Trouble with tasting after beer number 3

I think you are just doing a better job of self diagnosing palate fatigue than average BA. 2-3 is my limit for being able to honestly and accurately describe what I'm drinking.

 

Maybe just stop after 3.

 

For sensory evaluation? Sure. I'm at like 4-5. Do some 4 oz pours, start there. If I'm evaluating beer, I make sure to come back to another pour on a different day. Food gets in the way sometimes as well. I'm usually better earlier in the day too.

 

Beer is hard on the palate. I mean really hard. With all that is going on it you shouldn't be surprised that after 2 or 3 your ability to detect nuance is shot to hell. You should think about drinking less at each tasting. You only need a few gulps to get the idea. ALL of your senses decrease when you consume alcohol, you know?

If you are drinking IPAs or other bold beers then all bets are off.
Don't fret. Enjoy.
Cheers.

 

It's incredibly difficult , we normally have 10 beers in a judging class and we have to keep on going back to recheck earlier ones. Tough work but somebody has to do it.
Especially when they throw in a vanilla wheat into the mix.
Strangely enough , when we checked our findings there was very good agreement between all the tasters.

 

the more buzz/bite, the less palate sensitivity for me.

my tongue usually falls off at around the 3rd or 4th beer... even earlier if those beers are over 100+ IBUs (palate is desensitized) or over 8.5% ABV (brain is desensitized)

 

Indeed it does. My sensory perception stays relatively strong through 4 or 5 beers at about 3-4 ounce pours - after that, my palate starts to fail as does my ability to eloquently articulate what I'm tasting (not that I'm too faced to speak, but flavors and sensations begin to blur and it becomes more difficult to describe nuances).

 

At least when I'm at home, I generally restrict myself to one (occasionally, two) "special" beers per sitting, with "special" meaning expensive or hard to get. Then I switch to one of my goto beers that are cheap and easily attainable while still being delicious - very often something from a Sierra Nevada or Ipswich 12 pack.

I could say it's because I'm super sensitive to palate fatigue and don't want to potentially "miss out" on anything, but being a cheapskate factors in heavily as well.

 

Same strategy here, man. Usually, on Friday and Saturday nights, I'll taste out beers that are new to market, new to me, or deep cuts from the cellar, limiting myself to no more than 2 (or a bomber) before switching to something reliable and delicious so I'm not too fatigued to really enjoy/dissect the newbies. Usually works pretty well.

 

Yup, I start to get stuffed up after a few. There was a thread a while back about the order you drink styles of beer in. For this reason, if I have a 'big tasty' chilling, I drink it first.

 

Keep a glass of water going with the beer. It helps a lot!

 

Glad I'm not the only one that gets "stuffed up" occasionally. I thought it was just my allergies because it doesn't happen every time.

 

I've experienced this with IPA/IIPA's, my palate gets burned, after 2-3 of them I don't pick up much as far as the beer's nuances.

 

This is why I've never attended a beer event like Huna, or even a big share. It makes me sick thinking of all the great beer I would be consuming without even tasting any of it.

After about 24 oz of beer, I can't taste shit.

 

Pro tip: Don't save your most prized beer to be last in the tasting.

 

If i drink more than two in an hour i cant taste anything afterwards. Thats why i buy high life

 

Just as they advise people with wine at dinner parties: drink your best stuff first. (Almost) nobody's palate lasts through 3-4 beers.