What are you looking for from a craft beer on an organoleptic level?

Without going into the technical, thus avoiding talking about soft and hard sensations, the range of perceptibility of each sensorial characteristic, more simply we expect to drink a good beer according to the principle de gustobus.

From a craft beer in particular we expect it to be softer and rounder, i.e. velvety on the tongue as it enters the mouth.

This pleasant sensation is due to the refermentation in the bottle which gives the product a natural carbonation making it smoother and less heavy as a carbonation.

Considering the quality of the ingredients used, we would expect to better feel the flavors of selected raw materials, that is the different types of malt used or the taste of noble ingredients such as honey or chestnut flour.

The hops then should guarantee that mix of bitterness and aroma that distinguishes beer, by definition.

Spices or herbs such as coriander, clove flowers or lemon balm delicately enrich the taste of beer, increasing its perception and persistence.

You will find recommended combinations with beer everywhere, but it is more difficult to find what not to combine with beer.

Surprisingly, one of the not recommended combinations is tomato. While associating it with pizza and therefore with beer, in reality there is a wide variety of types of tomatoes in nature and almost the majority do not go well with beer.

In fact, the tomato can be savory, sweet, sour, fruity, crunchy or floury. In all these sensations the organoleptic combination with the bitterness of the beer is complex.

Another combination to avoid is that with fennel which tends to prevail over the sensations offered by beer. In fact, fennel in general contains aromatic substances that slightly modify the perception of flavors, yet how many times at aperitif time do you serve cold beer with fresh tomatoes and fennel?

Finally, an always complex combination of beer is that with desserts. Difficult but never impossible of course.

A Porter Stout for example it could reveal unexpected perceptions with any sugary product, not surprisingly there is a dessert called: "birramisu".