How do you rate coloration?

I'll caveat this with the fact that I'm by no means an expert but I typically rate appearance based on a few things. Color, clarity, head size, visible carbonation, lacing, etc. - overall how appealing does the beer look to me. In terms of looking at these variables I definitely both look at the beer without direct light source as well as against direct light source. I wouldn't say I judge the beer's appearance only with/without direct light source, but rather a combination.

I also tend to rate appearance higher if the beer looks as it should - for example, and not that this would ever happen, but if I'm rating a stout it would be weird it if were somehow fizzy yellow so then I would rate that example low. Whereas a stout that's deep, rich black with a medium thick tan head would get higher rates.

As with all ratings, besides some general guidelines, it ultimately comes down to your take. How good do you think the beer looks - not only for the style but overall to you.

 

I tend to review at home, and usually leave windows open to get natural light (never enough in the house), but I tend to base that decision after holding up the beer for a quick examination in a well lit room (preferably natural light, but otherwise mild temperature lights), and then further verified while the glass sits on a table in front of me. The photo I take for the WBYDN serves as a further check for the coloration and transparency, especially since I try to take any and all pictures in natural light.

I don't finalize my appearance score until I see how long the head retains after taking notes on how quickly the head forms during the pour. I knock more beers for lack of head formation or retention than having an off hue or a little extra fog in the beer itself.

 

Clear- I’m hydrated and had enough.
Yellow- I can drink a few more.

 

If you're asking about how to judge the "official color" of a beer on the SRM scale? I have no idea!

But, just for me, if I am reviewing a beer, if the beer is clear or only semi-hazy (as in a pale ale to hefe), then it is normal room light, uncontrolled really, looking at the beer from the front. If the beer is opaque or so turbid as to be essentially opaque, I will look at it in normal room light and will also hold it up to my desk lamp to light it from the back. This is just to get something other than "black" or "muddy" for describing the color.

The only exception to all of this are NEIPAs and any beer from TG. In those cases, I will take a photo of the beer and then photoshop it until it is bright iridescent orange, and then describe that color as "juicy"!

 

Well lit room, but not close in front of the light

 

Pretty easy for me as 90% of the time it's a stout. So - I rate them light black, black, or dark black. Rarely dark brown. Other beers I just give my first impression.

 

I pretty much rate the look of most beers as 4/5

 

If you aren't taking a scientific measurement then you have to trust your eye and your experience with the style. When it looks odd, you will know. When it looks world class, you will know. If you can't satisfactorily judge the clarity or color of a beer within seconds then it doesn't deserve your criticism. You can spend minutes or hours reveling in a beautiful glass and that is certainly worth the extra time and effort for words. As to the specifics of lighting, you should try your best to view beers in the same lighting conditions as others you have seen before.

 

There is a standard/definition for measuring beer color (i.e., ASBC Beer Color) as defined by the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC). You can read more here:

https://measuretruecolor.hunterlab.com/2016/06/07/asbc-beer-color-and-turbidity/

For a layperson such as yourself (and me) this may not ‘translate’ to the bigger question you are asking – I am not aware of any organization that defines proper lighting conditions for making an ‘eyeball’ determination of beer color.

Cheers!

 

I usually rate beer at the midnight hour in a room lit only by candles

 

This is a great and artful query. It depends on how observant one may be. Looking across a west-angled late afternoon bar, sun fading, I've seen beer color change on many occasions.

 

Beers can look different under different conditions (and at different volumes), but the same is true for how they taste.

 

SRM is a judgement of color with a 1 cm thickness of liquid. If you use any drinking vessel other than a tall thin lager glass, it will be wrong. I have a very bright desk lamp that I use to evaluate color, and it definitely helps give the true appearance in the glass as far as clarity and other factors.

 

Think I'll try to combine non-direct and direct light, and of course daylight of different shades. The one centimeter should be possible to achieve if you look a bit from under or above the surface. Then try to make some kind of conclusion...no effort is too much for getting this right!

 

I definitely hold the beer up to the light. Demonstrates the best nuance of penumbra that way.

 

If people want to be really picky, they should also realize that different lights have different color temperatures - which means that a beer might look like a very different color in sunlight vs tungsten light vs LED vs fluorescent etc. People have already touched upon this, but I figured I’d be more explicit.

Regarding the SRM chart, as something that’s actually used for measuring, it’s ridiculous how different the various online versions are. Rulers are almost worthless if they all use different sizes for an inch.

 

I just hold it up to the window and describe what I see.

 

That variability of color itself is quite likely not in the charts themselves but in such things as how they are translated on to the online source by some other computer and/or how your own computer is calibrated and translates things into color on the screen of your machine.