Blogger has finally added tags for posts. I'm currently going through all of my old posts and adding tags for brewery and style as well as other descriptors (Sour Beer, Oak Aged), and for the type of post (Reviews, News, Travel). I'm doing this in one month chunks. I've done three months so far. I apologize to RSBS readers for the clutter.

Labels: Blog

Just a quick note, the banner image on the blog is now randomized. The random image Java Script works in both Firefox and Safari, but not in IE. I don't really care about IE at all so I don't think that I'll take the time to try fix it.

I'm trying to find beer related photos that I've taken that would work well as 760 x 200 images. So far I have the picture of Brewery Ommegang that I took at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown, and a picture of hops on my desk that I picked up at the Extreme Beer Fest. There are a few images that I would like to add to the rotation, but I can't find a decent crop.

Labels: Blog

I changed my blog's template tonight. I found a version of K2, a Word Press template, for Blogger, and spent a couple hours customizing it for my blog. I like the new look, though I'm still working out some kinks. I know it looks weird in IE. I'll try to fix it, but why not get a better browser? Leave a comment if you notice any problems or have any general comments.

The header is a photo of Brewery Ommegang that I took at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown.

Labels: Blog

Today I received a bottle of Westvleteren Blonde and a bottle of Westvleteren 12 in the mail. I also got a nifty Westvleteren crate.

I also purchased tickets for David, Bennett and I to go to Cooperstown, NY on the weekend of July 14th for the Belgium Comes to Cooperstown Festival held at Brewery Ommegang. We'll probably also visit the Baseball Hall of Fame as well.

Labels: Blog, Brewery Ommegang, Travel

This is my last post until sometime next weekend. Tomorrow I'm leaving for the Meiosis Gordon Research Conference in New Hampshire.

Earlier today I was thinking about what my numerical ratings actually correspond to. So, I came up with descriptions for each half-point increment. Looking back at the beers that I've rated almost all of them fit into these categories.

4.0-5.0: Fantastic (or your favorite adjective)

4.0-4.45: Very Good

3.5-3.95: Good

3.0-3.45: Average/OK

2.5-2.95: Mediocre

2.0-2.45: Bad

1.5-1.95: Terrible

1.0-1.45: Undrinkable

Hopefully assigning qualitative descriptors to the quantitative ratings will also help me become more consistent. I would appreciate comments on these descriptors if you have them (I'm looking at you Win, David and Ward).

Labels: Blog, Reviewing

I was checking the hit counter on my blog and noticed this one:



My previous post came up in a search for "Anheuser" at http://blogsearch.google.com, according to the listed referring URL.

I would have at least liked a comment trying to defend their shitty beer.

Labels: Blog

Tonight I made a database of my beer list. Aside from the beer number and beer name, fields include: brewery, style, alcohol by volume, and brewery location. Using his leet GIS skills my friend Bryan put together this map for me. Each contry or state is shaded based on the number of beers from that location I have sampled. Click on the map for a larger, readable version.



In the domestic category Massachusetts wins with 59 beers. Belgium wins the import category with 38 beers. Both of these make sense. Massachusetts is my state of residence, and I do most of my drinking there. My home state of Texas comes in second with 29 beers. Belgium makes sense given my penchant for Belgian Style Ales.

Coming soon (hopefully), a statistical analysis of my beer list.

Labels: Beer List, Blog

What rating system do I use?

I use the tasting and rating system that Beer Advocate uses. The beer is rated on a scale of one to five in five separate categories. Each of these categories is weighted differently when calculating the overall score:

• Appearance - 20%
• Smell - 20%
• Taste - 40%
• Mouthfeel - 10%
• Drinkability - 10%.

This system seems to be fairly standard. Rate Beer uses a similar system though their weighting is different. They use the classier sounding terms 'Aroma', 'Flavor' and 'Palate' instead of 'Smell', 'Taste' and 'Mouthfeel'. Their 'Overall' category includes 'Drinkability', but seems broader.

• Appearance - 10%
  
• Aroma - 20%
  
• Flavor - 20%
  
• Palate - 10 %
  
• Overall - 40%

I use Beer Advocate's rating system because I think the 'Taste'/'Flavor' category is under-weighted for Rate Beer, and because I think Rate Beer over-weights 'Overall' and leads to a more subjective final score (not that reviewing beer isn't inherently subjective). Beer Advocate has these descriptions for the following numerical ratings: 1.0 is 'awful', 2.0 is 'not impressed', 3.0 is 'average', 4.0 is 'good' and 5.0 is 'exceptional'.

How do I decide when to assign numerical ratings?

How well is the beer served? I'll take tasting notes, but won't assign a numerical rating to a beer if it is served directly in a bottle or can without being poured into a glass, since it's hard to rate on appearance when you can't see the beer. I will rate a beer if it isn't served in 'proper' glassware. If the beer is served too cold, but I allow it to warm up appreciably I will assign ratings.

Is the beer good? If a beer is obviously spoiled I won't assign numerical ratings. My main indicator here is the presence of a skunky aroma. If the beer is skunked I won't give a numerical rating.

How big is the sample? If a beer is served in a sampler size (4 oz.) I won't assign a numerical rating. A 4 oz glass can be enough to give you a decent impression of the beer, but I don't think it's enough to accurately rate a beer. I think 8 ounces is a good approximate minimum.

How much am I drinking? If I'm planning on drinking several beers at a bar I typically won't rate them. This rule is flexible. I wouldn't hesitate to assign ratings to the first beer in a series, though I may not always do this. If I feel that I can objectively rate subsequent beers I will. If I'm drunk I won't assign ratings.

What am I eating? If the flavors in the food overpower a beer I won't assign a numerical rating. Spicy foods are a big offender here. I'll only rate a beer that I'm eating with food if the beer overpowers the food, or if the beer and food match particularly well.

Do I feel like assigning numerical ratings? This is self-explanatory.

What do I look for in each of the different categories?

Appearance: What color is the beer: is it golden, amber, brown, etc? Is the beer clear, hazy, or almost opaque? What is the head like, what color is it, how big is it, what's its texture, how long does it stick around? How much carbonation is there? Rating the appearance of a beer is one of the most subjective aspects of reviewing a beer in my opinion. Usually I try to rate a beer's appearance in comparison to other beers of the style.

Smell: I first sniff the undisturbed beer, try to determine some of the major aromas, and then I swirl to bring out more aromas. I look for aromas from malts, hops, microflora, and spicy and fruity aromas. Malt aromas can range from bready to coffee, depending on the roasted barley used. Aromas from hops tend to be floral, citrusy or herbal. Microflora, yeast and bacteria involved in fermentation, tend to give more earthy smells. Spicy and fruity notes are typically byproducts of fermentation and will vary depending on the strain of yeast used. These can include cloves, bananas, and bubblegum. When rating the smell of a beer I again consider the style. I take off points if there is an unpleasant aroma to the beer, and I look favorably upon complexity. I also try to consider how the different elements blend together.

Taste: When rating taste I like to consider how the taste changes as you hold the beer in your mouth. What is the initial flavor? How does the beer taste at the center of the palate? How does it taste at the end, and what is the aftertaste? I pay attention to many of the same elements when rating a beer for smell and taste. These include spicy and fruity notes, and roasted or sweet malt flavors. Since the aromas and flavors that hops impart are quite distinct I also pay attention to any bitterness imparted by hops. When does it appear in the palate, and how long does it linger? Additionally I pay attention to how dry the beer is overall. Unpleasant flavors get points off, while complex flavors are a bonus. As with smell, I try to consider how the different flavors interact.

Mouthfeel: Mouthfeel describes the body of the beer, along with other tactile sensations. Is the beer light, medium or full-bodied? What is the texture of the beer, is it creamy, is it watery? What is the carbonation like? In this category I rate mainly on the texture and carbonation since different styles will have different bodies. A beer that seems watery won't be rated as highly as a beer that has more substance. Carbonation has to be considered along with the body of the beer.

Drinkability: This category is somewhat self-explanatory. Is the beer easy to drink? Would you or could you have another? I mostly base my ratings on how easy the beer is to drink. If I'm dreading the next sip the beer obviously gets a low score. If, after finishing a beer, I want another this will positively affect the score.

Overall: The rating for this category comes from the weighted average of the ratings in the above categories. I like to consider how the beer stacks up to other beers of the style, and I like to consider what other styles the beer reminds me of.

Labels: Blog, Reviewing

I've been drinking beer regularly since my freshman year at Texas A&M, but I didn't really get into it until my senior year. It's hard to say exactly what beer it was that "opened my eyes" to beer, but it was probably the first time I had Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse at Cricket's in Waco. I started keeping The Beer List my last semester at A&M, and I've added almost 300 new beers since then, which averages out to about 100 new beers per year.

I'm starting this blog because, while I know what I like about beers, I sometimes have a hard time describing what exactly it is about the beers that I like. So I plan to post any tasting notes that I take for each beer here, which will hopefully get me into the habit.

Labels: Blog