Beer comes in many shapes and forms.  Recognizing a good beer starts with knowing what the brewer has intended for his brew.  In the world of home brewing, beer review (and peer review) is very important to refining one’s skill. By getting together with other brewers and ‘beer snobs’, you can try out your brews among the palates of others, and give your friends a chance to rate beer at your very own beer tasting.

Many types of beer can easily be put into the same category.  Learning how to rate beers and critique beers comes after sampling and getting used to the flavors each type of beer offers.  Sometimes it is difficult to determine the difference between sublty different beers, and sometimes it is difficult to tell the quality of a beer that one is not used to during a beer review, or tasting.  We will elucidate some of the flavor characteristics to look for – and to avoid – in the world of home brew beer review.

These whose sole ingredients are malt, hops, yeast, and water are the easiest to assess.  The beers which fall primarily into this category are: lagers, pale ales, pilsners, bitters, ambers, bocks, porters, and stouts.  In these beers, there are no strange and fruity flavors, no specialty yeasts, or adjunct ingredients.  If there appears to be a taste that is out of the ordinary, it is likely that something has gone wrong.

Among beginning and intermediate home brewers, contamination is an uncommon, but predictable occurance.  It is very important to take note of the flavors that develop in your home brew.  If a batch starts off tasting a little weird, but then the flavors mellow out two weeks later, it simply means that recipe requires aging before you can properly rate beer.  If a brew tastes a little weird, and two weeks later is horrible, then you have a case of bacterial contamination.  This can only be remedied by pouring out the beer (preferably outside, where the bacteria won’t come back in), getting rid of the bottles, and scrubbing and sanitizing your brewing supplies, carboys, and brewing area with extreme vigor.

Now for what you should look forward to appreciating!

To rate beers such as Lagers, pale ales, pilsners, bitters, look for flavors that should all be slightly to very bitter, with little malt flavor.  These beers are best for hot weather and summer time, as they lack the subtle flavinoids and rich tastes of darker beers – these flavors quickly dissipate when subjected to hotter temperatures and temperature changes.  Lagers are a type of beer for which it is especially difficult to find a quality example of.  Many of the mass and factory produced beers are lagers, so most micro breweries opt for more exotic ale varieties, such as Pale ales, IPAs, and ambers.  The best example of a fine commercially produced lager that I have found is Dixie Brewing Co.’s Blackened Voodoo Lager, although it lacks the extreme lightness of body attributed to the style.

A beer review of ambers and bocks should look for the qualities of slightly darker beer, usually, but not necessarily with less hop character than the lighter beers.  Ambers are known for a slightly sweeter taste and more malt character than the lighter beers as well.  Some of the best beers I have tasted have been ambers.  Most notably, Arrogant Bastard Ale, and the organic Fish Tale Ale.  Both of these ales are prime examples of beers rich in malt flavor, wish fresh hop flavor.

Now for my favorite – the dark beers.  When it comes time to rate beer, the porters, stouts, and barley wines that fall into this category are the most delectable.  A beer review party of this kind ideally takes place during fall or winter, as these are warming beers, beer rated for its nutritious qualities and caloric content as well as taste.  All of these beers are thick and hearty, with a good amount of hop flavor.  The grains used in these are usually well roasted, and in the case of the porter, overflowing with sweet malt flavor.  Stouts, on the other hand, are meant to be strong, hearty, and bitter.  The bitterness comes not only from the hops, but also from roasted grains used in the production of such an ale.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  With these guides, beer review should be within even the beginner’s grasp.  Remember to write down notes on the beer review you receive.  As a brewer, it is up to you to fine tune your ales to suit the taste of you and your community.