10/13/2018

Earlier this month, I led the second of four monthly workshops that started out as preparation for those taking the Beer Judge Certification Program’s Beer Evaluation Exam I’m administering in January.  The workshops have grown, though, to include others who are interested in learning more about beer tasting and evaluation.  At each workshop, we focus on one ‘family’ of related beers styles, talking through the styles, helping the participants relate one style to another and put them into a

09/27/2018

One of my favorite parts of the brewing hobby is sharing what I make with others.  Its like cooking - sometimes its nice to have a big group over and prepare everyone a nice meal.  Cooking and brewing for others feels like you're taking care of folks, that you're encouraging joy.   Recently, my son's sister-in-law was married, at a lovely service, where my wife, a pastor, officiated.  Last year, when Dina and Liz asked if I would provide the beer and cider for the celebration afterwards, I was

09/11/2018

VOCABULARY Having a grasp of some common vocabulary – words that we often use to describe our perceptions of the beer in front of us – can help you both identify and label the aromas and flavors you perceive.  One way to think about describing what you are perceiving is to approach it in layers, getting more specific in each layer.  For example, a hop flavor or aroma might be described as ‘fruit’.  A more specific description of the type of fruitiness might be ‘citrus’.  A more specific