Writing Tasting Notes

Why Write Tasting Notes

Tasting notes serve three purposes: they force you to pay close attention while tasting, they create a searchable record you can reference later, and they communicate your experience to others. The act of writing itself improves perception — you notice more when you know you have to describe it.

The Basic Template

A simple, repeatable structure ensures consistency:

Beer name / Style / ABV / Date

Appearance: Color (SRM estimate or descriptive), clarity, head color and retention, lacing.

Aroma: Primary descriptors (malt, hop, yeast), secondary descriptors (specific fruit, spice, or roast notes), intensity level (faint, moderate, prominent).

Flavor: Initial taste, mid-palate development, finish, aftertaste. Balance between sweet and bitter. Any off-flavors.

Mouthfeel: Body (light/medium/full), carbonation (low/moderate/high), warmth, astringency, creaminess.

Overall: Summary impression, style accuracy, drinkability, rating (your personal scale).

Building Descriptive Vocabulary

Malt Descriptors

Crackers, bread crust, toast, biscuit, honey, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, raisin, fig, date, chocolate, cocoa, espresso, char, smoke, burnt.

Hop Descriptors

Floral (rose, lavender, chamomile), citrus (grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, tangerine), tropical (mango, passion fruit, guava, lychee, pineapple), stone fruit (peach, apricot, nectarine), berry (blueberry, blackberry, gooseberry), pine, resin, dank, grassy, herbal, earthy, woody, spicy (pepper, cedar).

Fermentation Descriptors

Banana, pear, apple, bubblegum, clove, pepper, rose, honey, solvent, nail polish, butter, green apple, corn, sulfur, barnyard, horse blanket, vinegar, leather.

Calibration Words

Use consistent intensity markers across all notes:

Faint — barely perceptible, requires effort to detect. Low — present but not prominent. Moderate — clearly present, balanced with other elements. Prominent — a defining characteristic, immediately noticeable. Intense — dominant, potentially overwhelming other characteristics.

This five-point vocabulary scale aligns with BJCP descriptive language and makes your notes comparable over time.

Common Pitfalls

Over-describing — not every beer needs 200 words. Straightforward beers deserve straightforward notes. A clean American lager might be accurately described in two sentences. Under-describing — "tastes good" tells your future self nothing. Always include at least one specific descriptor for aroma and flavor. Evaluating instead of describing — separate description ("moderate caramel malt sweetness") from evaluation ("appropriate for the style"). Description is objective; evaluation is subjective.

Digital vs Paper

Both work. Paper journals are tactile and distraction-free. Digital notes (apps, spreadsheets) are searchable and backuppable. Many serious tasters use a hybrid: paper during the session, then transcribe key notes digitally later.

Public vs Private Notes

Notes for yourself can be shorthand and personal. Notes for blogs, reviews, or Untappd should be accessible to a broader audience: avoid jargon, define uncommon terms, and anchor descriptions to familiar reference points ("aroma of fresh orange zest" rather than "Citra-forward myrcene expression").