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Yikes! My aroma receptors are not the best in the world but boy would I miss the use of my middling nose because so much of beer is based around that aroma experience. And then to add insult to injury, not only would your nose be basically turned off, it could then have the dial turned to “foul odors”?
If there are beer fans out there not willing to get the vaccine, the chance that this could happen should send you sprinting to the nearest pharmacy.
If you are subscribed to the Hop Queries newsletter, well then what kind of beer rabbit hole geek are you?
At the recent Brewing Summit 2018,
hop aromas were broken down into these groups and I think it is quite useful to
have handy the next time you try an IPA that is new to you to see where it
lands……
Fruity – Citrus
Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon, Lime, Tangerine, Mandarin
Fruity – Tropical
Mango, Pineapple, Papaya, Banana, Lychee, Guava, Passion Fruit, Coconut
Fruity – Berry
Raspberry, Strawberry, Blueberry, Blackberry, Concord Grape, White Grape,
Gooseberry, Black Currant/Catty, Red Currant, White Wine
Fruity – Stone Fruit
Peach, Apricot, Nectarine, Cherry, Plum
Fruity – Melon
Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Cucumber, Watermelon
Fruity – Pomme
Apple, Pear
Floral
Geranium, Rose, Lavender, Jasmine, Elderflower, Potpourri
Woody
Pine, Resinous, Cedar, Tobacco, Sandalwood
Herbaceous
Black Tea, Green Tea, Mint, Rosemary, Bergamot, Dill, Thyme, Basil, Sage,
Cannabis, Skunk, Menthol
Grassy
Fresh Cut Grass, Lemongrass, Green Leaves, Hay
Spicy
Black Pepper, Clove, Licorice/Anise, Ginger, Coriander, Cardamom
Sweet Aromatic
Caramel, Chocolate, Vanilla, Bubblegum
Medicinal
Plastic, Rubber, Burnt Rubber, Smoke, Petroleum, Diesel
Dairy
Cheese, Cream, Waxy
Earthy
Musty, Soil, Marsh, Moss
Vegetal
Onion, Green Onion, Garlic, Green Bell Pepper, Celery, Asparagus, Cabbage
This is very useful to see where your favorite hoppy beers are so that you can pursue ones with similar aroma profiles and really hone in on your preferred IPA.
I have to admit that I was skeptical about the Sonic Foamer. I am wary of beer gear that promises an improved beer tasting experience. My radical enjoyment plan is to enjoy the beer.
And getting the Sonic Foamer up and running did not help matters. First, it requires six AA batteries. My Apple mouse and keyboard need four between them. Anything over two should be given an electrical cord. End of story. The battery cover requires a screwdriver as well. The next design flaw is the on/off switch being on the bottom. Put it on the side people. Especially considering you have to put two teaspoons of water on the top. Which leads to the next issue. Now your glass is wet.
I know this sounds petty and trivial but design is important. A light at the bottom does not eradicate other design flaws no matter how many colors it can become. After all of this mini-hassle, I put the shaker pint on the conducting plate with the water. I had two different beers for the experiment. A session IPA and a Festbier. Hoppy and malty. I smelled and tasted each before and after the hot foaming action.
To my pleasant surprise, the Sonic Foamer worked. Each beer was noticeably more aromatic after a few button pushes. Watching the bubbles flow upward and new foam being created was quite cool. I would use it at the halfway mark of drinking to freshen up the beer in the glass.
Since aroma is so important this tool helps to teach that lesson. Take one sip midway through your beer, foam it, then taste again. How did the beer change? Did it change for the better? I could see this helping with 22oz bottles that might have lost a little luster.
If you, as a beer drinker, are fond of beer educational items. This might just be one to showcase the power of aroma on beer.
From the Oregonian and a Portland Business Journal article:
“A new aroma hop breeding program will be created in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University in Corvallis.
A gift pledge of $807,000 from Indie Hops, a Portland-based hop
merchant, will support the new program, which will be led by Shaun
Townsend, a research associate and hop breeding specialist at OSU.
Indie Hops already has provided $200,000 to OSU’s Thomas Shellhammer, holder of the Nor’Wester Professorship in Fermentation Science, to foster research in new techniques for developing aroma hops and to study aroma hop chemistry. The new hop breeding program will work closely with Shellhammer’s lab to study hop essential oil composition and how individual oil components impart the characteristic flavor and aroma to beer.”
This means in a few years we might get the next Citra or Nelson hops. IPA’s will not be the same.