Comments on: BOB Begins.

By: Appellation Beer: Beer From a Good Home » Blog Archive » Diacetyl: An assignment for you, Daniel Bradford

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 23:09:51 +0000

[...] those of you haven’t noticed, the All About Beer magazine publisher has set out on a quest to become a beer expert. I have no idea how to define a “beer expert” but I think understanding diacetyl would [...]

By: Chipper Dave Butler

Chipper Dave Butler — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:01:10 +0000

Nice to have the BOB join the beer blogging world. Look forward to following your exploits on the road to GABF beer judgedom.

@ChipperDave

By: barry

barry — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:10:08 +0000

here’s my thoughts.

who are you trying to talk to about beer? is it someone who will know what you mean when you say “dropping bright,” or at least look up the term when you use it? Or is it someone who will say, “what is he talking about? this beer stuff shouldn’t be so hard.”

If you’re trying to bring the experience of beer to people who are just beginning the adventure, perhaps you can create or link to an existing glossary of terms, which will eventually become a useful resource. Or, to the extent that brewers are willing to give up trade secrets, a list of which beers use which hops, for example. So a reader who says, “hey, I like Bell’s Two-Hearted. Should I give Hercules a try?” will have a resource to go to.

I find that the attempt to objectify beer tasting (“resiny,” “citrusy,” “notes of tobacco,” etc.) doesn’t always help me to understand what a beer might taste like. I find comparisons more useful (“As bitter as Sierra Nevada, but with a fuller mouthfeel and less aftertaste,” or “Similar to Piels, but you can drink a dozen of them and still walk out of the bathroom”.) Now i know what you’re talking about.

Have fun. Let us know how the SC festival works out.

By: pete

pete — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:06:13 +0000

Come join us on our beer adventures around California. You are welcome to stay with us and, of course, break into the house again if we are not there

By: Bryce

Bryce — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:53:50 +0000

What a great adventure! Looking forward to seeing it unfold.

By: daniel

daniel — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 22:41:50 +0000

Reply to all.
Okay, I didn’t see this coming in so I’ll reply to all. Yes, the Cicerone Certification is on my list of things to do. “Expert” may not be the right word, but I hope to find the right word before the year is out. If I can, I’d love to come visit Tallgrass. I’ve obviously already started out by not posting enough. Scheesh! I am going to work with the local homebrewing clubs especially on the BJCP. I have had the Bear Republic Simcoe at the GABF I think. And I probably will regret this. I’m actually not such a fan of being so public. I like getting together good teams and helping them do the best job. I hate the exposure and the risk of looking like an idiot. That’s what the teenager is there to do for me.
Thanks and keep in touch.
Daniel

By: Dave Powell

Dave Powell — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 21:10:29 +0000

Going to get that Cicerone cert?

Dave Powell
humble reader and hobby brewer

By: Alan

Alan — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:09:14 +0000

“…to become an expert on beer.”

I wonder if that is the best way to describe the goal. The more I write and sip and sip and write the more I start to think that it is more of a pursuit than an expertise. I feel myself having become, to translate from Knut’s Norwegian, a beer hound more than a master. Is it an eternal apprenticeship or the way of a disciple? I don’t know. It is just that I now know there is more to left to know than I knew there was when I didn’t know much of anything.

Have fun along the way.

By: Brittany Moroney

Brittany Moroney — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:04:06 +0000

Tallgrass Brewing Company is a microbrewery out of Manhattan, KS that has been brewing for 18 months now! We share similiar passion for beer, so if you are ever around the area we would love for you to come have a brew(or possibly a few) with us and talk beer! We wish you the best of luck on your voyage and hope to see you soon!

Cheers!

By: Greg Clow

Greg Clow — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:17:43 +0000

Welcome to the beerblogosphere, Daniel. Hopefully you’ll post more often – and more insightfully – than myself.

Oh, and I’d also like to say that someone who has their own cask ale fridge and knows what it means for a beer to “drop bright” is already more of a beer expert than about 99.9% of the general population. But hey, there’s always more for all of us to learn…