How We Taste & Test

Reviewing beer may sound like a dream job, but our tasting and review panel takes the role seriously. Composed of professional brewers, certified Cicerones, and Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) judges who have all studied, trained, and been tested on their ability to discern characteristics in beer, our panel is independent and diverse. The panel tastes all beer blindly—they do not know what brands and beers they are tasting until the tasting is complete.

Our goal is to inform you about the strengths and weaknesses of these beers as well as their relative differences (not everyone has the same taste in beer, so accurate descriptors are more valuable than straight numerical values). The quotes you see are compiled from the review panel’s score sheets to give you a well-rounded picture of the beer. To add to that snapshot, we also include a brief review from an editor, although that editor’s input does not impact the score.

As our reviewers judge, they score based on the standard

BJCP components: Aroma (max 12 points), Appearance (max 3 points), Flavor (max 20 points), Mouthfeel (max 5 points), and Overall Impression (max 10 points). We’ve listed these individual component scores, and the bottom-line number is derived from adding then doubling these component scores to produce a rating on a 100-point scale.

Our judges use the following scale in valuing scores:

95–100 » Extraordinary World-class beers of superlative character and flawless execution 90–94 » Exceptional Distinguished beers with special character, style, and flavor 85–89 » Very good

Well-crafted beers with noteworthy flavor and style

80–84 » Good

Solid, quality, enjoyable beers 75–79 » Above Average Drinkable and satisfactory beers with minor flaws or style deviations 70–74 » Average

50–69 » Not recommended

Keep one thing in mind as you read these reviews—your perception of a beer is more important than that of our review panel or editorial staff, and reading reviews in a magazine (or on the Web or in a book) is no substitute for trying the beer yourself.

What the brewer says: “Our brewers from Alpine and Jackson teamed up to make Me, Myself & Thai, a delectable hazy IPA with Sabro, Citra, and Mosaic hops bursting with tropical flavors. Available exclusively in the great state of Wyoming.” What our reviewers thought: “Bright citrus and floral notes; freshly cut lemons. In the flavor, massive tropical-fruit salad—papaya, mango, strawberry, and mandarin orange—sweetened with orange-blossom honey; just the right amount of sweetness to offset citrus acidity. Creamy mouthfeel and fruity flavors dominate, with only a subtle bitterness to tether it in the beer world. Very drinkable.” What our editors thought:

“The floral-bordering-on-noble aroma is unexpected, but the conventional candied fruit-smoothie flavor is more in line with expectations. Lingers with a banana-runts Candy-like synthetic-candy sweetness that manages to be endearing.”

ABV: 7.5% IBUS: N/A

Loc: Alpine, Wyoming

What the brewer says: “Full of notes of passion fruit, mango, and blueberry bliss.”

What our reviewers thought: “Orange-vanilla Creamsicle aroma; greengrassy hop pellets, garlic/diesel undertones. Slight bready sweetness dominated by orange-peel-hop flavors. Very smooth drinkability. Finish is quite dry. Hop contour whacks it out of the ‘drink several’ category.” What our editors thought: “Spicy

passion

What the brewer says: “Triple-dryhopped hazy IPA.”

What our reviewers thought: “Pellet-like hop aroma with pineapple, tangerine, orange, overripe fruit, and complementary cannabis. Sweet malt profile, with hops in the driver’s seat: firm bitterness, with strong tangerine and orange-peel flavors; also, slightly grassy, black-pepper notes.” What our editors thought: