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I follow a specific format when reviewing beer. More then just following the standard layout below, I look for specific characteristics in every beer I try. Below details how I complete the form below, which has been my golden standard for every beer I have ever tried.

Name: Generally I just put the name of the beer, but if its a microbrewery I may also but that down as well.

Origin: Location of where the beer originated, though not always where it was brewed.

Style: The beers general style (ie: Lager, Lambic, IPA) and alcohol content. Sometimes I will mention the sub-style if I think its applicable (ei: Fruit Lambic, Ice Lager)

Appearance: I will start with the the appearance of the beer, looking at the its clarity, apparent carbonation level and obviously its colour. The beers head appearance, size and overall retention are detailed as well.

Taste: You cannot have taste without smell so I bundle both taste and aroma together in this section. I try my best to pick out the aromas noted in the beer, though to be honest my sense of smell is not very keen. I always judge this from the first pour and never after. When tasting the beer I look for things I can can recognize and match up with other familiar flavours, such as fruits, candy and other common food items (and occasionally household cleaners). I track the strength of these various flavours and when they appear in the beer. Sometimes when applicable I will note how temperature affects the overall flavour of the beer.

Mouth Feel: I was going to use the term Drinkability here, but that’s not a real word. I note the body of the beer (light, medium, heavy) and the general ‘feel’ of the beer. I note the level carbonation detected on the tongue, and whether it seems to have an acidic sharpness or not. I also judge how filling the beer is.

Final Thoughts (out of 5 points): This is my personal and sometimes opinionated thoughts on the beer in question. It’s best not to take these personally as these are my thoughts, not yours, so put on your big boy pants and deal with it. I score on aroma, taste, mouth feel and of course my overall enjoyment of the beer I am sampling. Appearance rarely affects the score unless there is something very unusual about it.