What is your tasting process

Balance

 

I try to take the brewer's intent into account. I want to give the brewer the recognition he deserves for the execution of his craft. This is why, for example, DKML earns perfect scores in my book. It's also why my average rating lies somewhere north of 4.

The fact that I drink only good beer doesn't factor into this at all.

 

Those are pretty broad questions.

The process is pretty much the same... pouring the beer into a glass, observing the look, smelling the aroma, tasting the beer in sips to get the flavors and feel.

But, what I'm looking for varies a lot with the style of beer.

 

@dcotom like this gentleman i judge by what they say they are offering and how close to the bullseye they get.
I may not like the style but thats irrelevant, did they do what they said and how well did they do it.
I had a pineapple upside down cake ale from hoppin frog. Not a go to beer for me but i scored it

very well because that beer tasted just like a pineapple upside down cake

 

I always try to taste to style. Like @HoppingMadMonk said, my liking of the style should be irrelevant when I’mm rating it.
Of course I sometimes insert my own feelings in there but hey I do my best to be impartial haha

 

DKML ?

 

I follow a basic approach of appearance, aroma, taste, texture and overall impression. In the last category I'm looking for well made which is to say balanced.

 

Founders' foray into the malt liquor world.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/276242/?ba=dcotom#review

 

I look for three traits in every beer:

1. Does it have balance? (This is different for every beer based on style.)
2. Is there depth of flavor?
3. Is it easy to drink? (Does it keep me coming back for another sip? Do I want another one after finishing it?)

Most of my favorite beers check all of these boxes. When reviewing, there is usually a strong correlation between beers that have a good "feel" to them and my overall rating.

 

This is a simple question that requires a complex answer.
I realize this because as soon as I reread what I propose here translated I hope in a dignified way... I can think of numerous other details that I would like to add... but in the end it is easier to explain verbally than on a translator.
Assuming that I'm at most I accept the definition of a conscious drinker (but always ready to learn something new and in any case annoyed by it. Beer lover is right), so I have never brewed beer and my way of tasting is totally based on the sensations that beer communicates to me, without any possible defect being able to make immediate considerations " techniques "about the error that caused it ... simply if I notice it I highlight it.
I would say that my method could be summarized with a preliminary analysis of everything that strikes my senses: smell, sight (for example what a beer poured correctly and in the correct glass communicates).
Then when it comes to drinking, the same thing is done with other characteristic elements such as the body, the carbonation and the tastes that my palate is able to identify.
Depending on the style of beer (I'm thinking for example about the spicy Saison, but also many other styles ...), repeat this operation even after some time after the first sip.
From the information obtained, verify the congruity of what tasted with the style of belonging (or to which it comes closest, given that especially in these times ... it is increasingly difficult to place each beer in a specific style) and what is written on the 'label (

).
There are also examples where the tasting refers to what you have previously drunk similar or perhaps the same beer from another vintage...
Finally, only for the sole purpose of personal memory, I make my personal considerations related to my tastes and what the beer left (or remembered) me. For example, in my reviews uploaded to this database, with a few exceptions, there is more a description of the beer itself with few references to personal tastes which, however, have certainly affected the overall vote expressed.
The answer to this question is really long, complex and "in itinere".

 

It all depends on the style. I have no idea what "the brewers intent" was, I'm no fucking mind reader after all, all I can do is judge what is in my glass. Is it sour? Is it supposed to be sour? Is it clear? Is it supposed to be clear?

I often like beers better than the scores I give them because when I'm rating them, I'm comparing them to a standard. The deviations from a standard, whether plus or minus, do not necessarily reflect my tastes and/or enjoyment of that brew.

 

I put it down the hatch and then decide if I liked it.

 

Step 1) Select a beer with a reasonably high expectation of quality.

 

Question number 1 - Pour beer into glass, tilt glass so that contents enter my mouth.

Question number 2 - Does it tickle my taste buds? There are no specific traits that make a beer good or bad to me. I've had good beers that were dark colored, light colored, thick bodied, thin bodied, Simply, am I enjoying drinking it?

Question number 3 - Taste, taste and taste. Sure it's wonderful if a beer looks nice, smells nice, feels nice in my mouth etc, but if doesn't taste good then all those things don't matter. Since you asked about ratings, I'll say this ...

I've found out that there is usually some truth to most ratings here (and to a much lesser extent on Untappd) but not enough to make me decide "yes" or "no" when I'm standing in a beer store deciding whether or not to purchase a beer. For instance, I generally don't enjoy drinking IPAs apparently nearly as much as most people here and on Untappd do. That's fine, I respect other's opinions, but after many years and thousands of different beers I've found that it works best to trust my own instincts.

 

If I am able to grab a 4pk/6pack of a beer, I usually just drink the first one casually, just to see whether or not I really like it/what the beer is really.about. Then, the second or third one, I will write a formal review based on my perception of aroma/flavor/mouthfeel etc keeping in mind the parameters of the style.

 

Might I suggest you are saying it “has the right balance for the style”? I think similar, along the lines of a traditional American WC IPA should have some decent to strong bitterness while a Vienna lager should have considerably less.

Now, I could like a beer independent of these expectations, but I might rate a beer here lower if it’s off, which gets towards the concept of brewer’s intent (which I fear is hard to know unless they supply tasting notes or something), so the fallback is proclaimed style.

So, OP, for good or bad, it’s more complex than it probably should be, as @Jack_14 started his post with.

 

1. Setting aside adequate time and clean glassware.*
2. Evaluate its components (aroma, flavor, body, bitterness/sourness, carbonation, mouthfeel, finish) on my own to the best of my ability.
3. After initial impressions, research the beer's malt/hops/yeast (if available) and read others' notes to see if there is anything I'm having difficulty describing on my own.
4. Take breaks and return to it several times over the course of 30 - 45 minutes, allowing it to warm and change.
5. Hydrate continuously.

* I use a Teku for every beer I evaluate; far from my favorite glass but it's versatile and eliminates the style of glass as a variable in tasting a wide variety of beers.

A beer that really nails the drinking experience as its style suggests. If it's lacking or opposite of those expectations, I'll be curious as to why.
Others are saying balance and I certainly look for that too, but I find that to be too one-dimensional for my personal ratings. There are plenty of styles I like that are inherently unbalanced, so determining which ones are "good" and "bad" out of those is trickier.
A lot of it also is intuition and a good comparative basis for the beers I have had.

Clear definition in flavor/aroma/mouthfeel, overall vibrancy and/or uniqueness will elevate a beer's rating for me.

 

Often overlooked. When a friend asks me why I sip on plain water while drinking beer I say, "I'll tell ya tomorrow.