Brandy, cognac & armagnac

 How to taste brandy / cognac / armagnac? 

1. Visual analysis
2. Smell the liquid 
3. Taste the liquid (small sip first, larger one second)
4. Analysis of the aftertaste and finish

General description of a cognac/brandy/armagnac and how to taste it:

A video describing a way to serve and taste: 

Another video describing the way to serve them:

Difference between brandy / cognac / armagnac

• Brandy -  is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. In a broader sense, the term brandy also denotes liquors obtained from the distillation of pomace (yielding pomace brandy), or mash or wine of any other fruit (fruit brandy).^[3][1] These products are also called eau de vie (which translates to "water of life").

• Cognac - is a variety of brandy named after the commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime

• Armagnac - is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France

Video describing the differences 

Glass, differences and advantages/disadvantages:

 

Glass differences for the most common of them:

Cognac

The cognac production process, grapes, fermentation, distillation, aging and blending - link

Cognac is produced only in France in these regions:

1. Grande Champagne (13,766 hectares (34,020 acres)) The soils in Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne are characterized as shallow clay-limestone, over limestone and chalk.
2. Petite Champagne (16,171 hectares (39,960 acres)) Petite Champagne eaux de vie have similar characteristics to those from Grande Champagne. Cognacs made from a mixture of Grande and Petite Champagne eaux de vie (with at least 50% Grande Champagne) may be marketed as "Fine Champagne".
3. Borderies (4,160 hectares (10,300 acres)) The smallest cru. This denomination's soil contains clay and flintstones resulting from the decomposition of limestone
4. Fins Bois (34,265 hectares (84,670 acres)) Heavier and faster aging eaux de vie ideal for establishing the base of some blended cognacs. The soils here are predominantly red clay-limestone and very stony, or otherwise heavy clay soils
5. Bons Bois and Bois Ordinaires (together 19,979 hectares (49,370 acres)). Further out from the four central growth areas are these two growing regions. With a poorer soil and very much influenced by the maritime climate, this area is 20,000 hectares.
6. Bois à terroirs The soils of Les Bois (Bons Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and Bois à terroirs) are sandy, spanning coastal areas and some valleys

Type of cognac:

• VS - Very Special (minimum of two years of cask aging)
• VSOP  - Very Superior Old Pale (minimum of four years of cask aging)
• XO - Extra Old (minimum of six years of cask aging, but the law will change, and from 2018 it is going to be 10 years)
• XXO (Extra Extra Old) is a specific indication given to wine spirits that have been aged for at least 14 years

Other titles:

• Premium (VS)
• Extra (essentially VSOP– with at least six years aging)
• Napoleon (between VSOP and XO)
• Vintage (a single vintage Cognac)
• Réserve Familiale (Family Reserve)
• Très Vieille Réserve (Very Old Reserve)
• Extra
• Hors d’Âge - (Beyond Age) is a designation which BNIC states is equal to XO, but in practice, the term is used by producers to market a high-quality product beyond the official age scale
• Heritage (which can have 40, 50, 60 or more years of aging!)

“Black” or “double oaked” or “very fine Cognac” are used by brands to market their Cognac brandies to signify a special batch

Armagnac

Armagnac is produced only in

• Bas-Armagnac
• Armagnac-Ténarèze
• Haut-Armagnac
• The newer appellation Blanche d'Armagnac was established to allow the production and export of clear, white brandies that are unaged.

Types of Armagnac  - is allowed to be sold under vintages. When Armagnacs of different ages have been blended, the age on the bottle refers to the youngest component.

• A three-star, or VS, Armagnac is a mix of several Armagnacs that have seen at least one year of aging in wood.
• VSOP or five stars the aging is at least four years,
• XO and Hors d'âge ten years.
• Older and better Armagnacs are often sold as vintages, with the bottles containing Armagnac from a single year, the year being noted on the bottle, aged of a minimum of 10 years.

Beer

How to taste beer:

1. Judge the colour
2. Smell from afar
3. Smell nose-is
4. Taste
5. Assess the after-taste and finish

Short video description of how to taste beer

Types of glasses and beers

• Tulip—Ideal for IPAs and other hoppy beers, this glass has a tulip-shaped bowl and small stem to activate the flavor profiles of the beer.
• Snifter—This glass is perfect for beers with stronger flavor profiles, as it allows you to swirl your beer to get the best taste.
• Pints—A pint is a cylindrical beer glass ideal for serving a wide variety of beer types.
• Pilsner—This glass has a straighter shape compared to tulip and snifter glasses and is ideal for lighter beers.
• Beer Mug—The handle on a beer mug keeps your hand away to prevent warming the glass, keeping your beer cold.

Brewing beer

• Wiki description - link
• Animation video on the beer brewing process

Types of german beers

Pale lagers

• Export – a pale lager brewed around Dortmund that is fuller, maltier, and less hoppy than Pilsner. 12–12.5° Plato, 5–5.5% ABV. Germany's most popular style in the 1950s and 1960s, it is now becoming increasingly rare.
• Helles – a malty pale lager from Bavaria of 11–12° Plato, 4.5–5% ABV.
• Kölsch – pale, light-bodied, top fermented, beer which, when brewed in Germany, can only legally be brewed in the Cologne region. 11–12° Plato, 4.5–5% ABV.
• Maibock – a pale, strong lager brewed in the spring. 16–17° Plato, 6.5–7% ABV.
• Märzen – medium body, malty lagers that come in pale, amber and dark varieties. 13–14° Plato, 5.2–6% ABV. The type of beer traditionally served at the Munich Oktoberfest.
• Pilsener – a pale lager with a light body and a more prominent hop character. 11–12° Plato, 4.5–5% ABV. By far the most popular style, with around two-thirds of the market.
• Spezial – a pale, full, bitter-sweet and delicately hopped lager. 13–13.5° Plato, 5.5–5.7% ABV.

Dark lagers

• Altbier – a top-fermented, lagered beer. It is brewed only in Düsseldorf and in the Lower Rhine region. Its origins lie in Westphalia, and there are still a few Altbier breweries in this region. Tastes range from mildly bitter and hoppy to exceptionally bitter. About ten breweries in the Düsseldorf region brew Altbier at 5–6.5% ABV.
• Bock – seasonal, a heavy-bodied, bitter-sweet lager that uses dark-colored malts. 16–17° Plato, 6.5–7% ABV.
• Doppelbock – a very strong, very full-bodied lager that uses dark-colored malts. 18–28° Plato, 8–12% ABV.
• Eisbock is made by icing the beer and removing the frozen water . This means that a significantly higher alcohol content can be achieved.
• Dunkel – a dark lager that comes in two main varieties: the sweetish, malty Munich style and the drier, hoppy Franconian style.
• Schwarzbier – a bottom fermented, dark lager beer. 11–12° Plato, 4.5–5% ABV.
• Kellerbiers are unfiltered lagers that are conditioned in a similar manner to cask ales. Strength and color will vary, though in the Franconia region where these cask conditioned lagers are still popular, the strength will tend to be 5% ABV or slightly higher, and the color will tend to be deep amber, but the defining characteristic is the cask conditioning. Kellerbier is German for "cellar beer".
• Zwickelbier was originally a sample amount of beer taken by a brewery boss from the barrel with the help of a special pipe called a "Zwickelhahn". Zwickelbiers are unfiltered lagers like Kellerbier, though with a slightly different conditioning process which gives the lager more carbonation. Zwickelbiers tend to be younger, lower in alcohol, and less hoppy than Kellerbiers.
• Zoiglbier, which in the Upper Palatinate's brewing practice is advertised with a "Zoiglstern" (i.e., sign) — a six-pointed blue-and-white symbol made from wooden slats, similar to a Star of David.
• Münchener Bier is a beer from Munich that is protected under EU law with PGI status, first published under relevant laws in 1998. This designation was one of six German beers registered with the PGI designation at the time.
• Rauchbier – specialty beer, smoked, a region of Franken, smoky malt

Wheat beers

• Weizenbier and Weißbier are the standard German names for wheat beer – "Weizen" is German for "wheat", and "weiß" is German for "white". Always served in long glasses, and you toast with them at the bottom.
• Berliner Weisse – a pale, very sour, wheat beer brewed in Berlin. 9° Plato, 2.5–5% ABV. The beer is typically served with raspberry or woodruff flavored syrup.
• Hefeweizen – an unfiltered wheat beer. "Hefe" is German for yeast.
• Kristallweizen – a filtered wheat beer. Characterized by a clear appearance as opposed to the cloudy look of a typical Hefeweizen.
• Weizenbock is the name for a strong beer or bock made with wheat. 16–17° Plato, 6.5–8% ABV.
• Roggenbier – a fairly dark beer made with rye, somewhat grainy flavour similar to bread, 4.5–6% ABV.

 

Whiskey

What is whisky (or whiskey) - is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash (which may be malted, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat) or by distilling beer. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, generally made of charred white oak.

How to taste whiskey

1. Smell small breathing, and move the glass away. Repeat
2. Taste in the mouth and the retro-nasal aromas
3. Judge the after taste 

How you drink whiskey

• Neat – Most whiskey connoisseurs will recommend at least taking your first sip neat, meaning served alone, unmixed and not chilled.
• On the rocks – Since whiskey is a potent, high alcohol content liquor, many prefer to dilute it a bit to lower the alcohol by volume (ABV). Those drinkers order on the rocks, meaning over ice.
• Experts recommend enjoying whiskey at room temperature as cooling it numbs the flavors slightly. To avoid taking too much of the edge off, try whiskey stones to get to the preferred drinking temperature without diluting.

The effects of water on whisky - 

Short video description of how to taste whiskey 

A more detailed description of how to enjoy a glass of whiskey 

Additional ones - link

Whiskey tasting chart - Link

Types of whisky

From the type of grain used

• Malt  - malted barley
• Grain - not made from malted barley, any type of grain 
• Corn – USA; 100% corn, Burbon
• Rye – USA, Canada; min 51% and must also be matured in oak casks for at least 2 years, spicy
• Oat – Germany, Austria;  rich and creamy with notes of banana and honey
• Millet - Asia and Africa; very fresh and aromatic and typically brings complex notes of Asian fruits such as dates, ripe bananas and sweet lychees
• Wheat - at least 51% wheat, round and complex, fruity-spicy, and slightly bitter taste
• Blended - a mixture of different whiskies (malt, grain)

Different production, blending (column vs still pot)

• Scotch / Scotch whisky – pot still, Scotland, malt
• Irish whisky – pot still, Ireland, malt or grain whiskey
• Bourbon – USA; must contain at least 51% corn, the rest is a mixture of some barley for the fermentation process, as well as rye and/or wheat. Many bourbons use  the sour mash process. Must be aged for at least two years in fresh, toasted casks made from American white oak. A finish or extra maturation similar to Scotch whisky is not allowed
• Tennessee Whiskey differs from bourbon in that it is additionally charcoal-filtered before it is filled into casks.
• Pot Still Whiskey. It contains Malt and Grain Whiskey, but both may only be distilled in Pot Stills.

More about the production of whisky - link

Different country whiskies - link

Wine

 How to taste wine

1. Judge the visual aspect of the wine
2. Smell
3. Taste
4. Judge the after-taste and finish

Basic wine tasting video

Basic wine guide

Wine glasses and how to hold them

Wine tasting chart - alt link

Wine description and what they mean - infographics

Different types of wine

Basic wine & food pairing chart

Map of Romanian wines