Out of Town

I'm going to be out of town next week, so I don't expect to get any new reviews up for a bit. So to hold you over, I have two great beer tastings for today and tomorrow that I've been saving for just such an occasion. Enjoy!

Ratings Overhaul (Take 2)

As I do more tastings, I'm finding that the 1-5 system I've been using doesn't allow me much room to distinguish one review from the next. For example, there have been some 3's that are bordering on 4's and some 3's bordering on 2's. I've decided to change to an A-F grading system to give a bit more room to distinguish from one tasting note to the next. As time permits, I will be going back to the older reviews and updating their ratings.

Here is the updated rating scale I will be using:

A+ =  A masterpiece. These are truly the elite of their class that excel in flavor, balance and complexity. (This is the equivalent of a 5 on my previous rating scale)

A-, A = Excellent. These are some of the best of the best, that just fall short of perfection. (This is the equivalent of a 4 on my previous rating scale)

B-, B, B+ = Very good. This is something I enjoyed well enough that I would buy it again. A "one trick pony" that has great flavor, but little complexity or balance will generally fall in this category. (This is the equivalent of a 3 on my previous rating scale.)

C-, C, C+ = Decent. I would rarely turn this down if it was offered to me, but I wouldn't generally go out of my way to find it again. (This is the equivalent of a 2 on my previous rating scale)

D - Meh. Not horrible but not something I'd generally recommend. (This is the equivalent of a 1 on my previous rating scale.)

F - Did someone pee in this? (This is the equivalent of a 0 on my previous rating scale)

Welcome!

This blog has been a pet idea of mine that I've been kicking around for years. I've jotted down tasting notes on and off over the years for cigars, beer, whisky, wine and so on. My goal on this blog is to share these with you, and then provide you with the opportunity to share your own thoughts in the comments.

Let me share my tastes so you know what you can expect to see here. As far as beer goes, I'm a big fan of porters, barleywines and IPA's. For scotches, I like them peaty and smoky. I'd say about 2/3 of my single-malt collection is from Islay. For wines, I like Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling on the white side and Zinfandel on the red side. I've been known to dabble in the occasional port and eiswein as well. I don't smoke cigars as much as I used to, but I hope to get one in every now and then. Also, expect to see some dark chocolate, bourbon, and a few random surprises pop up here and there.

Even though I will be giving all my entries a score from 1 to 5, my goal here is not to be a "beer snob". Everything I post is purely subjective based on my personal tastes. If I give a low score for one of your favorites, then hop into the comments and tell us why you like it. My goal is to stir up conversation, not controversy.

Let the tastings begin...