A simple beer tasting sheet for beginners with a free template
Writing notes is the fastest way to get better at tasting beer. This guide gives you a simple sheet you can copy today, explains every box on it and shows how to use it so your notes actually teach you something.
Why write anything down
Tasting without notes is like reading without remembering. You enjoy the beer, then it blurs into every other beer. A written note forces you to slow down, pay attention and choose words. Over a few weeks those notes become a record of what you like, what you dislike and how your palate is changing.
Professional judges use detailed forms such as the BJCP scoresheet. Those are excellent but intimidating for a beginner. The sheet below takes five minutes and covers what matters.
The template
Copy this onto a sheet of paper, into a notebook or a notes app on your phone. Use one sheet per beer.
- Beer and brewery. Name, style, ABV, where and when you drank it.
- Freshness. Packaging or best before date, or 'on tap'.
- Look. Colour, clarity, foam: how much, how long it lasts.
- Smell. Three words for what you smell first, then anything that appears as it warms.
- Taste. Sweet, bitter, sour, salty: which lead and which are in the background. Then flavours.
- Feel. Light, medium or full body. Low, medium or high carbonation. Any warmth or dryness.
- Finish. Short or long. What lingers.
- Overall. One sentence. Would you buy it again, yes or no, with one reason.
- Score. Out of 10, for your own enjoyment.
That is it. Nine lines. You can fit two beers on one side of A4.
How to fill in each box
Look first, before the foam drops. Hold the glass against a white wall or paper. Is it pale straw, gold, amber, brown or black? Hazy or clear? Write what you see, not what the label says.
Smell next. Swirl gently and take two or three short sniffs. Write the first words that come to mind, even odd ones. Biscuit, banana, mango, pine, wet paper, caramel. Our beer flavour wheel guide gives you a ready list of words when you are stuck.
Taste with a decent mouthful, rolled around the tongue. Notice the basic tastes before you hunt for flavours. Many beginners find it easier to say how bitter a beer is than what fruit it reminds them of. Both are useful.
Feel is the texture: is it thin like soda water or rich like milk? Prickly or soft? Does it dry your mouth?
A worked example
Here is what a filled sheet for a fresh wheat beer might look like:
- Look: pale gold, very hazy, thick white foam that lasts.
- Smell: banana, clove, bread. Bubblegum as it warms.
- Taste: lightly sweet, low bitterness. Banana and bread again.
- Feel: medium body, high carbonation, creamy.
- Finish: short, slightly tart.
- Overall: easy, refreshing. Yes, with lunch.
Nothing clever. But in a month, when you taste another wheat beer, you will have something to compare it against.
Making your notes teach you
The sheet is only useful if you go back to it. A few habits help:
- Taste in pairs. Two beers side by side teach more than one alone. Differences are easier to name than absolutes.
- Keep the temperature sensible. Very cold beer hides aroma. Let it warm for a few minutes and note what changes.
- Read your old notes. Once a month, look back. Patterns appear: perhaps you always like dry beers, or always mark down anything sweet.
- Share them. Taste with a friend, write separately, then compare. You will learn words from each other.
If you are hosting a group, our guide to setting up a beer tasting covers glasses, pours and order.
Tasting responsibly
Tasting is about attention, not volume. Use small pours of 60 to 100 ml, drink water between beers and eat something. Four to six samples in a session is plenty for a beginner. Spitting is perfectly acceptable and professional judges do it all the time.
Never drive after a tasting. If you are hosting, make sure there are good non-alcoholic options for anyone who prefers them.
When you outgrow the sheet
After a couple of months you will notice your notes getting longer and more specific. You may start to wonder whether the cardboard you smelt was a fault, or why one brewery's lager always tastes faintly of sweetcorn. That is the point where self-teaching slows down. You need reference samples, a trained guide and other tasters to calibrate against.
Common questions
Do I need a special form to taste beer?
No. A simple sheet with boxes for look, smell, taste, feel and finish is enough to start. Professional forms such as the BJCP scoresheet can come later.
How many beers should I taste at once?
Four to six small samples is plenty for a beginner. More than that and your palate tires and your notes get vague.
What if I cannot name the flavours?
Start with the basic tastes: sweet, bitter, sour. Use a flavour wheel for words. Taste beside a friend. Vocabulary builds with practice.
Should I score beers?
A personal score out of 10 is useful for remembering what you liked. Do not worry about matching anyone else's.
