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Things to Critique in Beer: Negative Flavors to Look For

There is considerable variation across different beers, and this means that differences between beers are an important component of the characteristics of those beers. The taste of beer is highly subjective and people will interpret the taste of a different beer differently depending on their own personal perspectives.

While individuals might differ in the way that they view a given beer or what tastes they consider to be more desirable than others, there are some key flavors to look out for that should not be in beer and are an indication that there is a problem in the beer.

Activities to Refine the Palate For Beer Tasting

One of the key elements of tasting beer is refining the palate. This is particularly important for beer, as some of the taste elements of different beers are nuanced, and a person needs some experience in tasting beer before they are able to pick up on these tastes. It is particularly important for homebrewers to take every opportunity to develop their palates, as this will help them to understand their own beer better, as well as the beers of other people.

What Is Partial Mash Brewing?

Partial mash brewing is an interesting approach to brewing, and is essentially a middle step between all grain brewing and extract brewing. This makes it an important step for new brewers who want to experience something beyond extract brewing, but are not ready for the full commitment of full grain brewing. Like extract brewing, partial mash brewing requires fewer steps also makes use of less equipment than if you were to upgrade to an all grain kit.

Thai PA – Lemongrass Chile Pale Ale All Grain Recipe

Does everyone love lemongrass, or is it just me? I had never really thought about how much I enjoy the flavor of lemongrass in Asian cooking til a buddy of mine cooked up some soup and put fresh lemongrass stalks in there. The soup was meh, but shortly after accidentally biting into a chopped stalk of this delicious plant, I decided to brew a beer with it.

Orange Clove Witbier All Grain Recipe

The idea for this orange clove witbier came to me while thinking about what type of winter holiday beer I was going to do. I had just finished my pumpkin rye for the fall, and needed something for winter. I wanted to do something spicy and aromatic. When you were kids, did you ever stick a bunch of cloves into oranges and hang them around the house as air fresheners during Christmas?

My Top 4 Most Common Homebrewing Mistakes

These are my most common homebrewing mistakes. Nothing too big, but they are things that can definitely affect the final product. It’s definitely not a good idea to stress about these minor issues, because is the end, we are trying to make beer we like to drink, not just hit temp and gravity targets!

But in the same breath, there’s no reason to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. I will continue to brew, and try to improve my craft.