How to read a beer label - extract, IBU, hops and alcohol
A good craft beer label can look like a lab readout: extract, IBU, blg, a list of hops, sometimes the type of malt and yeast. For many people it is gibberish. That is a shame, because those few numbers and names say a lot about what is in your glass, even before you open the bottle. Let us break the label down.
Alcohol (ABV)
The simplest thing: the percentage of alcohol. Light session beers sit around 4 percent, classics 5-6, and strong stouts or double IPAs can exceed 8-9. It is not a measure of quality, just a hint of how strong and filling the beer will be.
Extract (blg, Plato)
This is where it gets more interesting. Extract is the amount of sugars in the wort before fermentation, given in degrees Blg (Plato). In simple terms it tells you how dense and full the beer is. The higher the extract, the fuller the body and usually the more flavour. Light beers sit around 10-12 blg, strong and full ones can reach 18-20 and more. Yeast turns part of those sugars into alcohol, so extract and ABV usually go hand in hand.
IBU - bitterness
IBU (International Bitterness Units) is a measure of bitterness. A lager has a dozen or so, a classic IPA 40-60, extreme beers over 100. An important trap: IBU does not tell you how bitter the beer actually tastes, because malt sweetness masks bitterness. A very malty beer at 60 IBU will seem milder than a dry one at 40. Treat IBU as a hint of direction, not a verdict.
Hops
The list of hop varieties is a preview of the aroma. American ones (Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe) promise citrus, grapefruit and tropical fruit. European noble hops (Saaz, Hallertau) give herbal, floral and spicy notes. New Zealand hops (Nelson Sauvin) bring white wine and gooseberry. If you see Citra on the label, expect a citrus bomb. More about hops in a separate post: why IPA tastes like grapefruit.
Malts
Malt is the base and colour of the beer. Pale malts give bread, biscuits and a light sweetness. Dark and roasted ones bring coffee, chocolate, caramel, sometimes a burnt note. If the label mentions chocolate or roasted malt, you know the beer will head towards dark, coffee-like flavours.
Yeast
Often overlooked, yet it can dominate the flavour. Top-fermenting (ale) yeast gives fruit and spice - it is responsible for the banana and clove in a wheat or Belgian beer. Bottom-fermenting (lager) yeast works cleanly, steps into the background and leaves the stage to malt and hops.
Date - the most important number
Finally, the thing many people skip: the production or best-before date. Hoppy beers age fast, the aroma fades within weeks. A fresh IPA is a different drink from the same one a year later. With hoppy beer, freshness beats price.
Turn the label into knowledge
The best way to make these numbers mean something to you is to write them down and link them to taste. In GustoNote you can enter, for each beer, the style, hops, malts, yeast, extract and IBU, mark the aromas on the wheel and rate the profile on the radar. After a dozen or so entries you can see for yourself that you like beers with low IBU and American hops, or heavy, malty dark ones - and you buy consciously instead of at random.