A Few Useful Beer Descriptors

Because beer is widely available in a variety of different styles, describing it isn’t as easy as it used to be. Knowing a handful of colorful beer descriptors comes in handy when discussing beer with others. Here’s a sample list to get you started:

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  Aggressive: Boldly assertive aroma and/or taste

  
  


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  Balanced: Malt and hops in similar proportions; equal representation of malt sweetness and hop bitterness in the flavor — especially at the finish

  
  


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  Complex: Multidimensional; many flavors and sensations on the palate

  
  


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  Crisp: Highly carbonated; effervescent

  
  


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  Diacetyl: Buttery or butterscotchy aroma or flavor

  
  


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  Estery: Fruity aromas

  
  


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  Floral: Full of aromas reminiscent of flowers

  
  


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  Fruity: Flavors reminiscent of various fruits

  
  


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  Hoppy: Herbal, earthy, spicy, or citric aromas and flavors of hops

  
  


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  Malty: Grainy, caramel-like; can be sweet or dry

  
  


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  Roasty/toasty: Malt (roasted grain) flavors

  
  


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  Robust: Rich and full-bodied

  
  

The following are two other terms commonly used to describe a beer, but they don’t describe taste:

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  Mouthfeel is the tactile sensory experience of the whole inside of the mouth and throat — warmth (alcohol) in the throat, dryness, carbonation, and so on — and includes a sense of body.

  
  


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  Body describes the sensation of fullness, or viscosity, of a beer on the palate, ranging from watery to creamy; beer is generally described as thin-, light-, medium-, or full-bodied.

  
  

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/a-few-useful-beer-descriptors.html