Adding a Little Panache to Beer Reviews

Because sometimes eloquence influenced by alcohol becomes loquacious.

 

I don't review beers too much but I can understand where you're coming from. I think most reviewers like to take their reviews 'seriously' so they leave out the 'panache'...
What I can't stand is when the reviewer goes a little overboard with all the flavor profiles...
'wet hay'...'burnt wheat toast'...'toasted muffin tops [but not the bottom]" or 18 different citrus fruits...really??

 

I've sorta come to the conclusion that many "safe" reviews are written precisely because they may be read by intelligent, witty and very knowledgeable members of this Board.

 

Yeah - I can see your point. What I write in WBAYDN or NBS gets edited when I put the content into a review. I do try to add some "casual commentary" to the Overall category because to me one criteria is - regardless of how I scored the beer - how much did I actually "like" it and would I drink it again is important.

I don't know - there's some eloquent reviews that can be found, some of them very long, and a handful that manage to seem pretentious. There's the opposite end of the spectrum too - "I like it, it has a good beat, I can dance to it - 5.0" that really add little value. I would agree that there are very few reviews where there's humor or cleverness. Somewhere there is a happy medium, but I think reviewing is an area where folks want to be taken seriously and maybe dial things back some.

I'm sure the topic of identifying individual flavors will come up - it always does. It sure can go overboard sometimes. However, as a trained taster for my company it certainly is possible to learn how to detect very subtle differences and call out individual flavors. I can do that on our products where I'm trained, but am still learning how to do that with beers. I can get to citrus - and then orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime - I can't tell what hops variety is involved and I sure as hell can't call out what kind of orange it is. I can't identify whether the coffee is from Guatemala or Ethiopia, but I might be able to tell the type. If I've tasted/smelled it before and know what it is (ie, I have a reference) I can generally find it in a beer though, so there is some transfer of my training. <Edit> Hah - @MikeP64 - beat me to it.

For me, reviewing is one place where I like to focus on the attributes of the beer and I do try to be serious. And I will say I might not be very good at it, but I do try my best. I do understand the point and agree that humor and information can coexist. I would not want to see reviews become sarcastic or deliberately doctored up in failed attempts at being lighthearted.

 

Ahem. It's "Cicerone." And don't forget to capitalize it.

 

I do want some descriptive stuff (malt, Hops) if the reviewer knows them, but mostly I'd like to be told why they do or don't like the beer using their own words.

 

Can't argue with that!

 

The last three reviews (Tusk & Grain No 02, Founder's Dank Wood and Stone's Bitter Chocolate Oakmeal) I've written are a good example of how my reviews can vary in flow.

I write as I feel, and really enjoyed the first two, so the reviews featured a little extra panache and flavor. I didn't quite enjoy the Oakmeal and found it didn't age well, so I wrote down the notes and moved on to other things.

In general, I try to stick to at least listing notes, but will write more if the beer gives the opportunity and I'm in a place to do so. It's so much easier to write an eloquent review for a well executed BBA stout vs. a good lager.

 

I agreed with everything you said up until the last sentence.

 

if you want colorful, read @woodychandler 's reviews. As for me, I'm just not a flowery guy, and I only do reviews for myself. I don't expect anyone else to read them, so I generally just do straight ahead reportage of that time, place and beer.

 

Great point. Everyone should try to state why they would have it again or avoid the beer they just reviewed. I’m long winded, both in writing and while speaking, so my reviews are long and quite detailed. I’ll try more humor to see if I can appease this thread. Why not, after all it’s beer reviews and those should be fun.

 

Blushes & takes a bow. I usually hide the Ratings-only entries, but I read a LOT of reviews, especially if there are only a handful before I write mine.