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The Great American Beer Festival (October 9 to 11) is once again rolling kegs from across the country into downtown Denver. We asked Patrick Combs—vice president of liquids for local beverage company Wilding Brands and one of only 28 master cicerones, aka beer sommeliers, in the world—to prime our palates.
1. With hundreds of breweries and thousands of pours spread across the Colorado Convention Center, you need to come into your allotted four-hour session (from $85) with a plan. Research who’s bringing what, make a top 10 must-try list, and study the festival map in advance.
2. Eat beforehand, but don’t stress about the specific meal. “It’s overblown that coffee and a burrito wreck your palate for the day,” Combs says. During the fest, however, salt from your pretzel necklace will amplify flavors, while fatty foods like cheese can coat and dull your taste buds.
3. If you’re trying multiple pours at one stop, sample from least to most intense. This often means going from light to dark, but not always; for example, a pale gold IPA loaded with fruit and hops will have stronger flavors than a reddish-brown Vienna lager. Use water to rinse and reset your palate between sips (and to stay hydrated).
4. As with wine, start by gently swirling the suds in your glass to release the aromatics. Then, take a couple of short sniffs, swig, swallow, and pay attention to the retronasal qualities (what you smell when you exhale). “There will be other flavor notes you discover on the finish of a beer,” Combs says.
5. Try styles you normally wouldn’t order a full pint of, and don’t feel pressured to finish samples you aren’t enjoying—or even ones you are. “I’m going to be sad when I do it,” Combs says of dumping good beer, “but I don’t want to consume a tremendous amount. It’s not gonna be fun at the end.”
