Color has taste? No, it is not a typo… I’m going to attempt to blog about how color can affect the taste of beer, albeit indirectly.
I believe there is a subconscious expectation on how the beer will taste based on its color which becomes an interesting factor. You expect a light colored beer to taste light, and a dark beer to taste heavy. When a beer’s color does not line up with how it tastes, I believe there is a perceived negative effect on how good it is. I also think the opposite is true, but not to the same degree. That is, when a beer’s color matches its expected taste, the beer tastes better, or maybe tastes just right; but in this case it is less of a factor.
A light colored beer that has strong beer flavors, either malt sweetness, or more commonly a strong hop bitterness or aroma, can cause one to be pleasantly surprised. Such was the case when I tasted Blue Point’s Hoptical Illusion and Southern Tier’s Phin & Matt’s Extraordinary Ale.
When the beer color is in the middle of the scale, I believe there is more mental flexibility on taste.
All if this, of course, is not a hard and fast rule or something that can be measured; it is indirect, subtle, and was just a wild-ass theory of mine until I read some articles from experts with similar thoughts.
I hate when I am sorely disappointed, as I find in something like Killian’s Red. I find it weak compared to its great color. What experiences have you found with beer color, for good, or for worse?
© Hop Talk
How Color Affects the Taste of Beer (Part 4)
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