tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post3866091250651979208..comments2023-09-20T12:50:40.208+01:00Comments on Pete Brown: Tasting Beer: Some Thoughts and ReflectionsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03011702209832734676noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-56935906348499109612017-01-24T00:59:38.080+00:002017-01-24T00:59:38.080+00:00"I honestly can't tell from this descript..."I honestly can't tell from this description whether the taster actually likes the beer or not, and from this, I can't be sure whether I would or not, either. "<br /><br />It's the height of self-indulgence to think we give a monkey's whether you're having a nice time - as a reader I want to know whether *I* will enjoy the beer. And while the critic's opinion has some use if the reader knows his taste, otherwise it doesn't much matter.<br /><br />OK - I'm exaggerating. But there's definitely room for the police report and the lyrical - and the way-off-topic-but-you-enjoy-the-ride-anyway (qv Test Match Special and AA Gill restaurant reviews). But what Rob Wain says above about writing for your audience is critical in all sorts of life, whether it's a beer review or a computer training manual. And writing menu notes is different to writing notes for my own consumption, or for whether the company should buy something. I seem to have an OK palate in terms of discrimination (but not great), and I've educated it well so I'm not bad at the police reports, but people seem to think I'm quite good at the more lyrical stuff, capturing the essence of something in the same way that birdwatchers talk about a bird's "jizz", that allows you to identify it from just a fleeting glance. Unfortunately word, but a useful concept.<br /><br />I'd definitely agree about the difference between tasting and drinking - although with beer the difference is less than in wine, just because beer needs the back of your throat more. I actually don't like going to beer festivals in big groups, just because it does become more about the social occasion and less about the beer, and I tend to be quite an intellectual drinker.<br /><br />Like you I'm no great fan of fruit beers - but coming from a wine background I've perhaps got more of the vocabulary to describe fruit flavours. As an aside, the Sam Smith's strawberry beer isn't bad at all by the standards of these things - quite dry and more alpine strawberries than the sweet jammy mess you so often get. The Titanic raspberry wheat is probably my least unfavourite of the genre though - again quite dry and with a relatively pure "natural" fruit character.qqnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-57450099722102182372017-01-20T10:36:25.139+00:002017-01-20T10:36:25.139+00:00this article lacks malt depth, faults dominate ove...this article lacks malt depth, faults dominate over style characteristics .....IT Guyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10199691055458966963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-541042039651310542017-01-16T21:25:09.074+00:002017-01-16T21:25:09.074+00:00Interesting article. When training people to taste...Interesting article. When training people to taste beer I have always found that the ones who don't like it make the best tasters as they can describe the beer without any preconceptions or bias. Always interesting when people are asked to taste for trueness to type and then preference the results can be very different. When I have been judging beers I have always tried to judge against the style regardless of whether I like it or not. Sour beers don't do it for me but I can judge within the style guidelines although I wouldn't buy one. Reinforces the importance of setting the objectives before judging beers for competitions.Mark Tetlowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07447791349144158714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-25459669624437259872017-01-16T20:31:39.569+00:002017-01-16T20:31:39.569+00:00Great piece, and covers a lot of issues that come ...Great piece, and covers a lot of issues that come up for me a lot. Tasting beer is completely different to drinking beer - some of the best beers that I have ever tasted, I would never dream of drinking in a social situation. Also the thought process involved in tasting / judging / writing about a beer are not compatible with drinking with friends (unless it is a small group doing the same thing).<br />As an interesting aside most of the writing I do now is descriptions for the pub menu, now I never write anything that is untrue, but I have to be aware that I am trying to sell the product - an interesting conundrum at times if I don't like a beer!<br />Finally I always try to talk / write about beer in terms of the people I am talking to / writing for, too many 'experts' try to prove they know more about a subject than anyone else by using words that the audience do not understand. My view is I want to educate and entertain, not confuse.<br /><br />Cheers<br />Rob Rob Wainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-51608061862383236062017-01-16T15:39:20.835+00:002017-01-16T15:39:20.835+00:00I had a similar experience recently. I was judging...I had a similar experience recently. I was judging a competition and my table was assigned several sour beers. I don't drink sour beers, because I don't like them too much. The respective style guidelines were available, I read them, several times, but I still felt I wasn't lacking the most important thing, the experience as a drinker. It didn't help either that it was the last session of the day. In the end, I scored them based on the comments of the rest of the table.<br /><br />In any case, as a drinker, I judge a beer by how much I enjoy it in a given context. I tend not to intellectualise it too much, it gets on the way of the sensory experience, which is a lot more rewarding as far as the beer is concerned.PivnĂ Filosofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05525892820409340027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30743480.post-8957727254908271622017-01-16T13:55:40.524+00:002017-01-16T13:55:40.524+00:00When assessing fruit beers the most useful word is...When assessing fruit beers the most useful word is "confected" - borrowed from wine criticism. If the fruit component tastes remotely cooked, jammy or artificial, you describe it as "confected". Using has the added bonus of making the people around you think you know what you are talking about. Jeff Pickthallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06343140031285101096noreply@blogger.com