You may or may not be aware of the existence of the Beer Judge Certification Program. Its purpose is to promote beer literacy, promote the appreciation of real beer and to recognize beer tasting and evaluation skills. Founded in 1985, the program has administered exams to 5000 judges worldwide, has judged 500,000 or so beers and sanctioned almost 4000 competitions. This August, Left Hand Brewing Company will sponsor an exam in our tasting room. If you haven’t been aware of this then I’m sorry but the chances for you to be able to take the exam are very slim. We are four spots away from reaching our 25 examinee limit. On alternate Mondays we have been conducting study sessions here at the brewery as well. Every two weeks we will be discussing technical aspects of brewing, the frailties and challenges of beer judging using human beings as the testing medium and of course tasting many different styles of beer through the whole gambit of beer diversity. The exam consists of 70% written material and 30% tasting. The scope of knowledge required to score high enough for National ranking as a beer judge through the BJCP is daunting to say the least. We have our work cut out for us.
Like many simple things in life, beer tasting and evaluation is easy until you allow human beings to get involved. Suddenly, all bets are off. When tasting beer we are hopelessly constrained by the fact that we are offering an opinion of what we taste. Depending on what philosophical schools of thought you cater too it can be said that anything that involves the senses is to be regarded only as opinion. There are many variables involved in how a beer tastes. Even when drinking bottles from the same six- pack there can be differences. A high oxygen content, bacterial infection or storage conditions can radically change the way two bottles from the same batch taste. These defects however are the easier elements to evaluate when tasting beer. Determining whether a beer exemplifies a particular style or, the degree to which it exemplifies that style when compared to other beers is another matter altogether. Accepting your personal variability is the first step to becoming an effective beer judge.
First, lose the ego. Admit that you are a human being subject to the frailties and weaknesses of the human condition. Remember that your pallet is just that, your pallet. What you do to it before tasting beer affects its performance more than anything else. That is why one judge does not a judging panel make.
There is a difference between casually enjoying and tasting beer and sitting in a controlled environment with controlled administering of beer samples for the purpose of evaluating which is the better example of an American IPA. These two environments should never be confused with one another. The first difference is distraction. With recreational beer drinking we are most certainly distracted from the taste of our beer either by conversation, a strikingly beautiful member of the opposite sex or the cologne the gentleman next to you is wearing. In a controlled tasting environment these outside distractions should be eliminated. So how do we have fun fooling our pallets?
One of my favorites is to put two samples of the same beer in a tasting flight say of Pale Ales or whatever. If the tasters do not know that two of the samples are the same beer, I guarantee you will get two different evaluations of the same beer. Why is this? For one thing ask a person a question and they are compelled to answer. If you ask me what the difference is then there certainly must be one and my ego takes over. I must give you an answer. If I fail to give you the difference you’re asking for, then I’m just not an intelligent and educated person. My mind’s defense systems take over and there is suddenly perceived difference. Secondly, fatigue certainly comes into play. Drinking a lot of beer makes the samples at the end of the tasting have less taste. The more flavorful and robust the beer the bigger the fatigue factor will be. Consider that next time you judge 14 IPAs for style conformity. This is much like that first bite of spicy food. It is the hottest. You build a resistance to the heat with subsequent bites. The same holds true for beer. What are some more fun tasting games for those just wanting to get an understanding of the madness?
We can look outside of the taster to affect the taste of beer. Temperature has a major influence on how a beer tastes. Try drinking beer from the same bottle but served at different temperatures. You are drinking two different beers.
There has been a resurgence lately of food and beer pairing. Why is this? The answer is simple; food affects the way a beer tastes. Proof positive once again that it is easy to change the beer taster pallet, that objective (Not!) tool of evaluation. Try tasting beer with different foods. Soon you will be much more concerned with your choice of beer at a meal.
The serving vessel has a huge influence on how beer tastes. There are many kinds of beer glasses out there designed…nay engineered to bring out the best of the beer that they serve. Try drinking the same beer out of different glasses and see how much of a difference it makes in taste as well as presentation. Belgian breweries devote a lot of time and energy developing glasses specifically designed to serve their beer.
These are some of the basics to hopefully turn you on to the fun and exciting world of evaluating beer. The scope of this discussion far exceeds the space allotted here. There are some important things to remember. As human beings, we really stink at evaluating anything objectively. Machines do a much better job at this. One person’s opinion is like putting all your money into mortgage backed securities. Diversification is much better. Be sure to invite lots of friends.
Joe Schiraldi
VP Brewing Ops
Left Hand Brewing Company
VP Brewing Ops
Left Hand Brewing Company
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