Don't just drink, Think!

I'm Posting this in preparation of the (hopefully) many beer reviews that I and many of you (once again, hopefully) might be writing in the future. If many of you aren't into the beer thing, I just wanted to give a heads up on how many reviews work.

There are generally 5 components of a beer review: Appearance, Nose, Taste, Mouthfeel, and Overall Impression. These components are generally used by official beer judges certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP, for short. Nerdy, eh?). I'll give a breif description of what these are.

Appearance: What does it look like? This does mean that you will have to pour out your beer into a glass; you can't do nothin' from a bottle. Note color. I've been told that you shouldn't hold it up to a light, but I do anyway; some beers have a REALLY nice color when held up to a light. This is also where you should note the head of the beer. Is it substantial? Does it quickly disappear? Just talk about how it looks.

Nose: This is a fancy term for the smell of the beer. Stick your nose right in the glass (not the beer) and take a good whiff. Give your impression (and let us know if it knocks you out).

Taste: Umm...taste the beer. How does it taste? You'll read a lot of reviews that list very faint traces of something-or-other, or notes of this-and-that. They'll often use a lot of other fancy talk. Don't be intimidated; they're usually making it up anyway. Note: All joking aside, this is an important component, actually, it's the most important one. Just think long and hard about what you are tasting. Don't rush it; let the flavors develop on your toungue and think of what you taste long after you have swallowed the beer. If you think you taste something, no matter how weird it is, make a note of it.

Mouthfeel: Ok. This may sound like an odd one. This is literally a judgement of the consistency and carbonation of the beer. Is it crisp? Full? Chewy? Sticky? All of these and more are appropriate descriptions.

Overall Impression: Some people list the final component as "drinkability". I think that this is important, but can be covered in your overall impression. This is also an area to discuss random things about the beer that you liked (or disliked) that don't really fit in any of the other categories. Did it have cool label art? chunky things floating in it (puposefully)? Did it give you the warm fuzzies for no discernable reason? Just let it all out.

I do have a couple notes for any future beer drinkers/reviewers out there. Do NOT drink your beer too cold. A cold beer will have little flavor and some beers are best at near room temperatures. Not sure where a beer's best temperature is? Look it up online, or pour one and drink it over a long period, sipping occasionally; see where its flavor profile is best.

So there you have it, a beer tasting guide. Do you have to think about each of these things everytime you have a beer? HECK NO! But if you seriously sit down to review a beer and using these criteria from time to time, you might start thinking about your beer a bit more when you drink it. It may be a good thing or a bad thing, but I, for one, love it.

Good health and good drinking.