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I'm partial to Blue Moon and enjoy Hacker Pschorr. I saw Blue Moon at the store today and it looked so tasty, but due to the fact it's 29 degrees out, hot chocolate sounds better.

Bfan53 wrote: Hey C-Dawg,

Yeah, feel free to start a beer tasting/rating thread. I'd be interested. Have any ideas about how to do it?

Sorry I missed your early post on Newcastle. It's excellent on tap, but difficult to find in my part of the world. Usually just have to be content with cases of glass bottles instead.....

I used to homebrew, and have some books on "taste testing" beer that gives you a guide to rating them, such as color, clarity, pallette, taste and aftertaste. I'll try and find them (they got boxed and forgotten during my divorce 8 years ago) and post or give links to where you can read up on it. Then it's just a matter of everyone following the same guidelines so we can all rate the beers we drink.
As for the Newcastle on tap, I'm lucky that a local restaurant where the future Mrs. C-Dawg works has it on tap. And to think, she thinks I just go there to see her while she's working

C-Dawg wrote:

Bfan53 wrote: Hey C-Dawg,

Yeah, feel free to start a beer tasting/rating thread. I'd be interested. Have any ideas about how to do it?

Sorry I missed your early post on Newcastle. It's excellent on tap, but difficult to find in my part of the world. Usually just have to be content with cases of glass bottles instead.....

I used to homebrew, and have some books on "taste testing" beer that gives you a guide to rating them, such as color, clarity, pallette, taste and aftertaste. I'll try and find them (they got boxed and forgotten during my divorce 8 years ago) and post or give links to where you can read up on it. Then it's just a matter of everyone following the same guidelines so we can all rate the beers we drink.
As for the Newcastle on tap, I'm lucky that a local restaurant where the future Mrs. C-Dawg works has it on tap. And to think, she thinks I just go there to see her while she's working

I'll be anxious to hear about your research, possible beer rating system, etc.

As far as the future Mrs. C-Dawg..........mum's the word & please keep the Newcastle flowing, honey!!!!

Bfan53 wrote:

C-Dawg wrote:

Bfan53 wrote: Hey C-Dawg,

Yeah, feel free to start a beer tasting/rating thread. I'd be interested. Have any ideas about how to do it?

Sorry I missed your early post on Newcastle. It's excellent on tap, but difficult to find in my part of the world. Usually just have to be content with cases of glass bottles instead.....

I used to homebrew, and have some books on "taste testing" beer that gives you a guide to rating them, such as color, clarity, pallette, taste and aftertaste. I'll try and find them (they got boxed and forgotten during my divorce 8 years ago) and post or give links to where you can read up on it. Then it's just a matter of everyone following the same guidelines so we can all rate the beers we drink.
As for the Newcastle on tap, I'm lucky that a local restaurant where the future Mrs. C-Dawg works has it on tap. And to think, she thinks I just go there to see her while she's working

I'll be anxious to hear about your research, possible beer rating system, etc.

As far as the future Mrs. C-Dawg..........mum's the word & please keep the Newcastle flowing, honey!!!!

Hey C-Dawg,

Any luck in finding those books about "taste testing" beers?????

I'll just sick to wine...Chardonnay please.

Here is a link that has some info.....it has both a printable 'score card' and also a flavor wheel that can be helpful with highly discriptive adjectives.

http://www.tastebeer.com.au/beer/141

Currently our fave is High Roller II and IPA from a local brewery, Big Boss http://www.bigbossbrewing.com/....thing is....lol...they don't bottle it, it's only at their tavern or in take-away growlers (64 oz jugs). Great bear...but it packs a punch at 7.8%! It's not one to take to an all day tail-gate.

HULA GIRL^ wrote:I'll just sick to wine...Chardonnay please.

i usually don't like Chardonnay but my friend Stacey(Fruitcakedawg) introduced me to Toasted Head last weekend at the Raleigh Phlocking and i LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

and when we went to The Flying Saucer in Raleigh i had Woodchuck pear ale it was very very yummy!

flipflopgirl wrote:

HULA GIRL^ wrote:I'll just sick to wine...Chardonnay please.

i usually don't like Chardonnay but my friend Stacey(Fruitcakedawg) introduced me to Toasted Head last weekend at the Raleigh Phlocking and i LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

and when we went to The Flying Saucer in Raleigh i had Woodchuck pear ale it was very very yummy!

Don't you just love The Flying Saucer?! It's my dog's favorite bar. (They let dogs sit on the patio.) Staff can be a bit spotty/flakey....but great overall.

Bfan53 wrote: Hey C-Dawg,

Any luck in finding those books about "taste testing" beers?????

Sorry dude....been busy with work, and now I'm in Florida soaking up the sun and drinking my fill everyday. I'll try and look for them next week when I'm home.
I know one of the books was by Micheal Jackson the world famous Beer Hunter who passed recently, but here are a couple links to some great info that should get you started.
http://www.brew-monkey.com/Articles/hisstoahh.php
http://brewingtechniques.com/library/ba ... ckham.html

BTW, Soraya's link has a great scorecard, similar to the one in one of my books, and the one on his link is better, as it's downloadable for all of us to use.

Soraya wrote:

flipflopgirl wrote:

HULA GIRL^ wrote:I'll just sick to wine...Chardonnay please.

i usually don't like Chardonnay but my friend Stacey(Fruitcakedawg) introduced me to Toasted Head last weekend at the Raleigh Phlocking and i LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

and when we went to The Flying Saucer in Raleigh i had Woodchuck pear ale it was very very yummy!

Don't you just love The Flying Saucer?! It's my dog's favorite bar. (They let dogs sit on the patio.) Staff can be a bit spotty/flakey....but great overall.

Yes i do! I hope to get back there when i come down for the Raleigh show!

C-Dawg wrote:

Bfan53 wrote: Hey C-Dawg,

Any luck in finding those books about "taste testing" beers?????

Sorry dude....been busy with work, and now I'm in Florida soaking up the sun and drinking my fill everyday. I'll try and look for them next week when I'm home.
I know one of the books was by Micheal Jackson the world famous Beer Hunter who passed recently, but here are a couple links to some great info that should get you started.
http://www.brew-monkey.com/Articles/hisstoahh.php
http://brewingtechniques.com/library/ba ... ckham.html

BTW, Soraya's link has a great scorecard, similar to the one in one of my books, and the one on his link is better, as it's downloadable for all of us to use.

Thanks & happy you've escaped to Florida for a while. Enjoy!

HULA GIRL^ wrote:I'll just sick to wine...Chardonnay please.

Wine for me too...but more of a Pinot Grigio or nice dry red...

Very nice articles, I much prefer beer style guides. Beer should taste like beer, malt and hops, if it doesn't it's bad beer. I'm in the minority but I do the same with wine, it should taste like wine, essence of the fruit, if it doesn't it, to me, is bad wine.

jeepndd wrote:Very nice articles, I much prefer beer style guides. Beer should taste like beer, malt and hops, if it doesn't it's bad beer. I'm in the minority but I do the same with wine, it should taste like wine, essence of the fruit, if it doesn't it, to me, is bad wine.

But how much hops is used...what sort of hops is used....all those things will bring different qualities to a beer.....even thought they taste like malt, hops and yeast. Then there are an individual's taste buds.

My husband loves strong hoppy India Pale Ales....while I prefer the less hoppy Pales....both can be very good beers, but each will have vastly different qualities and tastes.

However, there is no need for someone to actually want to deconstruct the taste of a beer or wine....some of just find it a fun, interesting hobby that allows us to better pinpoint what we are looking for in a beer.

jeepndd wrote:Very nice articles, I much prefer beer style guides. Beer should taste like beer, malt and hops, if it doesn't it's bad beer. I'm in the minority but I do the same with wine, it should taste like wine, essence of the fruit, if it doesn't it, to me, is bad wine.

I'm pretty much with you there. We went to a brewpub this weekend, and my first one was a 10.5% cassis something or other, deep purple "beer"- it wasn't bad, but it wasn't beer. It was almost a barley wine. The second was their creme brulee java stout- it was tasty, but tasted more like sweetened coffee than a stout. Overall, I enjoyed the drinks, but they were not good beer.

Soraya wrote:

jeepndd wrote:Very nice articles, I much prefer beer style guides. Beer should taste like beer, malt and hops, if it doesn't it's bad beer. I'm in the minority but I do the same with wine, it should taste like wine, essence of the fruit, if it doesn't it, to me, is bad wine.

But how much hops is used...what sort of hops is used....all those things will bring different qualities to a beer.....even thought they taste like malt, hops and yeast. Then there are an individual's taste buds.

My husband loves strong hoppy India Pale Ales....while I prefer the less hoppy Pales....both can be very good beers, but each will have vastly different qualities and tastes.

However, there is no need for someone to actually want to deconstruct the taste of a beer or wine....some of just find it a fun, interesting hobby that allows us to better pinpoint what we are looking for in a beer.

Soraya, I'm there with you on that. Two different types of beers with different qualities one with more of an emphasis on malt and the other with the emphasis on hops and both can be excellent examples of thier styles. My criticism was intended for the hoighty toity wine crowd and their "my wine tastes like something that is completely irrevelavent to its base ingredients" ideals. If it doesn't taste anything like the ingredients it isn't good wine, it's bad wine. It just kills me that a $4.00 bottle of wine can be in the same league taste wise with a $40.00 bottle of wine. Supposed "Wine connoseurs" will tell you otherwise but your tastebuds should tell you they aren't very expert. Some of the best wines I've had are under $20 and the biggest wastes of cash have been over $40.00 a bottle. And don't even get me started on Champagne...

jeepndd wrote:

Soraya wrote:

jeepndd wrote:Very nice articles, I much prefer beer style guides. Beer should taste like beer, malt and hops, if it doesn't it's bad beer. I'm in the minority but I do the same with wine, it should taste like wine, essence of the fruit, if it doesn't it, to me, is bad wine.

But how much hops is used...what sort of hops is used....all those things will bring different qualities to a beer.....even thought they taste like malt, hops and yeast. Then there are an individual's taste buds.

My husband loves strong hoppy India Pale Ales....while I prefer the less hoppy Pales....both can be very good beers, but each will have vastly different qualities and tastes.

However, there is no need for someone to actually want to deconstruct the taste of a beer or wine....some of just find it a fun, interesting hobby that allows us to better pinpoint what we are looking for in a beer.

Soraya, I'm there with you on that. Two different types of beers with different qualities one with more of an emphasis on malt and the other with the emphasis on hops and both can be excellent examples of thier styles. My criticism was intended for the hoighty toity wine crowd and their "my wine tastes like something that is completely irrevelavent to its base ingredients" ideals. If it doesn't taste anything like the ingredients it isn't good wine, it's bad wine. It just kills me that a $4.00 bottle of wine can be in the same league taste wise with a $40.00 bottle of wine. Supposed "Wine connoseurs" will tell you otherwise but your tastebuds should tell you they aren't very expert. Some of the best wines I've had are under $20 and the biggest wastes of cash have been over $40.00 a bottle. And don't even get me started on Champagne...

Funny about this $4 bottle vs. $40 bottle thing......Although my wife is more the wine drinker in the family, I have gotten to the point where I do occasionally enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. But I was always intimidated at a restaurant by choosing the "right" wine for the meal.

Finally a good friend who is as close to a local wine "expert" as anyone I know said to me: "Don't worry about traditions or other supposed rules about wine." Just find a wine that tastes good to you and enjoy! Once I adopted that mind set I must say that I have enjoyed wine drinking so much more! And he was adamant that price has nothing to do with "good tasting" wine. Often it's more about perceptions, usually other peoples!

And my tastes in beer are the same. While I tend to favor ales, I love trying new beers including lagers. But please no fruit flavors or other funky tastes for me.......

Bfan53 wrote: But please no fruit flavors or other funky tastes for me.......

I am not a fan of most fruit beer...but I tried the Pyramid Apricot Heffe this evening...and can easily have another one at some point....it's not heavy sryup fruit...just sort of a slight scent in a rather light unfiltered heffe.

That being said...hubby surprized me...he got the hard to get ticket to the Ralegh Beer Fest later in April (almost as hard to get as Buffett tickets! Most places were sold out and they only went on sale yesterdday!) ...and a room at the Clarion near downtown (that is the 'round' hotel for folks in the Raleigh area) for that night.

I tend to agree with you all about fruity beers, but there are a couple I do like.....Magic Hat #9 and Long Trail's Wildberry Wheat....both are great beers.....if you get a chance to try them, do it

C-Dawg wrote:I tend to agree with you all about fruity beers, but there are a couple I do like.....Magic Hat #9 and Long Trail's Wildberry Wheat....both are great beers.....if you get a chance to try them, do it

I'll keep an eye open for those.....heck, I'll try most things once.

I will say that one should AVOID AT ALL POSSIBLE COSTS the Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat Beer....oh my....horrible.

Cloying fruit taste...not chemical but not at all drinkable...even if you are a fan of some of the Belgian iambics for example.....urgh.....sort of like a blueberry pancake gone bad.