice idea. Next time he is over we'll pitch it to him. What do you regard a benchmark beer?

[@LN-Lifer]

I love craft beer but I'm amazed by you people who can pick out individual smells and tastes. Mouthfeel I get (Like it heavy) but so far as the earlier two I can only say good or bad. I can however distinguish coffee....the only thing I drink more of

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Ha well there you go! It's practise. I am terrible at picking apart coffee and spirits, pretty good at wine.

[@LN-Lifer]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel lol wine just tastes like rotten fruit to me. I actually did a a little research thinking I just hadn't tried the good stuff. Bought 5 bottles. Highly rated in the $15-$100 range. Couldn't tell a difference. I guess I just have an unsophisticated palate (along with an unsophisticated everything else)

[@RaskoAndDiscoBeerReview]

Fantastic video. Really learnt alot. Will keep this in mind for our own reviews.

[@natestertf757]

Ouch.. Those prices in the background

[@craftbeergeek7990]

Very cool video...thanks

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Craft Beer Geek cheers!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Craft Beer Geek cheers!

[@Daywai888]

Great vid . . . subscribed! Thought it strange neither Ray nor Jonny mentioned 'temperature' of the beer when tasting. In my experience, most beers, especially in Australia, are poured too cold and to properly appreciate them you have to let them warm a tad.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

It's a very important point. We didn't include it because when judging beer you serve them all at the same temperature. That said, yes maybe we should do a video on the best serving temperatures for beer!

[@seansampson7886]

...Not quite my tempo.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+sean sampson busy man eh? Fair enough

[@seansampson7886]

Haha I'm sorry- let me explain. I saw it fit since Ray Daniels resembles J.K. Simmons in the movie "Whiplash," although Ray seems like a way better guy to be around. :) Cheers!

[@Crunch_Buttsteak]

dragging.

[@vmdp8790]

*throws chair*

[@maylammarie]

So educational. Looks like i really need to step up my game when doing beer reviews on my channel. Lol.

[@RBRB431]

New subscriber here! Just wanted something like this for an amateur craft beer lover this is perfect!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

welcome! and glad you're enjoying the videos. If there is anything you want us to make let us know!

[@jorispattyn9690]

Remark the difference in the glass Ray choose, and the one you had made for CBC. It has a stem!. Your glass has to be taken directly by the hand, and that is a warming of the beer that I usually try to avoid. I might be old fashioned, but to me, any tasting of beer ought to be done from a tulip-type glass, one not too sturdy, with a rim not too thick.

[@ClementisItalian]

This is great insight into the certification process.

[@natfingerboard]

Anyway I love this beer school series you do, I wish it was more frequent.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Us too! They often take a lot of work and multiple locations but we've got 2 more coming this summer so watch out for those.

[@69rickyt]

nice! I love the beer school vids you guys do!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Cheers! More to come this summer.

[@heroischin7004]

Great video, i'm gonna do the beer sommelier in switzerland, so with this video i'm prepared. Greetings from switzerland :)

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+hero ischin haha. Good luck with it!

[@heretobrew]

Nice Indiana Jones reference! You chose wisely...

[@melodicaudiophile5467]

Loved this guy in Whiplash. Great film 🥁

[@raveenshahdadpuri]

LOL - i was thinking the EXACT same thing !!! :)

[@porkeramericanism1457]

Awesome I need this for my future job

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

what job is that?

[@porkeramericanism1457]

+The Craft Beer Channel hopefully a brew master

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Amazing! Living the dream!

[@oscarmeyer516006]

Very interesting!

[@Timothythebrewer]

What about appearance, and head retention in the first swirl step?

[@EliInk]

Just so you know this video opens up with a Budlight commercial. 🤣🤣

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Lol. This is amazing!

[@enriqueDFTL]

Love Brewdog. I wish they would come to USA.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

They are! They are founding a brewery in Ohio!

[@robs5285]

I'm new to all this so clearly hit subscribe! Looking forward to learning more!

[@jemleye]

Love your channel, super interesting! I do have one suggestion though. Look into your audio quality. People don't often even realize how important audio is in videos. I'm not saying that it's bad, but it could be much more professional. I'll keep on watching though, love your content!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Jem Leye cheers man. We know we have issues but we can't afford new mics yet. We don't make any money from this really but we'll get there!

[@DowntownCraft]

Great Video!

[@elroyblackbean]

When is Jonny coming to Texas?? I would love to buy you a beer!!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

and I'd love to be bought a beer! There are possible plans for the end of the year actually..

[@joelnenadovich8141]

yeah, good vid

[@LN-Lifer]

Olfactory memory

[@scottplumer3668]

This makes me want a beer. Too bad I'm at work. (Because I'd have to get one for my boss!)

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

haha!

[@Alexlevy47]

I would have thought all the swilling would have de-gassed the beer somewhat which can have a noticeable impact on perceived flavour. Also interesting that the was no mention of mouthfeel or how the beer leaves the palate (dry, cloying, etc.). Nice vid anyway :)

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Oh it absolutely does, but this is what judges do - I wouldn't recommend doing it for beers you're just looking to enjoy! FOr that, I'd stick to just the bloodhound/3 sniff technique. As for the "mouthfeel" aspects that is indeed a slight hole we left in the video, but doesn't need a technique which is what the video was trying to teach. It is VITAL to judging and just enjoyment though!

[@popeymadethis]

Biggest problem I had following along with this is my sense of smell is shiiiiit. Couldn’t smell feck all on the drive by, and really struggle with the aroma in general. This might explain something about my beer preferences.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

I enjoyed it because it was so weird - and so far removed from what a pilsner-style lager should smell and taste like. As a beer, and as a drink to keep drinking, it was terrible.

[@pekkalaitinen8769]

_Retronasial Accentuation_ Sounds like a brutal death metal band

[@d.c.1059]

I love the retro nasal criterion because I usually taste some wonderful hops there that parallel marijuana terpenes in the nose. This has caused me to enjoy my beer more like I enjoy marijuana.

[@atroyz]

Ray seems like an extremely mild mannered guy, but I keep expecting him to throw a bottle at the camera and yell “were you rushing or were you dragging???”

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Haha I bet he gets that a lot

[@ghostlygent]

When you drank that beer, were you rushing? Or were you dragging?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Agreed.

[@jc30081983]

Feels like tasting a wine, same principles.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Very similar. Except you cant spit or else you wont get the bitterness or the retro nasal.

[@tyrannosaurus696]

6:45 - this man has a lot to be responsible for by mentioning the 'U word' in front of a young and impressionable Jonny.

[@sipandstroll-craftbeerrunn343]

Very helpful information! I can smell the vapor trail from here. Question for you, so how many beers roughly has a beer Cicerone drank in their lifetime? ;D Cheers!

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

haha, if we're talking different beers, well into the thousands I'd imagine. Especially a master cicerone like Ray!

[@shredsurf82]

I know Jonny is a beer enthusiast for sure, but are you a certified cicerone as well? Also how nervous did you feel being in front of someone like Ray and going back and forth about what you tasted versus what he tasted?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Yeah I felt like a kid being tested at school. I don't think I made any clangers, but he picked up some things I didn't. Neither me nor the Brad are Cicerone trained, but we are looking into it after meeting Ray!

[@donmcinnis116]

I've never developed a taste for beer (not that I've actually tried that many), but I can't figure out what it is I don't like about the taste of it, the malt or the hopps. Is there any way I can figure this out? That may help me to find a beer I actually like. Thanks.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Hi Don - what flavours is it you don't like? We can try to pin point where the come from and recommend some styles to try that don't focus on those areas.

[@donmcinnis116]

I don't really know what it is. I'm just guessing that it's either the hops or the malt. All I can tell you is that I've tried Schooner, Labatt Blue, Ten Penny, Alexander Keith's IPA, and I think Moosehead. It's been decades since I tasted beer, and from those types of beer I've tried, I don't miss any of them. I think there was a bitterness I didn't like, and I'm only guessing that it was the hops. I honestly don't know what hops or malt tastes like. If I knew that, I'd probably be able to figure it out.

[@Dcalzaretta]

I am going to be teaching a course at our local community college called "Introduction to Brewing and Beer Appreciation". Is it ok if I show this video to my class? Thanks! Dan

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

100%!

[@Dcalzaretta]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel thanks!

[@reflux043]

Does all the swirling not take the fizz out ruining the beer?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

It sure does, so this is for really appraising or judging a beer, not general consumption!

[@reflux043]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Ah i see, thanks, its interesting to know. I started reviewing beers last year and some of them are hard to get an aroma from, especially lagers.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Well this technique will help especially the covered sniff - but lagers more than any beer are about the whole effect, everything in balance and nothing too much.

[@reflux043]

@@TheCraftBeerChannel Is it worth swirling near the end of the beer? Specifically Belgian beer or is that useless? Some have yeast in the bottom.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Anything bottle conditioned other than German weissbier I would recommend NOT swirling in bottle. In the glass, sure. But never tip that last bit in from the bottle.

[@thomashoogendam3778]

So, I have a weird question.... I'll pour my beer, it gets a good head. You can see carbonization. Then I take a sip, and the head dissipates quite fast and I loose some carbonization. It doesnt go totally flat, when I swirl it it gets some head again. I wash with hot water only, no soap. Clean cloth for drying. I've been trying to figure this out for a bit now. It doesn't happen with all beers, and faster with some then with others. Any suggestions or tips would be awesome.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

And you're sure it's not just down to the beers themselves? Some beers have great head retention (usually very carbonated or protein-rich beers) and others much worse (high abv beers usually).

[@thomashoogendam3778]

Hm. It does happen with higher ABV beers more, this is true. But I've noticed it with some lagers as well, like some bocks. I've read a few good tips about certain types of drying clothes. Might give those a try. Thanks for the reply. :D

[@justinschultz3566]

It may have something to do with a chap-stick or some other oily product you may use on your lips. Oil destroys a good head.

[@ircensko7324]

Captions at 4:00

[@Majnun74]

No checking the srm color?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

This was about how to TASTE beer! Sometimes it's better not to form judgements before we drink it. But colour is a factor in some judging, for better or worse.

[@OfArmadillo]

Wow I literally recoiled from that intro, jarring loud music and stuff flying right at your face! AAHHH

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Aaaaaaaahpologies!

[@marcelhaas]

But, but... with all that swirling you smash all the carbon dioxide out of your beer. Try this with a Duvel, have a glass next to it where you don't and compare. The difference is enormous! One swirl should be enough for the aromas to be set free, the shape of the glass will keep them in-tact reasonably well for a bit.

[@natfingerboard]

With all that swirling the carbonation is almost gone. This methods are for judging beer, but if I'm drinking at home a little swirl and sniff is enough right? Lol

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

haha yeah with us having to do retakes and stuff the beer was nearly flat by the time we drank it, but a beer can stand up to a fair amount of swirling.

[@whiskeyriver4322]

Great to hear from those who knows where the nose goes. without the nose, the tongue is only exercise. :o

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Whiskey River (Doc) amen. And we hate exercise.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Whiskey River (Doc) amen. And we hate exercise.

[@tonyofarrell2775]

You dont drink from the bottle?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Only when we're really thirsty.

[@jonathancerbaro713]

"... the only thing you actualy percieve on yout tongue is sweet, salty, bitter, and YO MOMMY..."

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

STRONG

[@merinapandey8122]

Unami

[@HazyTown01]

Did that slow zoom in the beginning throw anybody else off?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

we like to keep you on your toes.

[@Cpoff27]

Which beer did you choose?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

beavertown gamma ray - so a juicy American pale

[@thebeerboss7378]

If you haven’t tried Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, you’re missing out! See what the world renowned ‘Beer Boss’ says about it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJOadnybbcibY8k

[@mozz69r]

I would not make a good beer judge. I could and would quite easily be buzzed in the ten minutes that it took to watch this video.

[@mozz69r]

Not that I mean that the video wasn't interesting. I'd love to do the BJCP exams, but I may not be suited to it. I struggle to remember that it's a marathon, not a sprint.

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Don't get us wrong. We love a spring sometimes too...

[@jounsbar1947]

Thanks for this! We also started doing beer review videos, but in different way! Please check our channel "Joun's bar". It's a virtual bar from Finland spiced with really bad humor... Love this channel !

[@davegetsspam]

bad beer ; worst I had this year was fosters made in the uk

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Haha. Wouldnt call it a British beer though. If it ever made sense to brew it elsewhere they would do it in a heart beat.

[@JohnS1704]

Fuck me! What's wrong with "this is shite/very good"?

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

Well firstly most beers fall in between that and secondly it is good to know WHY! But no one does this all the time, obviously. Hence why we call it "like a beer judge".

[@ParagPandit]

Please behave with your glass of beer 🍷. Don't make it look ridiculous like Mr. Bean!

[@guglielmo_arte_naturale]

I think the quick weird sniff Is useless plus swirling the beer ruins It, real sommelier dont do that stuff👎

[@thisdrinkinglife]

Ray is cool, but id be fucked if i did all that shite, lol

[@TheCraftBeerChannel]

+Thisdrinkinglife.com haha. It's only for if you REALLY want to get to the bare bones of a beer. Ain't no way we do it each time. We think the more you know about beer the more you can just relax and enjoy it.