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How to rate a beer
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Sure, you like it, but do you know why?
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When tasting and comparing many different types of beer, it is helpful to have a standardized way of rating them. If you’re serious about your suds, start taking tasting notes and build a profile of what things you like and dislike about different beer styles. This doesn’t have to be a complicated endeavor, but you have to go a bit further than “I liked that beer” or “that one sucks”.
A good place to start is by breaking down a beer’s rating into several categories. I use the same categories as the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) scorecards – those guys know what they’re doing, and their criteria works for me. The BJCP breaks beers down by Appearance, Aroma, Mouthfeel, Flavor, and Overall Impressions. So, grab your favorite beer, pour it into a nice, clean glass, and let’s get started! Bonus points if you use style-appropriate glassware!
Appearance
The first thing you want to note is the appearance of the beer – does the beer make you want to drink it? Does it have a nice, frothy head and inviting appearance, or does it look like a little wimpy beer, all watered down and cowering in the corner? When you gain more experience, you can note if the beer looks appropriate for its style – Hefeweizens should be cloudy, and you shouldn’t be able to see through a porter. Note any weird stuff going on – particles floating in the beer and stuff like that. Make a note of how fast the head disappears.
Aroma
The eyes have had their fun, now let the nose get in on the action. Take a nice sniff of the beer and note any flavors you pick up. Rich caramel notes? Chocolate or coffee? Citrus or woodsy aromas from the hops? Write them down. When you start out, everything will smell like beer, but after doing this for awhile, you’ll be amazed at how many different aromas you can pick up. Eventually, you’ll be able to pick out specific varieties of grain and hops! Note how the aroma makes you feel – are you chomping at the bit to take a sip, or did you just check the baby to see if a diaper needed to be changed?
Mouthfeel
Ah, the time has come. Take a nice big sip and start writing. First note the mouthfeel – is the beer highly carbonated, or more on the flat side? Is it thick and chewy, or thin and watery? Does it finish clean or with a residue on your palate?
Flavor
This is the big one. What does the beer taste like? The flavors will likely change between taking a sip, swallowing it, and experiencing the aftertaste. Take notes on all of this. Note the hop bitterness –is it overpowering? Nicely balanced with the malt? Is the malt flavor overly sweet? Do you get toasty, roasty, or biscuity flavors? Do you get any hints of fruit or spice? A good beer should be in balance – not overly sweet or bitter.
Ongoing Notes
Keep tasting and taking notes – that’s right, you get to drink the whole beer! As the beer warms up, the aroma and flavor will become more complex (never drink a beer “ice cold” - 40°F is a good temperature for most styles). Take another sniff, and add some notes to the aroma section. Take another sip, and see if any new flavors present themselves. Finish that sucker off, and let’s wrap this up.
Overall Impressions
This is where you tie it all together. Would you drink this beer again, and why? If not, what would stop you? Was it a specific flavor you didn’t like? Was it the mouthfeel? Did it contain a spice that overpowered the beer? Jot down anything you can think of about why you liked or disliked the beer.
If you like, you can do what the pros do and assign a numerical rating to each section. Some people rate each category from one to five. The BJCP weights each category on importance – appearance counts for less than flavor, for example. Come up with a rating system that fits your style – then use it to pick out new beers to try. Eventually, you will have a nice little database of your likes and dislikes you can use to pin down what beers you’ll really enjoy.
- Download an official BJCP scorecard and rate beer like the pros!
- A sample of a completed BJCP exam scorecard
- A review of Long Trail Double Bag Ale from my brewing blog, lootcorp.com
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