Introduction to Sensory Evaluation - Your Thoughts?

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You're a braver soul than I to take on such an event :mug:
Overall I think the intro/overview is pretty good guidance for noobs who never stopped to actually evaluate the suds they were consuming (which pretty much explains macros in general ;))
Still, the "alcohol delivery vehicle" thing is a teeny bit gratuitous...

Cheers! (and good luck!)

ps: Is the USA non-macro market share really up to 20% now? Jim Koch was reticent to predict craft would hit 5% just a few years ago.
 
Great thoughtful introduction! Love the whole cheese pairing idea!

Depending on your audience, they might have some questions like what are hops? What do you mean by a beer's head and body (and does it have arms too)? How did Michael Jackson find the time to write a book about beer while he was busy making pop songs?
 
That is a fantastic breakdown. Have you decided what pairings?

Also, what glasses are you offering? I'm a big fan of using the right glass for the style. I had a couple friends over and served the same wine out of 5 different glasses. Nobody believed me that they were not the same wine.
 
I agree, I’m not a BMC fan, but the beer has a place, on a warm night by the lake or after mowing the lawn on a hot day, further to a lot of people, it is their favorite beer. If you attack the beer you attack the people. I would say something like. “No one can deny that an ice cold coors light quenches your thirst like no other beer, but their are so many styles that have a place in tradition, culture and social gatherings.” That way you are inclusive of the beer that most regular people enjoy. Also, when you say to experience the beer “in this order”, I would just give the explanations. It could just be me, but if someone tells me to use a glass, I’m more likely to use a bottle, but if someone tells me the reasons for using a glass, like you did, I’m more likely to “give it a try” since it’s my choice, but I’d leave out telling me to use a glass. So when I ask for someone to critique something I’ve wrote, what I really want to hear is how good it is, so I do apologize if it seems that I am too critical. You of course are the master if you own pen and can take or leave any or all of it. I hope your event is a real hit.
 
That is a fantastic breakdown. Have you decided what pairings?

Also, what glasses are you offering? I'm a big fan of using the right glass for the style. I had a couple friends over and served the same wine out of 5 different glasses. Nobody believed me that they were not the same wine.
I'm embarrassed by how fussy I've become about glass choice. I'm now that guy at the bar.
The Mrs isn't embarrassed though, she is incredulous at all the glasses she ends up washing...
 
I'm organizing a Beer/Cheese/Food pairing event in a couple of weeks. There will be some brewers there, but mostly not. I wrote up an intro to tasting beer, aimed at non-beer-geeks that I'm going to distribute to the 55 who have RSVP'd, in the next day or two. I'd love to get some feedback on it. Thanks in advance.
It's good. Wouldn't add anything much to be honest.
One thing I always find overstated however is the 'cleanness' of lager yeast, although you do mention sulphur. I also find it leaves a much fuller raw malty taste than say classic clean American ale yeast, but I agree it's what most people seem to say.

It's a nice idea the beer tasting although I'm not sure what beers I'd pair with food necessarily.
Obviously don't start with a DDH triple IPA...
And now ladies and gentlemen throw away your tongue as it is useless for further tasting...
 
I've paired a hoppy dipa with filet mignon quite nicely.
Fruity wheat with chevre
Brie and porter
Baked beans with cream ale
Imp pilsner with lobster ravioli
Porter or stout with braised short ribs and also brownies and/or icecream.
Pilsner with gazpacho

Beer, like wine can balance well or act as an over or undertone to a meal or appetizer. Imagination is your only limiting factor.
 
Wow, thanks so much for all your feedback. After re-reading it again this morning, with a little distance, I agree with pretty much all of your critiques and have incorporated them into the piece. Your feedback made the piece stronger and I really appreciate that you took the time to read and respond!
 
So when I ask for someone to critique something I’ve wrote, what I really want to hear is how good it is, so I do apologize if it seems that I am too critical.

Thanks for articulating that, AZ - I try not to be defensive about my writing but we all fall prey to that natural response. I thought your critiques were spot on and I've incorporated them.
 
Still, the "alcohol delivery vehicle" thing is a teeny bit gratuitous...

ps: Is the USA non-macro market share really up to 20% now? Jim Koch was reticent to predict craft would hit 5% just a few years ago.

You're right about the alcohol delivery vehicle, seemed pithy when I wrote it and this morning it just seems snarky. Thanks for pointing that out.

I was trying to be somewhat general about the market and ended up using percentages . . . LOL. You're right, there's no need for me to be that precise, the rewrite is more general but makes the point without using stats.
 
I've paired a hoppy dipa with filet mignon quite nicely.
Fruity wheat with chevre
Brie and porter
Baked beans with cream ale
Imp pilsner with lobster ravioli
Porter or stout with braised short ribs and also brownies and/or icecream.
Pilsner with gazpacho

Beer, like wine can balance well or act as an over or undertone to a meal or appetizer. Imagination is your only limiting factor.

It's good. Wouldn't add anything much to be honest.
One thing I always find overstated however is the 'cleanness' of lager yeast, although you do mention sulphur. I also find it leaves a much fuller raw malty taste than say classic clean American ale yeast, but I agree it's what most people seem to say.

It's a nice idea the beer tasting although I'm not sure what beers I'd pair with food necessarily.
Obviously don't start with a DDH triple IPA...
And now ladies and gentlemen throw away your tongue as it is useless for further tasting...

I think fatty, grilled beef pairs exceptionally well with imperial IPAs. You both have probably already read it, but Garrett Oliver's book The Brewmaster's Table is a great read and resource.
 
Anyone else have any thoughts? I'm hoping to send this out to the attendees tonight.

One thing I always try to remember when evaluating beer is while focusing on the individual components of aroma, appearance, taste, and mouthfeel is to include thoughts about "what kind" and "how much".

So not just the perceptions of the attributes but the magnitude.
 
Minor suggestion, the following sentence

"same is true with beer. Macrobrews are lightly-flavored and manufactured to be enjoyed without much thought."

Could be perceived as insulting to the consumer. Suggestive that they are thoughtlessly choosng their beverage. Perhaps rephrasing to, "manufactured to appeal to the widest audiance."
 
Minor suggestion, the following sentence

"same is true with beer. Macrobrews are lightly-flavored and manufactured to be enjoyed without much thought."

Could be perceived as insulting to the consumer. Suggestive that they are thoughtlessly choosng their beverage. Perhaps rephrasing to, "manufactured to appeal to the widest audiance."

Good suggestion!
 
Very good article. I especially appreciate the helpful aroma and flavor descriptors at the end. When I started judging, I got a list of these and it was so helpful, as it gave me the words for what my tongue and nose were experiencing. I think that's the block for judges: the words.

Some minor issues:
  • "breath" should be "breathe". Twice, in Flavor section.
  • The most popular cheese (by far) is actually mozzarella, by volume. Pizza, go figure.
  • Where is Oceania?
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I've lightened up (again) on the BMC. In looking at the cheese stats, it appears American cheese isn't counted because it doesn't fit the definition of cheese, so I've changed my wording. And I learned something new - breath and breathe aren't alternative US/English spellings of the same word. I appreciate that you all took the time to read and reply!
 
According to monty python's cheese sketch, cheddar is the single most popular cheese in the world, though they don't really get much call for it in their parts.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I've lightened up (again) on the BMC. In looking at the cheese stats, it appears American cheese isn't counted because it doesn't fit the definition of cheese, so I've changed my wording. And I learned something new - breath and breathe aren't alternative US/English spellings of the same word. I appreciate that you all took the time to read and reply!

According to monty python's cheese sketch, cheddar is the single most popular cheese in the world, though they don't really get much call for it in their parts.

From the "who cares" dept:

Cheddar was surpassed by Mozz (per capita consumption in the US) around 2007. Still, as pappers pointed out, American cheese is still the king. You can see the numbers if you look at the USDA farm report here. You have to download the spreadsheet. There's one sheet for natural cheeses (cheddar, mozz) and a later sheet in the same spreadsheet for Am cheese. Look for per capita per year and you'll see it's about 10# cheddar, 11# for mozz, and 14# for American.

Spreadsheet at this link (go there, then Food Availablility > Dairy Products)
https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-availability-per-capita-data-system/
 
Holy cow! Someone's eating a hella lot of cheese!
My doc would beat me like a rental car if I ate a pound +/- of each of those per month :eek:

Cheers!
 
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