Taste Is Subjective
This is a very important point and one of the main reasons why I encourage members and viewers to participate in the review process. That is to help build a non-bias community view of a particular beer or brewery. Just because I enjoy or dislike a particular beer or flavour does not guarentee that you will feel the same.
It is my hope that if you are uncertain, or have a wavering willingness to taste a new beer our collaborated opinions will help you decide. Then of course I'd hope you'd share your experience, good or bad.
There Is No Right Or Wrong Answer
I can't stress enough the importance of listening to your own palate and mind, rather than using someone elses opinion to help write your review. I know how easy it is, especially if you are stuck for words to describe the flavours you are tasting to read someone else's review and simply agree (or copy) their thoughts. But instead let the beer guide you rather than anothers review.
That said, this ties in with the first point on the subjectiveness, or opinionated nature of a website such as Beer Guide. There is no right or wrong answer and at the end of the day it is nothing more than a collection of opinions. For example, if you can taste passionfruit, tell us. There may not be any passionfruit within a hundred miles of the beer (or style), but no one will call you out as a liar if they can't taste it themselves. Everyone's palate interprets flavours differently!
Importance Of Style
It is quite easy, especially if you review more than one beer in a sitting, to compare them against one another. For example, I preferred Beer A over Beer B. If they are not the same style of beer, you are not being fair to either beer in question. Styles drive the flavours in beer. Take a Fruit Lambic for example, you can't really compare that to an American Pale Ale.
Similarly, if you do not like a particular style, for example Rauchbier, your review will always score low. This is not due to faults in the beer, but rather your dislike in the style of the beer - in this particular case most likely the smokey or burnt flavours.
You won't know you dislike a style till you've tried one, but to compare it with food. It would be tough to review a restaurant that only serves Pork, if you do not like Pork to start with. My advice would be to simply avoid a style if you know beforehand you will not enjoy it. Your wallet will thank you, and so will the brewers who may read your review.
If you need help undestanding the styles, or what to expect in a particular style please read our Beer Style Guide.
If You're Not A Beer Judge, Don't Review Like One
How many times have you read a review in the paper, or a magazine and thought to yourself "What are you on about?". Quite often 'qualified' Beer Judges detect flavours in a beer that only a trained palate can detect, or they are simply blowing smoke and trying to make themselves appear more knowledgable than they really are. This is often the case with Newspaper columns rather than certified judges unfortunately.
If you are not a beer judge, then don't try review a beer like one. Develop your own style and flair, and more importantly relay your experience in your review. If this means your review doesn't contain words that a beer judge would use, don't be disheartened or afraid to review. As I stressed above, drinking beer is about you and your experience not what someone else says it should be.
Glassware & Cleanliness
Make sure the glass you choose to use is absolutely clean. Dishwashing liquid can leave a residue on the glass and will limit, or lessen a beers head. For this reason rinse the glass in water, and air dry. This will allow for the maxium head to be created.
Equally important is the selection of correct glassware for the style you are reviewing. It is quite remarkable the effect of choosing the right glass can have on a beer. If you are unsure of what glass to use, please checkout our Glassware Guide..
Categories For Reviewing
I personally split my reviews into more managable components: Appearance, Aroma, Flavour and Drinkability. Beer Guide has also been designed this way to help make it easier for you to review the beers you are trying. Below you'll find a little more information about each category.
Apperance
Raise the beer in your glass in front of you, about level with your eyeline. Try not to expose it to direct light as this will dilute the true colour of the beer. Describe its colour, its head and consistency.
Are there any particles or is there sediment in your glass. Is the beer lively or flat. As you drink the beer, does it leave a lacing on your glass?.
Agitate And Aroma
Gently swirl the beer around in your glass. This will help to release the aromas trapped in the beer. Take TWO or THREE quick sniffs of the resulting smells with your mouth closed through your nose, then take a third quick sniff through your mouth only. This may sound strange at first, but remember that your mouth and nose are connected. Agitate a second or third time if required to take in all the aromas.
Possible Aromas
- Malts: sweet, roasted, toasted, biscuits, smokey, caramel.
- Hops: herbs, grass, citrus, oranges, perfume.
- Yeast: leather, dough, compost, musty.
Taste the Beer
Sip on the beer, only take around the same amount you would if using a dental mouthwash is a good guide. This should be around 40-50ml, or slightly more than a shot glass. Resist swallowing immediately. Let the tastes explore your mouth and take note of the feel of the beer and its consistency in your mouth. Try to detect any flavours, bitterness or hidden sweetness. Explain how they feel and taste in your own words. Wait for a moment and then describe the after tastes that may be present. A large number beers present the drinker with an intial flavour which then fades and leaves a secondary after taste in your mouth.
Repeat this process a few times if possible. Many certified judges only recieve a 'shot' from which they need to write a qualified review of the beer in question on. Fortunately we have a whole bottle (or glass) to work with and as such try not to write your review solely on your very first sip. On a number of occassions I have absolutely loved the first taste only to find it overpowering and harsh by the end of the bottle or glass. Drinkability, or re-drinkability is I believe more important than what a small shot tells you.
Drinkability
As I touched on above, it is more important that you review the overall beer rather than a sample. This is one reason why I don't believe in reviewing at beer festivals, as you simply don't have a chance to experience a 'full' beer from start to finish. If your initial taste is negative, but at the end of the beer you are enjoying it you could potentially have poorly reviewed the beer when in reality you don't mind it and may drink it again.
Serving Temperature
Australian's have developed a very bad habbit (primarily due to what has been on the market and their associated marketing) of drinking every beer as cold as possible. Whilst this may have let the majority of our Lagers slip through the gates alright, many Ales will taste very different if served too cold - in fact most of the complex flavours will be masked by the cold. I have writen an article on serving temperature, located here, if you would like to learn more about the temperature at which you should be serving different styles.
Don't Review Drunk Or At Beer Festivals
The main reasons I discourage the reviewing of beers at festivals or whilst you are drunk is that your senses will be impaired. Whether it be by the smell of food at a festival, or simply the amount of smells surrounding you. Also remember, that the more you drink, the less likely you will notice subtle differences in different beers.
Combine this with the fact at most festivals you get less than a quater of a bottle, your review will most likely end up nothing like a review that you had completed if you'd reviewed the beer under different circumstances.
As I like to say to those that know me, Drink Less, Drink Better.
How Do We Tally Your Scores?
We rely on a points styem, using a 1-25 scale for Apperance, Aroma, Flavour and the overall Drinkability of a beer. This value is then divided by 2 to provide an Overall Rating. We also allow users to add comments which can be hard to be reflected in a numeric scoring system.
Using the following chart may assist you in your own ratings, however please note these are only summarised points:
- A Appearance
- Colour
- Carbonation/foam
- Characteristics
- Max 5 points
- B Aroma
- Positive characteristics
- Aroma Faults
- Max 5 points
- C Flavour, Palate & Mouthfeel
- General characteristics
- Bitterness
- Fermentation products
- Flavour faults
- Max 10 points
- D Overall Experience & Technical
- Appropriate for class
- Absence of major faults
- Balance
- Drinkability
- Enjoyability
- Max 5 points
- TOTAL = (A+B+C+D)/2.5
Take Notes, Use Score Sheets
My advice is, do what you are comfortable with. If that means scribbling notes on a coaster then by all means do so. Beer is meant to be fun and enjoyable, don't let someone try to force you into a formalised means of reviewing if you aren't comfortable with it. The only thing that will happen is you will not review the beer, and we all suffer because of that. Without your opinion, how can we even begin to determine if we should taste a beer. Remember, we are in this for each other as much as our own taste.
Don't be concerned if you don't have a broad beer vocabulary, it will come with time. Feel free to use our glossary to help expand your own in the meantime.
If you still aren't sure, or you'd like a little guidance I have developed a 'Tasting & Review Sheet' which you can print out which contains a host of descriptive words to help with your next review. For the record, this is the exact same sheet I use for my own reviews.