Day 17 – Rating Beer: The Learning Curve

I commented yesterday on the Ratebeer.com website. I’ve been rating beer for over two weeks now and even though I am far from achieving expert status – and probably never will – my learning curve has been an interesting experience. Most notably is that I have found that my senses are opening up to the complexities of taste and aroma inherent in various beers. I’m still not using all the terms that are commonly found in a rating, but I am trying to pick out what my senses can discern, a good first step, I think. As I learn the styles, perhaps I will be able to one day pick out the scent of banana or the taste of chocolate, but for now, I’m happy that I have progressed beyond the purely subjective toward a more objective evaluation.

I am both pleased and concerned, however, by my scoring. How so? I’m so glad you asked. Allow me to tell you.

I’m pleased that my scoring has been fairly consistent and in line with what I would expect from a mathematical process. In statistics, the normal distribution of data around a mean is a bell curve. On a scale from zero to five, one would expect (or wouldn’t be surprised) to have the mean at the midpoint and the upper and lower bounds to be some equal distance away. That is exactly what I’m seeing with my ratings. The beers I think are okay to drink are in the 2.5 area, the beers I really like are around 3.5, and the beers I won’t ever drink again are around 1.5.

On the other hand, I’m concerned that the curve isn’t wider. I did have a 0.8 score (0.5 is the absolute lowest one can go) once and a 1.1 on another occasions, but nothing close to a 4 ever (3.5 is the closest). Is it because I haven’t tasted a great beer yet or is it because I’m too narrow in my scoring? A good example is the Overall rating, one of five factors that go into the final calculated score. The Overall rating is from 1 to 20. Now, granted, the beers I don’t like are around 3, the ones I like are around 9, and the ones I really like are around 13. BUT…the ones I really like, for example, range from 12 to 14. So while there is a wide band between the lowest and the highest, there isn’t a wide band in any of the three classes. I fear I’m not discerning enough as I rate the various beers, which leads to a narrow band of final scores.

That’s why I bought Randy Mosher’s book “Tasting Beer.” I’ve not progressed as far in the book as I would have liked, but what I’ve read so far has been a big help. Color charts and bitterness quotients have helped me understand beer styles and establish expectations when I try them. I’m looking forward to reading more, however, because I want to get better at picking out the various components that go into the all-important factors of aroma and taste.

I also think, however, that experience, or lack thereof, plays a big part as well. I’ve been drinking beer for a long time, but I’ve only rated 29 beers to date. And I’m just now trying styles I’ve never tried before, like IPA’s. So I think in time, with Randy’s help and a few hundred samples under my belt – literally – I will get better at distinctions in color, taste, aroma, and palate. At least I’ll have a good time trying.

So what have I tried today? I’m so glad you asked. Allow me to tell you.

I tried a couple of brews from the Boston Brewery Company (Sam Adams). The first was a Blackberry Witbier, which I found...entertaining, shall we say? In other words, it was okay, but not at the upper end of my favorites. The same can be said for the second, their Imperial Double Bock. Beautiful in appearance (color and lacing), hints of chocolate in the aroma and taste, a fine beer, but above average, not great.

See what I mean? I can't seem to find anything I want to give an 8 or better for aroma and taste or above 14 for overall. I can only hope that there is something out there that gets me over the hump, so to speak, because otherwise, I'm destined to never break out beyond above average.

Go Michigan State!

Goal...............524.....365
Progress..........29......17
Remaining.......495.....348