Beginners and Beyond

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Shall we crack one open in our new home?! The bar is open - what are ya drinking? (Read 302 times)

runmomto3boys


    Well, it's actually UV Vodka, but cake flavored.   They all kinds of great tasting flavored vodkas now.  That's good and bad.  Good that it really opens up the mixed drink possibilities, but bad that I can drink it straight now without any mixer at all.  Big grin

     

    Hehe! 

    Love the Half


       LTH, have you ever written beer reviews? They are almost as good as your HM advice! Of the Sam Adams winter brews, I think I like the Chocolate Bock the best. They all have a good taste, but the only problem is you taste them for the rest of the night... lots and lots of after taste.

       

      From the "silly, pointless things I'd like to do in life" category, I want to pass the Beer Judge Certification Program Exam at some point.  Beer tasting follows a specific protocol that anyone can practice.

       

      Appearance - What does it look like?  What is the color?  Straw?  Golden?  Amber?  Copper?  Brown?  Black?  Is it clear or hazy?  (Haze is appropriate for some styles or it could just be chill haze).  What about the head?  White?  Tan?  Does it linger or does it dissipate?  Does it leave lacing down the glass as you drink the beer?

       

      Aroma - What does it smell like?  Look for fruits in ales.  Grapefruit?  Raisins?  Is it roasty?  Sweet?  Hoppy?  (Different hops have different aromas and I'm not educated enough to identify them by smell).  Bready?  There are certain off notes that you can also detect that shouldn't be there such as "skunky" in beers in green bottles.  Any floral notes?

       

      Taste - This is one you should come back to as the beer is consumed.  Americans typically drink their beer c-c-c-c-cold.  That's fine for your typical American Light Lager but better beers will have more flavor and will change character as they warm.  Something that might have been barely noticeable when you first poured the beer from the fridge may be emergent after 20 minutes sitting in the room.  What do you taste?  Start with the basics such as sweetness and bitterness.  Is the bitterness there from the hops or from roasted astringency in the malt?  Is there a difference in flavor from what you expected from the aroma?  How does it finish?  Sweet or dry?  Is there any aftertaste?  There are numerous off tastes that should never be present in a beer but, once again, I'm not educated enough to identify them with any certainty.  Most microbrewers who have been around for a while know how to avoid these off flavors.  If it's an imperial version, can you taste the alcohol?  How does that contribute to the beer?  

       

      Mouthfeel - How carbonated is the beer?  How does it feel when you taste it?  Clean?  Creamy?  Full?  Does it leave your mouth feeling coated?  Does it feel light bodied or full bodied?  There are some black as night beers that are surprisingly light bodied.  

       

      Overall - Is the beer appropriate for the style?  Is it great as a session beer?  Maybe it's a world class beer but definitely a sipper.  Maybethere is nothing terribly special about it but it would be great on the porch after mowing the lawn.  Maybe it would be perfect at a tailgate.  Maybe you'd love to try this with breakfast.  This is the place to discuss those things.

       

      When I taste a beer for the first time, I try to do three things.  First, I taste it myself and mentally go through that list.  Second, I read reviews to see what others found.  Do I agree or disagree with them?  Did they find things I didn't?  Do I think they know what they are talking about or are they just talking out their ass?  If it's a poor review, is it something just like them being a hophead trying to review a malt bomb and not appreciating it for the style?  Finally, I look at the style guidelines in my BJCP Style Guidelines book.  (You can view the Style Guidelines free online or order a book for $8.30).  http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.php  

       

      My weaknesses right now are in two areas.  I don't understand enough about the styles without looking them up and I don't understand enough about the brewing process itself.  If I can spend some time over the next couple of years really honing my knowledge in those areas, I think I'd stand a good chance of passing the exam.  The fun thing is the journey.

      Short term goal: 17:59 5K

      Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

      Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

      Venomized


      Drink up moho's!!

        Enjoying some rum and cokes tonight to be honest.

        toyger


          I'll take a Stella please!

          Jen

            Drinking this now, very good.

             

            Mad Elf

            Luke79


              That is very popular here but I have not tried it yet. 

               

              How is it?

               

              Just like Blue Moon.

               

               

               

               

               

               

                Beer #2 is a Saranac 4059 Porter.

                 

                Hah, my avatar happens to be at 4059' elevation on Porter Mountain ... I still have to try the Saranac winter sampler beers.

                 

                Go for it on BJCP.    That one never interested me since it would involve personal time to judge, and I'm professionally around beer all day.  But getting Beer Server certification kinda made me want to go on for Cicerone.

                kristin10185


                Skirt Runner

                  Having a Sam Adams Winter and cheers-ing everyone! I miss the old beer emoticons on the old BF

                  PRs:   5K- 28:16 (5/5/13)      10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13)    4M- 41:43 (9/7/13)   15K- 1:34:25  (8/17/13)    10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14)     HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14)     Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)

                   

                  I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to

                  RunTomRun


                  Wickedly Average

                    Having spent the better part of Saturday evening tossing back martinis (gin, vermouth, olives), I think I'll refrain from drinking today. I'm finally feeling like I'm at about 50% of my ability.

                    Tom (formerly known as PhotogTom)

                    5K - 25:16, 10K - 55:31,  15K - 1:20:55,   HM - 1:54:54

                    LRB


                      Having a Sam Adams Winter and cheers-ing everyone! I miss the old beer emoticons on the old BF

                      Ask and you shall receive!

                       

                       

                       

                       

                      RunTomRun


                      Wickedly Average

                        Having a Sam Adams Winter and cheers-ing everyone! I miss the old beer emoticons on the old BF

                         

                        Samuel Adams Winter Lager is excellent. One of my favorites.

                        Tom (formerly known as PhotogTom)

                        5K - 25:16, 10K - 55:31,  15K - 1:20:55,   HM - 1:54:54

                        kristin10185


                        Skirt Runner

                          Ask and you shall receive!

                           

                           

                           

                           

                           YESSSS!

                          PRs:   5K- 28:16 (5/5/13)      10K- 1:00:13 (10/27/13)    4M- 41:43 (9/7/13)   15K- 1:34:25  (8/17/13)    10M- 1:56:30 (4/6/14)     HM- 2:20:16 (4/13/14)     Full- 5:55:33 (11/1/15)

                           

                          I started a blog about running :) Check it out if you care to

                          LRB


                            Grabbed some St. Pauli Girl for tonight.  It will have to do.

                             

                            I followed that up with one each Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA, a White Water IPA and a Noble Pils.

                             

                            In between those nine tasty teats er um, treats - was an assortment of jello shots (I stopped counting after five) and a top shelf Mai Tai (a dare), I subsequently had no idea where in the world I was when my eyes opened this morning!

                             

                            But unlike my main man Tom, I do plan to have some hair from the dog that bit me.  Otherwise, I will be leaning like Pisa for three days.

                            Love the Half


                              Hah, my avatar happens to be at 4059' elevation on Porter Mountain ... I still have to try the Saranac winter sampler beers.

                               

                              Go for it on BJCP.    That one never interested me since it would involve personal time to judge, and I'm professionally around beer all day.  But getting Beer Server certification kinda made me want to go on for Cicerone.

                               

                              Call me impressed.  Cicerone certification requires at least as much beer knowledge as BJCP and plus all the stuff about storing and serving beer, maintaining the equipment, etc.

                              Short term goal: 17:59 5K

                              Mid term goal:  2:54:59 marathon

                              Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life.  (I started running at age 45).

                              LRB


                                LTH, do you review on beer advocate, the brew club or any of the other poplar beer review sites?

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