I was just wondering if you think your mood effects how you rank a beer. I like trying different beers all the time. I buy a lot of singles. On days where I'm really in the mood for a beer, I think I probably rate it higher than if I were drinking the same beer on a day that I was just looking for something to drink. I have gone back and re-ranked a beer after I had it again.
Definitely. [Sensory] perception is reality. I try to be as objective as possible, but there's no denying that when you're in a great mood, everything seems a little better.
I know what you mean. Sometimes I even notice, I may have rated beer A higher than beer B, even though I kind of like beer B more. I only notice this when I look back on my numerical ratings, but they're just numbers. I'm not going to go adjust them after the fact. For me its more about the phenomenological descriptions; I know what I like and I enjoy describing it, but sometimes I struggle to reduce that to numbers.
Yes, as does the place where I'm drinking the beer and the food I've had during the day or with the beer. Although the place effect is probably indirect through its effect on my mood.
Yes, i have tried new beers and not reviewed them until I give them another shot because I was in a really bad mood due to a ridiculous traffic jam on the way to the party. I am sure I would have enjoyed the beers more if I had not been so annoyed.
In reality the ratings are all based on personal opinion/taste and mood is part of that equation. On highly rated beers or even lower rated beers, there is obvious a consensus but you will still find people who have a different view of what said beer taste like. Many beer geeks will laugh and mock these anomalies (people) but I actually find it refreshing knowing that the deviation is normal and expected by a few who have different palates than I. A 100% agreement on anything is boring and predictable and is really only good in stroking ones ego? As you, I have rated beers very low or very high do to my personal mood...this can be caused by work, family, friends or even what's being shoved down our throats in the news. I'm guessing a death in the family could kill a rating (pun intended) for most. However if you were rating a beer that you had shared with a friend who just passed and it brought back special memories of special occasions...fishing trips, weddings, parties and such...you just might rank it higher? Which really just brings us full circle...ratings are for the most part a glorified opinion based on our personal tastes...and yes, some of those can swing radically from day to day depending on our mood.
Not so much mood but the more hungry I am and the first few beers I have for the day the better beers taste to me and I tend to rate higher. Even if I have beer early in day and completely sober in evening, taste of beer in evening isn't as good.
Mood definitely affects which beer I decide to drink. I would say mood has an impact on ranking and definitely on liking. I have had beers that I think are awesome sometimes, but not so much other times. Obviously there are tons of variables factoring into something that is ultimately subjective - how tired/happy/hungry to name a few. Mood wouldn't be much different. Although I keep notes on new beers, I usually don't finalize my opinion until I have had more than one sample/tasting. Sometimes the excitement of trying something new (especially one that gets a lot of hype) can cloud the judgement in either direction.
Absolutely! Last year, when my wife was in the hospital, I went out to grab dinner and a beer. Had a Hennepin, which I never had before. I thought it was average, at best. Months later, when things were a bit back to normal, I tried it again. Wonderful! Same beer, different circumstances, much different view.
I would also say the numerical ratings you've been giving lately influence your rating regardless of enjoyment. There's no solid scale for how much enjoyment equals how many points. If you've been drinking a lot of bad beers, you're going to rate a beer higher than if you've been drinking a lot of good beers, just because your basis of comparison is calibrated differently. "Oh, this beer is great but not quite as good as that other beer I just gave a 4.75, so this one gets a 4.5" as opposed to "This beer is great, best beer I've had in a week! I'll give it a 4.75."
Yeah for sure, I notice myself doing that sometimes. I also feel that your beer style preference affects ratings, for example like when you're trying a brew from a style outside of your preferences.
Definitely. For example...I'm trying new beers, with a group, at a beer tasting event I'm hosting. The group - and we're all friends - is looking forward to the get together, and all the positive feelings that go with good friendship, conversation, music, etc. all heighten the mood in a very positive way. Conversely...I'm the only one in the house, taking care of the kids, and my wife is gone on a girls mini-vacay for the next 4 days. Oh yeah...Mood will affect rankings.
Yes without question. I'm glad to see a thread and string of opinions that acknowledge the wide array of variables that affect how we taste beer at a particular time or situation. It often seems to be the most neglected area of how we taste a beer.
I get off shift, and I get to drink some of the best available beers in our country. Sometimes I'm still miserable. Beer ratings are so subjective, it shouldn't even be an issue. Great beer is great beer; bad attitudes are bad attitudes. If one detracts from the other, shame on them
Sure. If I'm in a bad mood I find it hard to enjoy most things, including beer, as much as I would if I was in a good mood.
