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January 5, 2007
Tasting Beer
I've always wanted to be able to truly appreciate wine and beer on the level of those who craft them. For most of my life, I've always assumed that my nose and palate weren't capable of detecting the smells, flavors, and tastes on the level of a somelier or tasting expert. While this has obvious merit, I think there's a lot more to it than that. This may seem rather obvious, but we can only appreciate what we pay attention to.
A while ago, I was reading a book about tracking animals in the woods, I can't remember the name, but one of the things that struck me was how the art of tracking and awareness came down to almost two things: silence and focus. You can't track animals by just memorizing their tracks, scat and behavior patterns from a book, you literally have to observe them. He said that to observe nature in it's own element, requires a level of patience, silence, and attention that almost nobody experiences, even people who love the outdoors. It can take an hour or more of absolute stillness before the woodsy inhabitants return to their normal behavior and before the opportunity to learn presents itself. There was a zen-like focus to his art, and I'm guessing that while I may not be gifted with a super nose or palate, a similar level of focus on drinking beer and wine can teach me more about the art of tasting than I've ever thought possible.
Also, I've had some really good beers in the past, but I've forgotten what they were. With a tasting log, this wouldn't happen.
With this in mind, I've decided to be a bit more deliberate in my beer consumption. I'm going to take note of different characteristics of the beer. I don't really have any idea what I'm doing, but there's a surprising amount of information about beer tasting online: here, here, here, and here. I'm going to track my notes on ratebeer.com. You can see my profile here.
Posted by mark at January 5, 2007 1:10 PM Subscribe (FeedBurner)
Comments
I look forward to reading about your drinking habits! I'll sign up next week, I have opinions... and of course, mine are right.
Posted by: Nate at January 5, 2007 4:02 PM
Be still grasshopper and wait for the beer to make you burp - then, and only then, will you truly appreciate what you have consumed.
Posted by: Dan at January 5, 2007 8:00 PM