Beer tasting school

Talking about the finer things in life 'Beer'!

Here I am teaching the fine art of beer appreciation and how to define the subtle aromas and flavors of some classic beer styles on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Aptos, California. Nine students signed up to participate in beer tasting and they were enthusiastic and engaged. I came prepared with nine different beers including: Pilsner Urquell, Duvel Belgian golden, Erdinger S. wheat, Boon geuze, Roggenbier, Mad River pale ale, Moylan's dry stout, Schlenkerla rauchbier and a strong lager, Samichlaus.

Dave Helps define a classic Pilsener.

After getting everyone signed in I launched right into a brief history of ancient brewing, going back to the days of the Sumerians, Babylonians and Egyptians. Then discussed some more recent beer history including the American beer Renaissance (micro brew business) brought on by the changes in the alcohol laws the Pres. Jimmy Carter made allowing homebrewing again. Then each beer was generally defined by origin and region while we dissected its smells and tastes. Several of the beers were of from Germany http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/styles.html
and a couple from Belgium. Everyone seemed satisfied with the selection and a lot of questions and dialog were generated by the introduction of the unique styles. Many of the students had never experienced these styles of beer.

Dave reviews his notes.