Appearance.
Smell.
Taste.
Mouthfeel.
Drinkability.
These are things that many beer geeks judge a beer by. It seems straightforward. Based on these criteria, you should be able to judge beers in a consistent manner. But then come the intangibles.
Location.
Company.
Event.
Season.
Time.
Where you are drinking the beer ...and with whom ...and at what time of day ...and what time of year... all of these have an impact on your senses and your attitude. So how you feel about a beer after you mowed the lawn will differ from the same beer at a football tailgate or at a bar with friends.
That has to be the reason why in a blind taste test, I ranked Hamm's much higher than Old Style, a beer that is near and dear to my heart (yes, I'm a Cubs fan), that I described for Indy.com as having a "funky aftertaste". Compared to the other five beers, I said it has "less nose, but funkier".
I'll probably be ranked with Steve Bartman as all time worst Cubs fans for this Old Style faux pas. They'll never let me into Wrigley again.
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Also, be sure to check out Indy.com's writing on Mat Gerdenich and Brian Snider of Cavalier Distributing.
Nice to see Cavalier get a little press. I was surprised to see that Matt listed Bocks and among his most popular beers.
ReplyDeleteThe Indy.com article was nice.. I personally like PBR, Old Style and Strohs, and many others in that 'retro' category.. but they really need to be drank in bottle. PBR from a can is an entirely different beast then long neck.
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