Sensory Evaluation & Beer Styles Flashcards

Which beer style is characterized by a Cologne, Germany origin, top fermentation at lager-like cool temperatures, and a clean, delicate palate?

Answer: Kölsch

Kölsch is a German ale brewed in Cologne with top-fermenting yeast but lagered at cold temperatures, producing a crisp, lightly fruity profile.

DMS (dimethyl sulfide) in beer is most commonly associated with which aroma descriptor?

Answer: Cooked corn or creamed corn

DMS is a sulfur compound derived from SMM in malt that produces a cooked vegetable aroma, most often described as creamed corn.

The SRM (Standard Reference Method) scale in brewing measures what characteristic of beer?

Answer: Color darkness

SRM quantifies beer color on a numeric scale, where low numbers (1–4) indicate pale straw and high numbers (40+) represent opaque black beers.

Which aroma compound, produced by certain yeast strains during fermentation, is responsible for the banana-like ester in a Bavarian Hefeweizen?

Answer: Isoamyl acetate

Isoamyl acetate is the ester responsible for the distinctive banana aroma in Hefeweizen, produced by Bavarian hefeweizen yeast strains at warmer fermentation temperatures.

A 'dry-hopped' American IPA would most likely exhibit which primary aromatic characteristic?

Answer: Intense floral, citrus, tropical, or resinous hop aroma with minimal bitterness contribution

Dry hopping adds hops after fermentation, maximizing volatile aromatic compounds (terpenes, thiols) with little isomerization for bitterness.

In the context of judging beer style accuracy, what does 'balance' refer to?

Answer: The harmony between sweetness, bitterness, acidity, carbonation, and alcohol so no single element overwhelms

Balance in sensory evaluation means that all flavor components—malt sweetness, hop bitterness, yeast character, carbonation—are proportioned to complement rather than dominate each other.