The aroma wheel for beers is subdivided into coloured segments that describe six characteristic aromas and one category for taste and texture impressions. You work your way from a broad classification in the middle to the more detailed descriptions in the outermost circle.

These terms are not the only terms that can be used to describe beers, but represent ones that are often encountered. The user should not feel limited by the given terms.

In this study, a descriptive panel for beer was trained in describing olfactory and gustatory sensations of beer at Hochschule Geisenheim University by Annette Schmelzle.  The panel was selected pursuant to the DIN-standard 10961 (training of assessors for sensory analysis).  The sensitivity of the panel was analyzed using recognition testing and threshold testing. 

As a result of the panel’s description of several kinds of beers, the panel developed a spectrum of terms for the characterization of smell and aroma of beer.