Beer tasting wheel – how to learn to taste beer
The world of beer can be vast and confusing. A beer flavor wheel can help you navigate the world. It gives you a visual overview of the most common flavors and aromas in beer, and helps you understand what sets different types apart. HANEN has developed a beer flavor wheel for anyone who loves beer or wants to learn a little more about sensory analysis. The flavor chart and aroma wheel are a useful tool that can help you put into words the aroma and taste of the beer you drink.
When you taste beer, it's not just about liking or not liking. The tasting wheel gives you a language for the experience. You can start with the simple: what does the beer look like? Consider the color, clarity, and head. Is it light or dark, clear or cloudy, with a light or heavy head? This often gives you a first clue as to what to expect.
Then you move on to smell. The aromas in beer come from the ingredients and the process. Malt can give notes of bread, biscuits, caramel and chocolate. Hops can give fresh touches of citrus, herbs, flowers or tropical fruit. Yeast contributes everything from clean and neutral notes to more spicy or fruity aromas. Using a beer flavor wheel can help you recognize these nuances.
When you take a sip, even more layers open up. The taste wheel divides this into different categories that help you put into words what you are experiencing. You may feel sweetness, bitterness or sourness. Perhaps you notice the fullness and mouthfeel, or how the taste develops and lingers afterwards.
An important part of the wheel is the connection to the raw materials. Malt often provides the round and warm flavors, such as bread, nuts and chocolate. Hops stand for freshness and bitterness, with touches of everything from citrus and berries to herbs and flowers. The yeast can provide fruity notes such as apple and banana, or spicy notes such as cloves and pepper. In addition, processes such as storage and maturation can affect the flavor, for example by providing more complex or rounded aromas.
The beer flavor wheel also shows how certain flavors develop during fermentation. Esters can give fruity notes, while phenols can give spicy or slightly rough notes. This often helps define the beer style. Some beers are clean and light, others are more complex and powerful.
There are also aromas that are not necessarily desired. The flavor wheel makes you aware of this. Flavors such as wet cardboard, sulfur or rancidity can be signs of errors in production or storage. By knowing these, you will be more confident in assessing quality.
By actively using the tasting wheel, you train your senses. You become more aware of what you actually taste, and not least what you like. This makes beer tasting more interesting and educational. At the same time, it becomes easier to choose the right beer, whether you are in a farm shop, at a restaurant or visiting a brewery.
The HANEN This is also about highlighting the diversity of Norwegian beer. All around the country there are breweries that work with local ingredients and their own expressions. The Taste Wheel can be an entrance to exploring this diversity. It gives you a tool to discover new favorites and understand what makes each beer unique. Check out farm beer producers here
The next time you taste beer, use a beer tasting wheel as a guide. Look, smell and taste. It opens up a richer experience – and a whole new way to explore beer.
If you would like to purchase this beer tasting wheel, please contact us at post@hanen.no
Thanks for the cooperation of the contributors:
Amund Polden Arnesen – Norway's first beer waiter, brewer, course instructor at Beverage Academy.
Jørn Idar Kvig – beer nerd, author and course leader at Ølsirkus.
Inga Oskal Eidsvåg – beer enthusiast, brewer, communications advisor to the Norwegian Food Foundation.
David Gardiano – Product Manager Beer and Cider at Vinmonopolet.
Erling Kristensen – beer waiter, course leader, brewer, project manager in HANEN.
Here you can see who won the competition Norway's Best Drink 2026