Comments on: When Should a Beer Critic Trash a Brew?

By: Jawo

Jawo — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:40:17 +0000

I agree with many of the above commenters. Describe the beer as best as you can, as I read reviews to find new beers to try. While a negative review may be nice to vent, its not relaying useful information to the readers. If a beer tastes like water, chocolate, or grapefruit say it.

By: Tammy Tuck and Bruce Falconer

Tammy Tuck and Bruce Falconer — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:30:44 +0000

Agreeing here as well, and Kelly's comment rings most true. Giving a beer more than one shot over time is important and fair, since reviewing is often subjective and a matter of personal taste rather than gospel. My palette has certainly meandered here and there over the relatively short time I've been drinking beer. I have a lot of years of beer drinking to come and fully expect to love beers that I can't stand now, and vice versa.

Reviews should be useful to others, so describing a beer, providing a caveat of why you think something is good or bad, is the best service you can do. Any trashing or raving should be fully explained so it's clear to readers why the reviewer thinks something is so good or bad. Then the reader can decide if they would agree.

By: Kelly in the Big Blind

Kelly in the Big Blind — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:11:17 +0000

Someone quoted Tim's last line in their comments and I think they hit it right "your motivation must have a higher purpose". Why are you writing the review? That should guide.

Also I think it's important to give thing more than one shot, unless it's completely undrinkable. Context and innumerable other factors can change a tasting experience, as I'm sure you know.

Fair and balanced.

By: Scott-TheBrewClub

Scott-TheBrewClub — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:17:49 +0000

I think that you should give each beer a fair shake. Your idea of good beer is likely different than other people's, and that's to be expected.

Its also to be expected that once in awhile, craft beer or not, you will come across a beer that is just bad. Craft brewers aren't immune to making some duds now and then either! Call it like you see it, but with grace and class.

By: randy

randy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:47:57 +0000

Use your space to talk about good beer: what makes it good and what's not so good about it. Freely compare good beer to bad by saying why ("craft ale X has less diacetyl than the terribly buttery Rolling Rock but much more than the balanced buttery flavors in Samuel Smiths") and not just say it "tastes like crap." If it were that bad nobody would find something to like about it and they could not afford to keep it on the market.

By: RickG

RickG — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:46:27 +0000

As a great beer lover I am much more interested in cross section of great beers with a focus on locally produced beers. As a Master beer judge I recognize that reviews of great beer start sounding alike and that the language used to describe dislike is much richer. Describing your experience using words that your readers can understand is the key. If they can sit down with a beer and recognize the characters that you describe than you've done a real service. The good/bad is a reaction to that experience. Sulfur David above is likely a German and Czech Pils hater, but a Helles lover... because of the sulfur. I experience reasonable levels of sulfur as something that forecasts an authentically dry Pils and accentuates the malt. The preference is your conclusion as a reviewer, the experience descriptors are the premises to your argument where you answer the "so what?" question. I'm more interested in your experience.

Cheers, Rick

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:37:28 +0000

I can understand the desire to be a booster for craft beer in a sea of bad beer. To that end I don't think it's necessarily wrong to favor posting reviews of things you've liked. I think where a critic would go wrong with this sort of approach is if he posted a good review of something he really didn't care for all that much. It's an interesting question, though.

By: alex

alex — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:53:50 +0000

I completely agree with Tre.

I think a good rule to help guide when to trash in a blog that is likely read by people new to beer and people into beer alike is that to reserve trash talking for comparison pieces, where you're doing a head to head between a few beers.

By: reilly

reilly — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:45:02 +0000

I co-sign Tre's sentiment literally word for word.

By: Tre

Tre — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:02:14 +0000

On a blog geared toward hopheads and maltmen, you have a duty to your audience to review craft beer against peers--no grade inflation.

When your audience is the public, your duty is to champion good beer as a category.