I like the beer I drink. Why should I care about sensory evaluation?

Well, if you like your beer and that’s the only thing you care about then I guess you shouldn’t. Post over.

Ok, you did click on this so I’ll at least tell you why I care and how I started caring about it. Shortly after brewing my first beer, a Raspberry Witbier, I was overjoyed with how it tasted and very proud of myself. I’m sure we’ve all had this feeling after our first brew. I had just started attending a local homebrew club’s meetings and couldn’t wait to share. At the next meeting, I gave a sample to the president of the club who also happened to be a very respected local beer judge. He asked me about it and after sampling and thinking a little he said that it tasted a little like celery. While he was very respectful with his feedback I was understandably irritated.

Fuck him, my wonderful and amazing homebrew certainly didn’t taste like celery! So I went home, opened another bottle, and sat down to prove him wrong. I took a sip and immediately realized what he was talking about. I was so excited about making beer that I didn’t really think about what I was tasting.

Ok, what does this have to do with me?

Maybe nothing but I’m of the mind that anyone who homebrews would benefit from learning about sensory evaluation. If you are able to accurately and, most importantly, honestly evaluate your own beer you will become a better brewer. In addition, if awards are something that is important to you, you’ll most likely win more of those because you’ll be able to accurately place entries in categories. By describing the flavors in your own beer you will also notice differences in recipes and what different ingredients bring to the table. You’ll also be able to spot possible flaws that might otherwise escape you.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks for people is that the term sensory evaluation sounds so pretentious that it’s hard to get behind. Beer judging is also another loaded term. It makes it seem like the person doing it is an all-knowing master levying their otherworldly opinion on the beer. The reality is that the most important part of the process is describing what you are smelling, tasting, and seeing. Since we’re talking about your own beers, whether this description is good or bad is up to you.

Alright, so I might care a little. What now?

Well, there are two parts to this whole evaluation thing. The first is learning how to describe what you are perceiving and the second part is learning what it might mean. Learning what it might mean could be where the flavor, scent, or visual appearance comes from or whether or not it’s appropriate. These things can be read about and learned like most anything else. I plan on doing follow-up posts on styles that will discuss these things in addition to posts with information off-flavors. For this post, I’m going to stick to the sensory description part of things.

The fastest way to do start learning is to find someone that is trained and work with them. This could be a practiced BJCP judge or a professional brewer with experience in sensory evaluation. Breweries will conduct panels and train their staff to help evaluate the product.

I have no friends, am I screwed?

Without access to someone like that you aren’t lost but it may be a little more difficult but not a lot. My suggestion would be to go and get a commercial example of a style that is listed in the BJCP guidelines. The Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) is a volunteer organization that creates the guidelines for homebrew competitions and certifies judges. Whether you agree with their guidelines or not you can be sure that the classic examples should be pretty close to what is described by their guidelines.

When selecting a style don’t pick something that is hard to get locally or something that might sit on a shelf for a while. In fact, I think the best thing to go with would be a Budweiser. I can hear the moans now but hear me out. Budweiser is the classic example of an American Lager. Despite everyone thinking it has little flavor that is actually false. The flavor may be subtle but there is plenty of it there for our purposes.

I’m thirsty, can I start drinking now?

One note before we start evaluating. You will be tempted to read the guidelines about the style before evaluating. Don’t.

Ok, take a can or bottle out of the fridge and let it sit for about half an hour to let it warm up a little. This will allow us to perceive the flavors a little more than when it’s cold. Pour out a sample and write some notes about what you see. What color is the foam, does it stay around? What color is the beer? Is it clear? Give it a quick smell and write down any aromas you get.

After that take a small taste. Try to get just enough to coat your palate. Think about what you are tasting and write some notes down before sampling again. Remember, we’re evaluating, not drinking. Don’t be worried about what you are writing. Just put it down in your own words. Try not to use words like good or bad. Instead, think about what you are tasting, how bitter is it, is the bitterness rounded or sharp?

So… Where do these guidelines come in?

After you’ve completed your evaluation. Now it’s time to pour another sample if you need to. Now review the different sections in the guidelines for 1B American Lager. As you read, compare it with what you wrote down and the sample you have now. Take note of the vocabulary being used. If you don’t notice certain things that are mentioned don’t worry about it. You will learn your palate and how it compares to others. In fact, doing this with a group of people, even if no one else is trained, is a great way to compare what different people are tasting. You will even find new vocabulary to use to describe things. I teach a class on this each year and every time I find a new word for describing something that we are tasting.

But how do I know if my beer is good?

You tell me, you’re the one that just evaluated your beer! The truth is that we all drink our own beer but not all of us mindfully evaluate it. Notice we never scored it and avoid judgment on it. If we accurately describe it then if we want to decide if it’s good or bad we can do that later. I believe it opens up a whole new world of beer to learn about and discuss with others in the hobby. You may love this so much that, like me, you’ll go on to become a BJCP judge but you definitely don’t have to in order to keep learning about sensory evaluation.