Appearance: What makes a 5 rating?

For me - something like - a Helles Lager that was dark, murky, with zero head.

 

Well, in my opinion, it can't look the part if it isn't IN the part. Therefore, a beer could only be rated a 5 if it is in the proper glass or stein.

 

Pour yourself a Pliny and tell me that it doesn't look perfect.

 

I agree...

 

According to our resident cicerone in my homebrew club we are not supposed to hold it to the light when judging appearance.

 

Looks are important, but they mean something different to everyone and vary so much between styles and subgroups. I love murky unfiltered beers and I love beautiful Ambers and Coppers. Doesn't mean they are going to taste great, but a beautiful visual can help. Taste and smell are 1 and 2 for me.

 

Is there a reason for that, Dave?

 

He said you judge clarity and color more accurately in a well lit area, but not held directly to a light.

 

I don't really get it, unfiltered beers especially will look hugely different depending on how they're poured. If I pour a whole can of Heady into a glass it'll look cloudy and nearly opaque with yeast floaters everywhere. Leave about a half inch in the can and it's much much clearer. Then again, so long as there aren't twigs and rabbit pellets floating around I personally don't really give a damn how it looks.

 

Appearance? I got yer appearance right hea':

 

Well, if the beer is an IPA which, when well brewed, should have a nice thick foamy head and leave lots of rings, patches of foam and lacing on the side but when I pour it firmly into the glass and there's no sign of head and only a few bubbles from the agitation of the pour and they quickly disappear leaving me looking at something off color and having no foam, that's probably a beer with a problem. Further more it wouldn't surprise me to find that other things about the beer that are lacking in what I expect to see in an IPA. So there's a good shot it would get a 1 on Appearance and qualify for some low ratings on the things such as aroma, flavor and mouthfeel (e.g., I should be able to feel the carbonation and if there is none....).

 

Yeah, that's definitely true. Holding it up to the light is helpful if you're just trying to see how thick/dark it is (especially for RIS and BA stouts), but it definitely obscures the "true" look of the beer.

 

OK, that makes sense.

 

I base mine on the style and also just how inviting it is. Does it ask you to devour it?

 

I am just going to rate them all a 5. I don't care how they look, as long as there isn't mouse fetus or something floating in it.

 

Youre looking at it all wrong....the real quesiton is: what doesn't make appearance a 5?

 

I buy glassware because #1 I think the glasses themselves look cool, and #2 I've found that it marginally helps with aroma (and therefore taste). While it's fun to look at beer (especially a really good looking one), I don't actively care how it looks, but I do care how it smells. Since smell is so closely related to taste, it's important to me that I get the maximum "flavor" out of the nose. I also continue to smell the beer throughout drinking it, and I'm usually in a dark room, so I definitely have to put smell before looks. To each their own though (and that King Sue earlier in the thread does look fantastic).

 

I'm in the minority here, but I subscribe to the "you drink with your eyes first" school of thought. People obsess over proper glassware and getting the picture at the right time for a reason.

For me, it's all about proper color, transparency / opaqueness, level of carbonation, head color, formation and retention, as well as lacing on the glass. When done right, which is dependent on the style, it can be very attractive, definitely adding to the experience for me.

I actually take the time and effort to rate appearance true to style. Just because a stout looks stout-ish, doesn't mean they all look equally stout. If that makes any sense.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

We should do a study of how appearance is influenced by how thirsty we are.