Local taproom and restaurant Kask has started a beer tasting club.
On the fourth Wednesday of each month, beer lovers are encouraged to come down to the restaurant on Fourth Avenue.
Owner Ross Birchall will handpick five beers and, together, the club will explore all aspects of the beverages.
There will be scoresheets as well so that over time members can develop a sense of their personal palette.
Birchall says there are a surprising number of components that influence a beer's taste, such as aroma, appearance and mouthfeel.
"There's so much: header style, bone texture, hop bitterness, alcohol," he says. "There's a worldwide style guide, a go-to book that people use for naming, styling and rating, all facets of making."
Birchall adds beer flavours, just like clothing, can go in and out of style. He says that last year, Belgian-style Witbiers were popular for breweries looking to experiment. He says that this year, the hazy IPA is in fashion.
"The hazy IPA is a trend that is super popular right now. I'm really into this one; hazy IPAs basically taste like a strong, hoppy beer that has juice added to it, but it isn't sweet. I'm wild about it, so I would be totally OK if it were to stick around for a while."
Birchall notes each beer during the club meetings will be paired with a food item from the Kask Test Kitchen's rotating menu. The beers chosen will be ones that have never been sold before. For more information about the club, head to their Facebook page.
